The University of Tennessee looked to CUE for new ways to engage its audience during basketball games. They went into the season well ranked and knew they would have a good year, so it was easy to gather excitement and momentum around a common goal. The University of Tennessee reached some of the best fan engagement we’ve seen to date. So good in fact, that the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) awarded Tennessee’s Fan Experience team as one of three finalists for its 2019 Marketing Team of the Year Award. Let's look at their engagements below to discover how they were so successful.
Light shows increase the energy and create some magic during intro's
The team used CUE Audio's light show, which they called Checker TBA, a season-long Hoops Hype pregame light show for basketball. They used it to introduce players and various videos throughout the game. The light show activates the flash on the fans' phones, which creates an incredible visual light show that can be used as its own experience or to draw attention to an announcement or introductions.
"I think CUE is one of the best fan experience items that we've added to our gameday since we hung our center-hung scoreboard. Instantly fans were in it. Instantly, fans felt more a part of the game. If you want your fans to have a truly immersive experience, to feel a part of the game, this takes it to another level."
Associate Athletic Director
Synchronized Selfie Cam allows fans to document the event and participate in the show.
The University of Tennessee also used CUE Audio's selfie cam functionality, primarily used during the first time-out. By playing a sound file in the arena, all phones simultaneously open the front-facing camera with a countdown clock. When the timer hits zero, attendees simultaneously snap photos and upload them to their favorite social networks. Think of this as a massive, synchronized selfie for your fans.
Trivia games are perfect during downtime.
Trivia games were activated during halftime, which helped to keep fans engaged and having fun. Trivia included questions about players' hometowns, historical stats, and fun facts about their sponsor, Coca-Cola. Each game ranked all who played and even gave exclusive awards to top winners.
Pro-Tip
How did the University of Tennessee have such high participation at all of their games? They created cup-stuffers and handouts at almost all home games, which fans received when they got to their seats. They also had interns walk the aisles with signs that read, "Ask me how to be part of the light show." The goal at these live sporting events is to use as many opportunities as you can to remind attendees to download the app so they can participate in the light show and games.
The University of Tennessee did an incredible job engaging fans at their basketball games using the CUE Audio platform. Fan engagement doesn't stop with these three features. The platform can send push notifications, cause all phones to play any sound effect, display apple and google wallet integrated coupons, and more. Drop us a line if you're interested in learning more about how you can use CUE Audio at your next event or sit in on our upcoming webinar.
