Augmented Reality is a Saint
Southampton Football Club scraped through last season, just beating relegation. In this campaign, Saints aimed to start afresh, and this included a revamp of its digital screens at St Mary’s Stadium.
Monday, 24 Sep 2018 16:18 GMT
The digiBOARD system will display different content according to the viewer’s region
Football is watched by millions around the world, and catering to different audiences in terms of advertising and in several countries at once can be difficult. However, ADI has created a solution that changes the perimeter advertisements according to the location of the viewer.
The Virtual Hybrid perimeter LED display uses Augmented Reality technology that changes the content to match the viewer. It means that the fans in the stadium see traditional content while the spectators in other countries will see advertising that is tailored to their own region.
The market is clearly heading towards the adoption of virtual advertising, and there is definitely demand from sponsors”
The digiBOARD system has been developed by ADI and Supponor and was installed in September as Saints began the latest Premier League campaign.
Southampton FC’s commercial director, David Thomas, comments: “We’re excited to be on of the first clubs in English football to have a fully functioning Virtual Hybrid System. Following a competitive selection process, we chose ADI because of the functionality and quality of their technology. The market is clearly heading towards the adoption of virtual advertising, and there is definitely demand from sponsors. The ability to combine that functionality with a system that is UEFA compliant is extremely appealing to us.”
As the technology spreads, having already been deployed in Germany’s Bundesliga, up to ten clubs in the UK are now turning to the same LED screens.
Different content that is tailored to different countries
Geraint Williams, ADI chief executive officer, adds: “We’ve worked with Southampton for a number of years and they’ve always displayed huge ambition. We are delighted to have the opportunity to help the club realise some of that ambition by taking their commercial platform to the next level.
“We’re entering a new era in the way clubs activate commercial partnerships. Sponsors are demanding greater value and more opportunities to reach their audiences, and virtual advertising certainly offers a platform through which to achieve that.”
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