This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
1. THE BEGINNING
This innovation came to life when…
We were challenged by Channel 7 and Kia (as sponsor of the Australian Open Tennis) to somehow enable three million TV viewers to get more engaged in the broadcast and feel what it’s really like to return a serve from a tennis champion.
2. WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
The purpose of this innovation is to change the tennis viewing experience, and transform passive viewers into active participants.
HARK married what’s happening on screen in the TV broadcast with the movement and accuracy of the viewer’s return of serve using their phone.
It does this by…
It does this by firstly incorporating audio watermarking technology — the phone ‘hears’ an inaudible audiowatermark to calibrate and sync TV advertisements with the Game App.
Once synched, as the user swings their phone like a racquet, the App records data from numerous sensors including timer, gyroscope and accelerometer.
In a millisecond, the App tells the user how well they returned the serve.
3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
This combination of complex technologies had never been done before in the world using a smartphone. The closest existing solution would be an Xbox or Nintendo Wii which had limited reach and would not integrate seamlessly in the tennis broadcast. Nor could people play it at outdoor locations or on a PC/tablet.
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
Its various benefits include changing the experience of watching sport on TV, transforming passive viewers into active participants. We also got viewers off the couch to play with their families and friends, via a competitive leaderboard that was updated daily. 193,000 people did.
4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
In the past, this problem was solved by simple technology, such as image recognition and mobile ‘flicking’ games.
Our solution is a world first, recreating and integrating complex technologies to build a brand new gaming experience that Viewers could easily sync with the TV broadcast and play.
Its predecessors/competitors include…
Its predecessors/competitors include other Australian Open sponsors.
IBM created a static tennis laptop game, and other competitors had on ground signage and static TV spots around the broadcast.
We stood out with our interactive dual-screen experience.
5. TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
It is made for anyone who is watching the Australian Open Tennis — and in the future many other sports: swinging a cricket bat, saving soccer goals as the goalie, swinging a baseball bat and more.
It has universal appeal; despite only being promoted in Australia, it was played in 111 countries, reaching the top 0.1% of apps in 68 of them.
It is available for sale through…
Mnet only.
We have a global patent pending, and the successful implementation and execution of our technology solution will offer global brands an opportunity to combine fun, contextual relevance and technology to truly engage their audiences.
Our marketing strategy is to…
Our marketing strategy is to go global and keep producing these engaging experiences for brands.
We have already been commissioned to create cricket versions for brands in India and Australia, World Cup Football in Brazil (be the goalie) USA, UK and Germany, and baseball for a USA client.
Your Turn — VOTE!
The Readers’ Choice Index was created to provide an opportunity for Anthill readers to vote on SMART 100 applications, in one of three ways:
- Tweet it: Top left of each page (3 points)
- Trigger a Reaction: Facebook ‘Like’, etc (2 points)
- Leave a Comment: Anonymous comments excluded (1 points)
We’ll use your vote to create the 2014 SMART 100 Readers’ Choice Index.
FINE PRINT
This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
