Kevin McIntyre joined Amayse in Feb. '17 to expand the company's footprint in the Americas.
KEVIN MCINTYRE is the VP & head of U.S. sales for Amayse. The event signage company was founded in '97 in Denmark with the aim of providing branding solutions for televised sporting events. It has since added offices in the U.K. and U.S. and worked with entities including the Bundesliga, Rugby World Cup and numerous stadiums. McIntyre joined the firm in Feb. '17 to develop business and expand in the Americas. He has worked with football events including the Int’l Champions Cup as well as motorsport events and American college football games. McIntyre spoke with SBD Global about Amayse's beginnings, how the company utilizes its technology and how it can expand in the future.
On Amayse's foundation ...
Kevin McIntyre: We built our business on working with European soccer. ... We work with the German soccer league, the Bundesliga; we work with several of the other leagues; we work with a lot of the men's national teams producing 3D carpet signage. That's how we've kind of built our business. ... We have a pretty substantial U.K. operation and we are expanding our U.S. business.
On how the company benefits brands ...
McIntyre: I have an opportunity for brands to achieve higher ROI, which is, in this business, impressions. With my technology, a brand can get greater impressions and higher-quality impressions. I engage my relationships and the people I know at networks, at clients, at brands, at sports marketing agencies with this opportunity as a way in which they can drive higher impressions for their sponsors.
On Amayse's role in sponsorship transactions ...
McIntyre: I'm working directly with folks that own the rights. I may engage a brand directly but a lot of times what I'm doing is a B2B sale. For example, I'll say, "ICC, here's an opportunity for you: placing 3D carpets in all of your matches and then packaging that into your sponsorships sales." I’m not doing the sponsorship sales for ICC -- that's done by Relevent -- but I'm selling and I'm licensing my 3D signage technology to Relevent and ICC for them to sell and package as a sponsorship.
On the manner in which he presents opportunities to clients ...
McIntyre: I'm generally offering ideas, solutions and opportunities. I'll provide a mockup of a potential opportunity. The clients want their brand in the action but how that can happen is what they need me for. I share solutions. They know people are DVRing and skipping and maybe just watching highlights. I offer suggestions of how they can be in the action, where the highlights are going to be and where the important moments are going to be.
Amayse has provided 3D CamCarpets for the English Football League playoffs.AMAYSE
On the branding options offered by Amayse ...
McIntyre: 3D signage can be one of three different iterations. It can be something called a 3D camcarpet, which is a printed carpet, like in soccer, laid flat on the ground but in 3D for the broadcast based on where the camera is. Or we can do a 3D painted signage on the field. The other iteration is a 3D sticker, for court sports like basketball. It's on the court, off the court, on the baseline, on the apron.
On advancing technology ...
McIntyre: We've done a few 3D virtual activations. That's coming down the pike as technology advances. ... You're implementing the 3D virtual signage through the broadcaster, having a tracking head on the production and inserting signage into the broadcast with one of my guys sitting in the production truck.
On the differences between varying sports' strategies ...
McIntyre: We execute 3D signage for the HSBC Rugby Sevens. Rugby has definitely been a good sport for us. That's all done with World Rugby and their agency. With the matches here [in the U.S.], it's done with our U.K. office. ... Our rugby work has been 3D signage on the field and also in the goal area. It's on the field versus just off the field in soccer.
On further expansion ...
McIntyre: It's pretty uniform that soccer is a passion point in all of these countries. 3D signage has been proven to be an effective way of getting a brand in-program whether you're watching a live match or you're watching highlights. You're going to see 3D carpets around the goal. Countries like Chile and others are seeing what's being done across the world and they want that opportunity. We see it as an opportunity to expand our footprint because we know the sport of soccer and we know 3D carpets work in soccer.
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