The Colts, beginning at training camp later this month, will employ technology provided by LISNR to interact with fans’ mobile devices in real time during games and events. The Ohio-based company provides its clients with the technology to deploy inaudible frequencies, called SmartTones, through any sound system that are picked up by fans’ phones, prompting the display of anything from way-finding information to an instant replay to branded messaging. Colts Dir of Digital Platforms Dan Plumlee said he was exploring the use of beacon technology at Lucas Oil Stadium, but realized it requires the installation and maintenance of costly infrastructure. He then stumbled on LISNR, which can be employed through any speaker system, both at the stadium and for off-site events. "As far as infrastructure costs, I’m going to have zero," he said. "And I loved the idea of the portability of the thing because we travel so many different places. ... This isn’t just limiting me to using this technology within our app at the stadium."
SETTING THE TONE: Fans who arrive at training camp will be directed to a responsive webpage -- which will include a camp schedule, roster, training camp guide and logo placement for camp sponsor Verizon -- immediately upon entering the grounds via the imperceptible tone playing underneath music. Plumlee said that he plans to start slow in terms of implementing the technology at home games, delivering welcome messages for fans entering the stadium, notifications for digital and social activities and celebratory media immediately following touchdowns. As the season progresses, he plans to experiment with different sponsored messages based on which gate fans enter through, as well as discount offers for merchandise in the team’s pro shop. In future seasons, he even plans on exploring integration of tones into the team’s TV programming to provide fans with interactive second-screen content at home.
THE APP EFFECT: One limitation of the technology is that fans must have the team’s official application installed on their phones in order to pick up the tones. Plumlee would not disclose exactly how many fans have installed the Colts' app, but said that it is a "relatively high number" in the hundreds of thousands. LISNR CRO Mick Suh said that in past case studies, the use of LISNR technology has actually led to an increase in the adoption rates for the apps. "What our clients typically see is year-on-year, game-on-game, increases in their app downloads because of that impact and because of the activations that surround them." Several other teams, including the Cavaliers, use LISNR, which is licensed using a "software as a service" model in which the client purchases an annual subscription based on how many users install the app with LISNR's SDK. The company also has employed its technology at the Budweiser Made In America music festival in Philadelphia, the Grammy’s in a deal with AEG and even on Discovery’s "MythBusters" program. The company late last year raised $10M in Series B funding, which included an investment from Intel Capital.
