By

Maury Brown,
Forbes

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It largely flew under the radar on Monday when the Minnesota Twins announced that they had launched ARound – what is believed to be the first shared augmented reality application for live sports – for use at Target Field. While a first, the pilot app could open the door to either value-add traditional sponsorship deals, or open avenues for new sponsors. If the application gains traction, it could create a land rush for not just the other 29 clubs in Major League Baseball, but across the sports property landscape.

ARound is part of Stagwell, a publicly traded high-tech company, that will allow fans to aim their phones at Target Field during lulls in the action, and play games with others at the ballpark. Targeted largely to a younger audience, the concept is not too dissimilar from augmented reality games you may have seen at the movie theater before the previews as part of Noovie. The difference here is it’s not just a single user, but many within Target Field. Apps that will be made available include as BatterUp, Blockbuster, which the Twins and the developers showed me as users throwing digital items at towers and knocking them down, and a game called Fishing Frenzy. Josh Beatty, the founder and CEO of ARound as well as Chris Iles, the Twins’ senior director of brand experience & Innovation talked to me about the rollout that has been in the works for a little over a year.

“What I think Josh has built has some real power and some real legs, because it is able to be aware of everyone around you that is using the app at the same time, creating a shared experience and creating some context around an event that frankly has never been done before,” said Ilse. So that excited me and the Twins as it had never been done before.”

Beatty informed that no user data is collected. No one goes through a sign-up process to use the app. And that the infrastructure is large enough to support tens of thousands of users.

Which gets one thinking? Besides entertaining kids with games and keeping them in their seats, what other value does the app have from a business perspective?

For one, the idea that other types of use cases could be created within the platform. Both Iles and Beatty mentioned that it’s possible to create an experience in which player stats could hover over a player in real-time or other ways to engage the dedicated baseball fan in attendance.

But what seems most intriguing from a business standpoint is that while the initial rollout is skinned as just gameplay for a younger demo, it is fully capable of having the games be skinned in a way that monetizes it.

Ilse and the Twins see the platform as a way to create closer connections to the people and places. “One thing we realized is that you kind of have to have a big audience to make that happen,” said Iles adding that the Twins were receptive from the first conversation, understanding that this is a technology that has a place as value to be added to the ballpark experience.

“To the teams, the fans, and the sponsors,” it adds to sports entertainment.

It’s here that Twins may be hitting on something that is more than just adding to the game experience, but opening up new avenues to the bottom line: sponsors.

The initial rollout is not skinned with any sponsors, but Beatty said that the design of the apps for the Twins takes that in mind.

“I would say [the platform] is tailor-made for sponsorship,” said Iles. “We are launching this sponsor agnostic because we do want to have a clean test of the technology to see how fans interact with it. I’ve always thought that before you can add the sponsorship component you need to show it as it is and let potential sponsors see it the same way. So, we need to prove this thing out. But we feel that it will work well for our sponsors.”

Likely, a shared AR app at the ballpark is not going to garner huge returns in the sponsorship space initially. But it largely depends on other applications that are developed in the future. It either becomes an additional way to activate sponsorship in a larger deal for a client, or brings in new sponsors. Either way, the Twins are hitting on an untapped revenue stream.

For Stagwell, the technology isn’t limited to just at the ballpark. After all, games can be watched through traditional television and streaming.

“Not only are we looking to enhance the in-stadium experience, but with our technology, we can actually bridge this to the at-home viewer as well,” said Sarah Arvizo of Stagwell. “We can bring all the things that are happening with the AR platform in the stadium to their coffee table. And so as they are watching a game, they can have that energy and excitement that is in the stadium, but take that with them wherever they go.”

By

Gita Sitaramiah,
Star Tribune

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There will soon be one more reason to check your smartphone between pitches at Minnesota Twins games.

The Twins are introducing an app called ARound that will depict promotions and games to smartphone users at Target Field. The effort is believed to be the first use of augmented reality at a live sports venue.

Major League Baseball teams, including the Twins, have been upping the promotions and experiences in recent years as they face dwindling attention spans for the average three-hour games.

“We know the die-hard fans are buying their tickets and we know they’re bringing younger fans with them that are not necessarily following every pitch, every stat,” said Chris Iles, senior director of brand experience and innovation for the Twins.

“This is one of the latest iterations that we’re using to really attract that younger, more diverse fan and bring them into baseball,” he said.

Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality users experience a real-world environment with generated perceptual information overlaid on top of it.

ARound, part of the New York-based Stagwell digital marketing company, uses 3-D spatial computing to localize content to individual users throughout the venue, enabling Target Field attendees to see the same real-time 3-D effects and participate in shared experiences.

Using the ARound app, fans point their smartphone at the field to open up a universe of multi-user augmented reality games such as BatterUp, Blockbuster, and Fishing Frenzy — all designed to be played by interfacing with the physical ballpark and fans in real time.

The Twins aren’t initially paying for the app. Both the Twins and ARound see potential for sponsorship and add-on opportunities to generate revenue.

