Innovation Game 2022 – Access the Stadium with your Fan Scarf
1. FC Köln turned the matchday scarf into a ticket and established a direct communication and sales channel to around 760 individual fans.
Client: 1. FC Köln
Industry: Sports
Merchandise as a ticket
German football club 1. FC Köln elevated the fan experience live at the stadium and let fans use their NFC-enabled scarf as a ticket to access the RheinEnergieSTADION.
Merchandise as a ticket
German football club 1. FC Köln elevated the fan experience live at the stadium and let fans use their NFC-enabled scarf as a ticket to access the RheinEnergieSTADION.
Phygital Matchday Experiences
The partnership with collectID allowed the Bundesliga club to offer phygital matchday experiences for their fans and to promote their sponsors in never-before-seen ways.
Phygital Matchday Experiences
The partnership with collectID allowed the Bundesliga club to offer phygital matchday experiences for their fans and to promote their sponsors in never-before-seen ways.
%
Phygital scarves sold
%
Scarves scanned
%
Scarves transformed into ticket
Avg. minutes spent by fans in the collectID app
Challenge
- Tickets with QR codes are not secure and leave room for fraudulent activities from third parties
- Fan engagement is a crucial driver of sustained operative success
- Matchday revenues are subject to fierce competition from the entertainment industry
Solution
An encrypted collectID NFC tag was flocked onto 1.000 fan scarves of 1. FC Köln on the occasion of the Innovation Game against AC Milan. With a simple scan, fans could register their scarf, transforming it into a tamper-proof ticket for the RheinEnergieSTADION and establishing a direct communication channel with the club. At the gate, fans could tap their scarf against the NFC reader to be admitted to enter the stadium. Once fans had checked in, they received exclusive content and promotional offers from the club and its sponsors, closely related to the events happening on the pitch in real time. 1. FC Köln can thus interact more closely with its fans who color the stadium and create a new and immediate digital revenue stream by upselling its products and products of sponsors while offering a secure and engaging ticketing system and a one-of-a-kind matchday experience.
Results
- 83% of all scarves have been scanned at least once
- 76% of all scarves have been successfully registered and transformed into a ticket
- The average engagement time of 1. FC Köln fans in the collectID app amounted to more than 5 minutes on matchday
Benefits 1. FC Köln Fans
- Fans only needed to bring their scarf for entrance without a physical ticket or having to pull out their phone.
- Scarf owners had access to exclusive behind-the-scenes content (e.g. team’s arrival at the stadium) and real-time rewards for their team’s performance.
- Through direct communication, scarf owners could receive promotional in-stadium activations, such as free pretzels and player meet and greets.
Benefits for 1. FC Köln
- FC Köln fans brought merchandise to the stadium, establishing a dominant home atmosphere in the club’s colors, transcending to a captivating experience for all spectators.
- FC Köln established a direct communication and sales channel to 760 individual fans and upsold products and sponsor items.
- NFC-enabled scarves improved ticket security, while the phygital stadium experience enhanced the club’s value proposition and incentivized attendance.