case study
How FanDuel Redefined The Virtual Fan Experience Using Socialive
Known as the premier gaming destination in the U.S., FanDuel has been on a mission to redefine fantasy sports since 2009. Amidst a pandemic, the company’s Events and Activations team was forced to transition its in-person VIP events to entertaining virtual experiences for sports fans.
Diversifying its marketing strategy, FanDuel turned to Socialive to connect its growing community with Hall of Fame athletes, sports analysts, and celebrities through high-quality virtual events such as live Q&A’s and episodic talk shows.
Industry
Media, Sports, Technology
Solution
Virtual Events
“Socialive lets us produce high-quality experiences that feel like a sportcast you'd see on TV.”
Jeff Forvour | Marketing Director, Events & Activations, FanDuel
CHALLENGE
Keeping Sports Fans Engaged Beyond The Field
In 2020, FanDuel’s Events and Activations team faced the challenge of virtually recreating lavish in-person events where fans could meet athletes face-to-face, and talk all things sports.
With zero live streaming or virtual event experience, the team set out to to find a solution to provide customers with a high quality, one-of-a-kind experience.
In search of an intuitive video creation solution, the team encountered three obstacles:
- Technical expertise requirements
- Low production value
- Lack of customization options
“We didn’t want your typical cookie cutter, Zoom-like platform,” says Jeff Forvour, Marketing Director of Events and Activations at FanDuel. “We wanted to make it an engaging branded experience.”
SOLUTION
A New Ball Game: FanDuel Uses Socialive To Bring Sports To Viewers
FanDuel partnered with Socialive as a solution to produce high-quality live and pre-recorded virtual events to its digital channels, specifically for its website, Facebook (1 million followers), Twitter (248.6K million followers), and Instagram (100K followers). Broadcasts produced using Socialive include:
Live Q&A sessions with athletes, such as “VIP NBA Virtual Experience” featuring American-Israeli professional basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire
Live watch parties such as its “Celebrity Watch Party: NFL Kickoff,” where eight celebrities compete in challenges to raise money for charity and talk sports
- Episodic podcast series such as “The Solo Shot with Jim Sannes”
Throughout virtual events, FanDuel encourages interaction from fans through creative gamification with trivia and giveaways. Participants have the opportunity to win FanDuel credit, numberFire Premium subscriptions, NFL jerseys, and more.
For the NFL Season Kickoff in Sept. 2020, eight celebrities go head-to-head in a variety of challenges to earn money for charity, and interact with fans in real time.
Leveraging Socialive features — specifically branded graphics, video capture from remote guests, and Scenes — the team solved its video pain points to provide customers with memorable virtual experiences.
“Anybody can pick up Socialive and use it. My team had no video experience, and we now feel confident in producing virtual events. ”
Jeff Forvour | Marketing Director, Events & Activations, FanDuel
OUTCOME
Starved For Sports, Millions Of Fans Flock To FanDuel's Virtual Events
In less than a year of working alongside Socialive, the team has generated more than 400 broadcasts featuring 40+ remote guests. FanDuel’s Celebrity Watch Party for the NFL Kickoff alone generated:
2M+ views across social media
28M+ impressions across campaigns
An average of 94% of users engage in real time
“The Socialive team has been great at finding the right tools and solutions for us to make the customer experience even better.”
Jeff Forvour | Marketing Director, Events & Activations, FanDuel
From its live Q&As featuring top athletes to innovative engagement strategies, FanDuel’s use of Socialive shows how a team with no video experience can easily produce interactive, branded virtual events from start to finish while expanding audience reach and achieving team objectives.