The NFL is synonymous with the anticipation of the game, the Super Bowl, and the heated analysis and commentary that come with being a football fan.
When it comes to having a captive audience, the NFL is top of the league, with not only stadiums full of fans but many more watching at home. With so much real time data available, it only makes sense for the NFL to embrace using big data in its marketing.
What steps has the NFL made in this direction? And how is its marketing looking these days?
Getting Involved: NFL Reaches Out to Fans
Football is an interactive past time, and the NFL knows that.
NFL fans by their very nature are a vocal bunch, cheering loud for their teams, analyzing each game to the finest point, and getting involved in impassioned discussions over social media. The NFL encourages interaction, with many players maintaining their own social media profiles and interacting with their fans through them.
A recent NFL advertising campaign, "Together We Make Football", encouraged fans to let them know why they love football. Finalists had video stories produced about them, with fans voting for the winners (with tickets to this year's Super Bowl at stake).
Getting fans involved not only keeps them coming back for more, it ensures that fans will spread the word about the NFL and their latest promotions.
Big Game, Big Data: How Football Is Being Transformed By Big Data
The NFL has partnered with business software and analytics experts SAP. As a sponsor, SAP brings a lot of knowledge about and passion for the use of big data in sports.
When it comes to big data, the NFL has a rich resource in all the fans that are in a stadium at any one time, allowing for almost instant feedback on what is working and what isn't on a large scale.
SAP has already unveiled a state of the art database for NFL fantasy league fans, allowing much better statistical analysis of their favorite players, for a richer and more interactive fan experience.
Gathering big data during a game makes for real time discussions between fans and teams that keep the experience fresh and exciting.
Keeping the Fans Involved
What makes the NFL stand out is its openness and inclusiveness with fans when it comes to using big data.
During the run up to Super Bowl XLVIII, fans were treated to Super Bowl Boulevard, a lively display in New York City where players and fans from around the world could mingle. SAP was there, showcasing its social media data gathering and analytics, hosting giveaways, and talking to fans about what big data means for them.
Big data is allowing the NFL to embrace dynamic ticket pricing for this season.
By capturing and analyzing big data, the NFL can see which games are in the highest demand and which teams are most popular, allowing them to adjust their ticket prices accordingly.
With so much information available to the NFL at any one time, the move to embrace big data in marketing is a smart one.
Coupled with the NFL's fun and engaging marketing campaigns, big data is making the NFL experience more interactive than ever for fans, from the stadium to the fantasy league.