The World Cup may be over but BBVA Compass bank, which has the naming rights to the Houston stadium that’s home to the MSL Houston Dynamo and the NWSL Houston Dash, is milking the sport’s increased popularity for all it’s worth, erecting an interactive game that lets players share their experiences via social media.
Working with MVP Interactive, the bank put up a 60-square-foot wall consisting of nine 47″ flat screen TVs as well as four cameras and a Microsoft Kinect motion sensor, inside the stadium concourse.
BBVA is calling it the Interactive Gaming Wall. Anyone who feels they are worthy, or just wants to have fun, can attempt to virtually score against Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall. The Dynamo and BBVA promoted the feature via Twitter and Vine, though the retweeting and favoriting activity was minimal:
Either way, @tallyhallgk wins. Take your shot vs Tally at @BBVACompass Section 114. #ForeverOrange https://t.co/rnqhm4I5By — HoustonDynamo (@HoustonDynamo) July 21, 2014
The whole thing works like a giant touch screen. To play the game, people just tap the screen. Each player gets two practice kicks. They then have 60 seconds during which they can make five attempts to score against Tally.
The cameras record the speed and accuracy of each kick and points are awarded accordingly. The screens display the leaderboard for that particular evening, tapping into people’s competitive instincts.
Those who play the game can then enter their email address on an adjacent tablet to have photos of their scoring attempts sent to them.
In terms of results, over the first weekend of installation, hundreds of emails were collected and about half of those people posted their shots on goal to their social media channels garnering upwards of 20,000 impressions, according to MVP Interactive. In addition, those who decided to simply watch others attempt shots on goal netted the brand an average of 30 seconds exposure per person. The gaming wall will be available for the Dynamo’s next six home games.
BBVA seems happy with the results thus far, with BBVA Compass Sponsorship Activation Manager Nicole Self saying, “We’re always looking at ways to connect with people’s passions through the latest innovations in technology, and the Gaming Wall is a fun, interactive way for the bank to tap fans’ enthusiasm for the Houston Dynamo, as well as raise our brand awareness.”
In conjunction with the debut of the Gaming Wall, BBVA sponsored a “Twitter Takeover” in which the Dynamo’s goalkeeper, Tally Hall, answered questions submitted by fans under the hashtag #askTally.
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