So what’s in a product term?
As it turns out, terms can have a major impact on the success of an initiative – they seep into the mindset of the teams building them, and the stakeholders backing them, by inferring intent, vision and purpose. They affect the status of the project and can even impact likelihood of success.
The terms we use in product development can also find their way to the consumer via the communication and marketing of the concept.
“widget” is a commonly used term in software, and it has its place. Desktop widgets that provide weather updates are hardly an experience – they’re a small utility.
And yet, if your campaign, product concept or game is referred to as ‘small’, it’s destined to become small. Arguably everything on a phone is small, but is the outcome? The physical size of an application need not dictate its significance.
CMO’s rarely budget for the marketing of a widget.
Whether we realise it or not, using diminutive terms can imply quick hits and fleeting novelty rather than something with lasting value.
That is not to say that widgets don’t have their advantages – sometimes a small functional application can be highly useful – showing latest scores or train times.
However, we’re convinced that the use of this particular term and its siblings “gadget” or “mini-game” are best left in the bottom drawer when it comes to serious fan engagement goals.
In this blog, we fly the flag for rich, meaningful fan Experiences. Those that are designed to create sustained habitual behaviour and in turn deliver a real impact.
Habitual engagement as a core product principle
We advocate for experiences which promote an ongoing, engaging relationship with every fan.
When designed with purpose, they help to change the way fans interact with a brand, how they consume media, how they engage with sports or entertainment content, and even how they form communities.
Authentic fan experiences can have amazing potential:
Creating habitual behaviour: By focusing on long-term product behaviours, we create tools that have the ability to create habitual engagement patterns. We’ve designed our product to facilitate an ‘always-on’ offering, giving sports organisations a breadth of Experiences that they can deploy throughout the 24/7 fan journey.
Understanding fans on a deeper level: Our Experiences are designed to assist in data capture, helping sports organisations to understand their fans on a deeper level, arming them with behavioural, preferential and attitudinal data. This in turn, provides the ability to personalise content and deepen that valuable direct relationship with their fans.
Engaging worldwide: The Monterosa platform facilitates simple localisation and replication of fan Experiences, meaning that organisations can engage their fans across the globe, in their own language with ease, building a global fan community.
Diversifying fanbases: We often find that our customers have a need to diversify their fanbase. Meaningful fan experiences can attract a wider audience and connect more people with sports and entertainment.
Monetisation: Fans who have a deep connection with their favourite teams or heroes are more likely to spend time in their products, leading to greater opportunities for cross-sell to merchandise, ticketing, betting and more.
We believe it’s time to ditch the widget and focus on real creating long term value through meaningful audience experiences.
