Super Bowl XLIX: Battle between the Seahawks and Patriots Mobile Apps

Super Bowl XLIX Team Apps Review

@njh287 www.dsmsports.net

On February 1, 2015 the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots square off in Super Bowl XLIX. Each team has a talented roster, impressive social and digital media, and dedicated team mobile apps.*

What follows is a brief look at each of the teams' apps, made by different developers.

*NOTE: The Patriots also have a separate game day live app

What Fans See When They Open The Apps


- App open page with Patriots logo + player- No special splash page or sponsor- Lists developer: Adept Mobile

- App open page with Seahwaks logo only- Special Super Bowl XLIX interstitial page- Main app sponsor: Verizon- Lists developer: Yinzcam

The App Home Pages


How the home page looks

- Lists news content, filter-able by type- Listed in chronological order- In-house “banner ad” for an ETW

How the home page looks

- Lists next game at top with player photo- Can scroll down to see 'latest media'- No space allocated for banner ad display

The Patriots App Main Menu


How the Patriots main menu looks

- Long + extensive list, by content category- Note the points notification or mPOINTS- Note social media nets listed

- Section dedicated for game day content- Dedicated Fan Zone section- Currently no Snapchat (Patriots just launched an account on 01/25)

The Seahawks App Main Menu


How the Seahawks main menu looks

- Much shorter list than Pats, no categories

- Explicit button for tickets/account management

- Live video component on main menu (live press)

- Similar data collection efforts as Patriots, but no loyalty or mPOINTS program

- More novel features like Spirit of 12 components and Virtual SB Ring

Signing in to the Patriots Fan Club


Patriots Fan Registry

- Option to connect with Facebook or sign up separately through App

- Note info collected: Email, age, zip, sex (no name required)

- Another use of in-house banner ad to promote Pro Shop products

The Patriots App Mobile Rewards Program


The Patriots mPOINTS and Rewards program

- Facebook or internal sign-up

- A lot of sponsor activation and partner rewards

- Ability to select offers for which to redeem points

- mPOINTS awarded for content consumption, attending games, making purchases, etc.

- Free points awarded for signing up

How The Seahawks App Engages Fans


Seahawks fan engagement & logging in

- No rewards program, only reason to log in is for ticket account management

- Limited features for fans besides virtual SB ring

- Opportunity for loyalty program and/or games?

- QR reader built-in (should it have info about QR's?)

- Message center to store/view messages from team

Venue Information on the Apps


How the venue page looks

- Text only with basic info on directions, parking, security, concession choices, et al.

How the venue page looks

-More extensive list of venue info and in-game features/promotions- Ability to buy experiences- Reminder about presence of live video

Merchandise Sales on the Apps


How the merchandise store looks

- Can view by category/new/featured- No images on home page- Search bar salient

How the merchandise store looks

- Featured Super Bowl XLIX merch- Image-heavy page w/ basic category buttons- Discount offer for 'signing up'- Smaller search bar

How Each App Features Cheer Squads


How the Patriots cheerleaders section looks

- More of a 'home page' look- More commerce-focused (buy calendar)

How the Seahawks cheerleaders section looks

- Individuals featured- Video + photo content featured/focused

The Patriots App In-Game Features


How the Patriots App does in-game content

- There is play-by-play in a 'blog' format

- Live chat amongst fans on the App

- Stats/box score

- Drive charts

- Note: banner ad

- Dynamic in-game system with updating plays, chats, etc.

- No social media integration into this section

The Seahawks App In-Game Features


How the Seahawks App does in-game content

- Live box score, but no live play-by-play [it appears]

- Social media integration is strong, most dynamic part

- Live updates of videos and photo gallery

- Banner ad display on this page (likely among higher trafficked sections of the app)

- Note the 'messages' envelope there, to receive/send messages with the team

Super Bowl XLIX Team Apps iTunes Ratings


Comparing Customer Ratings

Both teams have recently updated versions of their app, with creative for Super Bowl XLIV.

Both have comparable overall user ratings

Both have merits and strong features, as well as shortfalls and gaps.

A full evaluation would require creating/using accounts, experiencing the apps in-game, consistent usage, etc.

Super Bowl XLIX Team Apps Review


There you have it. Hopefully the showdown on the field will be as close as that between the Patriots and Seahawks team mobile apps!

For more digital and social media sports content, follow me on Twitter @njh287 and visit www.dsmsports.net

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Super Bowl XLIX: Battle between the Seahawks and Patriots Mobile Apps