Next wave of MLB fan experience: Personalization

In the News

No one wants to feel like they’re just one small voice in a very large crowd, so MLB teams are turning to personalization technology to enhance the fan experience, both in terms of addressing current concerns and anticipating future needs.

For instance, the Toronto Blue Jays are working with StellarAlgo to use machine learning to anticipate fan needs while also adding a personalization layer to interactions between the team and their fans. That ranges from game-day and ticketing experiences to CRM and analyses of demographic trends to target the right message to the right fan.

Yes, there’s a lot of jargon when it comes to personalization technologies, but in the end a tool from a company like StellarAlgo is designed to help the Blue Jays determine where, when and how their fans most want to consume content and interact with the team. And that’s the goal of the machine learning: to analyze past behaviors, incorporate other outside data, and then predict future fan behaviors and presenting new information in a more personalized manner. In short, the goal is providing a personalized relationship at scale.

“As a fan-first organization, we look forward to working with StellarAlgo to further scale the personalization of our marketing,” said Anuk Karunaratne, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Operations at Toronto Blue Jays. “Our fans are in every corner of Canada and as diverse as the population itself. With the addition of StellarAlgo’s Customer Data Platform to our technology stack we will connect our fans to the relevant and timely content that today’s fans have come to expect.”

“The Toronto Blue Jays are Canada’s home team when it comes to baseball and we’re thrilled to support their goal to scale their personalization efforts. We recognize and understand the unique nature of Major League Baseball’s data asset and how to help teams leverage that amazing resource to its fullest,” said StellarAlgo CEO Vince Ircandia. “Keeping up with how fans and technology are changing the face of today’s sports environment is where our platform comes in. Our platform takes away the guess work in identifying the most relevant and actionable information to drive more highly engaged, lifelong fans.”

A similar offering will be implemented by 15 MLB teams to personalize the fan experience via custom and conversational search engines offered by Satisfi Labs. Using Google Assistant, fans will be able to tap an MLB virtual assistant both at home and during games in a seamless experience. For instance, at home fans could use Satisfi Labs’ Interactive Search Engines to ask about a future game, while at the ballpark the same tool could be used to answer queries about tickets or purchases.

“Voice is the future of communication, and we believe expanding to Google Assistant will allow fans of all ages to access us on their terms. As we embark on this new season, what better way to build connections with the at-home fan than with a personal, voice experience,” said Steve Fanelli, Vice President, Oakland Athletics.

“In this adapting sports season, we’re looking forward to providing each team with a new way to engage with fans at home,” said Don White, CEO of Satisfi Labs. “As Google Assistant is available on one billion devices around the world, we’re especially thrilled to be part of Google’s voice-ecosystem, which will allow teams to more easily connect with a global baseball fanbase.”

Besides streamlining interactions that can more easily be addressed by automation, these technologies address one huge issue for sporting teams: providing a personalized experience at a time when personalized experiences are increasingly hard to come by.

Read the article on Ballpark Digest