“People are coming to the ballpark to feel closer to the game, to other fans, to the players, and what we’re doing is removing all the barriers where people can interact with fellow fans, with the produced experiences by the Twins, see the player become larger than life, see relevant statistics,” said Josh Beatty, founder and chief executive of ARound.

Initially, the app will be more geared to the casual fan. Future versions will be aimed at avid baseball enthusiasts.

Iles said what really intrigued him about the ARound app is that it creates a shared experience.

By

Torey Van Oot,
Axios

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Target Field will look a little different to some phone-toting fans at future games.

What’s new: The Twins recently debuted a first-of-its-kind partnership with an augmented reality (AR) platform that allows attendees to play games and unlock special content tied to what’s happening on the field.

Between the lines: The app is one of several of MLB-wide efforts to attract — and engage — a broader fanbase amid an ongoing slump in ticket sales.

• “We know the die-hard fans are buying their tickets and we know they’re bringing younger fans with them that are not necessarily following every pitch, every stat,” Chris Iles, senior director of brand experience and innovation for the Twins, told the Star Tribune.

How to play: Download the ARound app. Once you arrive, point your phone at the field and see what happens.

• You might encounter digital versions of traditional between-innings entertainment, such as mascot races, or the chance to jump in on a stadium-wide challenge to “throw” virtual baseballs at certain areas on the field.

Originally released on

ARound’s Stadium-Level Technology Signals Opportunity for Sports Teams, Entertainment Venues and Brands to Transform the Fan Experience

MINNEAPOLIS and NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Minnesota Twins announced the public launch of ARound, a first-of-its-kind stadium-level shared augmented reality (AR) platform, at Target Field in Minneapolis. This first-ever experience in a live sports setting keeps audiences engaged by capturing their attention during game downtime through immersive, interactive and shared experiences with fellow fans across the venue.

ARound, part of Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), uses 3D spatial computing to localize content to individual users throughout the venue, enabling Target Field’s 40,000 attendees to see the same real-time 3D effects and participate in the same shared experiences. Using the ARound app, fans point their smartphone at the field to open up a universe of multi-user AR games such as Batter Up, Blockbuster, and Fishin’ Frenzy – all designed to be played by interfacing with the physical ballpark and fellow fans in real time.

“We’re excited to introduce our fans to this never-before-seen technology as we continue to evolve and enhance the Target Field experience,” said Minnesota Twins Senior Director, Brand Experience & Innovation Chris Iles. “Part multi-player video game, part augmented reality, with the ability for future expansion into an interactive next-gen stats platform, we believe what we’ve built with ARound will provide fans a next-level experience available only at Target Field.”

“Current AR platforms isolate users in singular experiences. ARound believes massive, multi-user AR enables a host of creative opportunities to redefine what it means to be part of a connected fan experience,” said ARound Founder and CEO Josh Beatty. “Be it a player, a mascot, a brand, a play or even another fan, ARound captures people’s attention and brings them closer to what’s right in front of them – during times they might otherwise be unengaged and on their phones – turning distraction to interaction and enhancing their overall experience.”

Fans can see and interact with real-time content led by action on the field, such as after homeruns, mascot races, or when the Twins take the field. During natural downtime, users can compete against their friends or fans in other sections to see who can knock down the most virtual blocks in the real-life outfield by throwing virtual baseballs or hot dogs at the structure.

“Shared augmented reality is the next frontier that sports teams, brands and other organizations should adopt as they look for ways to engage their audiences,” said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn. “At Stagwell, we don’t just talk about the next frontiers of marketing and technology – we build them, and support founders through their growth.”

ARound was the winner of Stagwell’s annual “Shark Tank” innovation competition which invests in new product ideas proposed by the network’s 13,000+ employees. ARound is part of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, a proprietary suite of SaaS and DaaS tools built for the in-house marketer, spanning campaign ideation to activation and analysis. Products within the cloud include PRophet , a predictive AI platform for PR professionals; Koalifyed, an end-to-end influencer management platform; the Harris Brand Platform, delivering competitive brand intelligence; and more.

Journalists interested in covering the launch can access the press kit here.

Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

The Minnesota Twins are a Major League Baseball team competing in the Central Division of the American League. The franchise has been a staple of the Minnesota sports and philanthropy scene since moving to the state in 1961. In addition to two World Series titles (1987 and 1991), the Twins have won 12 Division Championships (1969, 1987, 1970, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2019 and 2020) and three American League pennants (1965, 1987 and 1991). Since 2010, the Twins have played their home games at the award-winning Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. In addition, the Minnesota Twins Community Fund donates more than $1 million annually to benefit youth baseball and softball across Twins Territory. For additional information on the Minnesota Twins, please visit: twinsbaseball.com.

Media Contacts: 
Minnesota Twins 
Matt Hodson 
MattHodson@twinsbaseball.com

ARound 
Sarah Arvizo 
pr@stagwellglobal.com