Peter Casey is always in a quest for digital innovation. From his time being the first-ever credentialed twitter correspondent for St. John’s University to his time working all the digital outreach for the New York Knicks to his work with Nike and other brands and now at the helm of all the digital outreach for Five Star Basketball, he has always been tinkering, amplifying and expanding the reach of the companies he works with.
One of his other interesting projects which we have written about is his Passport series; a site where fans of all ages can document, collect and share their experiences at arenas and stadia big and small across the country in one place. First there was basketball, then hardball, then football and hockey, all stand-alone efforts for this fans. Now Casey and his partners have unified their work, and even added a soccer component which all launch this week.
Through a successful crowdfund effort and now with a presenting sponsor, New York Life, a new relaunched Sports Passport has been born. The new platform is easier, more unified and easily sharable with friends, creating a new competitive landscape for arena and stadium hopping. As an extra insurance policy, consumers will now also have the option to download all check-ins as a spreadsheet from your profile page.
Fans can share stories and ticket stubs, and upload photos to complement their game histories. As fans log their games, “Sports Passport” dishes out personalized stats – number of games attended, stadiums seen, best performances witnessed, and each team’s record for games fans personally attended – to compare year over year or even against other fans. It allows future-oriented fans to easily create and track their stadium bucket lists, plan road trips and compete in head-to-head stadium challenges. Fans that complete a stadium challenge or achieve game-specific accomplishments earn unique digital stamps for their Passport. Combined with active leaderboards for “Most Games Logged,” it creates a friendly culture of competition among avid game goers.
From a business perspective, the new version has a much greater upside. Brands can integrate perks into the platform for fans who engage regularly, and the model remains scalable to any sport, with probably soccer coming next. The biggest need however, especially to engage with millennials, is to have mobile capability and instant social media sharing. That still remains as a gap in the process, but one that is closing quickly. The download is easy, the work to be engaged is minimal, and the idea of being able to share memories and experiences is key for engagement. While not yet perfect, Casey’s “passports” are growing in popularity and make a nice addition to the sports portfolio.
Great dedication by an innovator seems to again pay off, and with the payoff comes an enhanced fan experience not just for one sports silo, bit for fans across the board.
