A Unique Experience: Collectible Basketball Games

The Kaunas "Žalgiris" mobile application unites more than 100,000 of the team's fans, who can now engage even more actively with the games. The app's new feature allows users to collect digital cards and earn points by watching basketball games live or on screen. The experience, created in collaboration with us, reflects new trends in sports marketing and demonstrates how innovations strengthen the emotional connection between fans and the team.

From Spectator to Experience Collector

This innovation changes the traditional way of watching games, allowing fans to become active experience collectors. Digital game cards can be collected in two ways, each unlocking different levels of collecting. The first and simplest is to open the Žalgiris app during a game and check in. Even when watching remotely, this action allows you to start collecting basic game cards.

The second way, more advanced and providing more valuable cards, is to check in by adding a game ticket in the app. The game ticket becomes a digital artifact, unlocking higher-level cards with a distinctive design. Additionally, upon ticket registration, the points collected in the app are multiplied, further increasing the value of game tickets.

It is important to emphasize that if a check-in is not performed during the game, a blank space is left in the collection. This aims to highlight the importance of each game and encourage fans to actively record their participation, even when watching on screen. Thus, the cards become a kind of digital souvenir that requires a bit of effort to obtain.

Interactive Participation During the Game

Collecting is not just a passive activity but also active participation during the game. By engaging in interactive activities such as predicting the game outcome, participating in player performance polls, and joining discussions with other fans, app users not only become more involved in the game but also give their cards even more exclusivity by earning experience points.

The system is designed to encourage fans to become active participants in the game in the digital space, complementing the basketball players' actions on the court with their engagement in the app. This strengthens the bond between Žalgiris and its fans, as well as among the fans themselves, thus enriching the game-watching experience.

What Does This Mean for Žalgiris Fans?

Collecting game moments is another way for fans to become a more active part of the team's life and forge a deeper connection with the club and fellow enthusiasts. The relevance of this feature is evidenced by the collection of over 170,000 digital cards in the first two months alone.

The tasks allow fans to feel like an important part of the game, encourage them to express their opinions, and provide an opportunity to compete with others. Meanwhile, the benefits gained by registering a ticket add extra value to attending games live. Ultimately, the accumulated collection of digital cards becomes a personal archive of memories, allowing fans to recall the most important moments of the season.

New Opportunities to Strengthen the Bond with Fans

The system creates value for both the fans and the club itself. For Kaunas "Žalgiris," this opens up new opportunities to establish a closer relationship with its fans, and by observing how users collect cards, participate in tasks, and register tickets, the club gains valuable insights into fan behavior, their preferences, and loyalty.

This data allows for even more effective nurturing of relationships with their audience, and the ticket-based system also helps to encourage game attendance. Digital engagement becomes an additional value chain.

"Our goal is not only to provide fans with a new way to watch games but also to create a deeper, interactive connection. Digital collections and ticket integration are a way to thank them for their loyalty and involve them in the team's life in new ways," says Mantas Gineitis, Kaunas "Žalgiris" App Development Manager.

The SEMIHUMAN case: here.