How Deloitte used AR to bring tennis to a wider audience
Deloitte won at The Drum Awards for B2B 2022 for Best Use of Emerging Tech for its work with the LTA. Here, we find out what went into this successful work.
Deloitte created an AR experience for the LTA
As the digital transformation partner of the LTA, the governing body for tennis in Great Britain, Deloitte has been using technology to bring tennis, and the LTA, to new people and places.
With new online booking systems, digital portals, training programs and more, it’s all designed to help the LTA in its mission to deliver ‘Tennis Opened Up’, making the sport more relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable for everyone. Deloitte used augmented reality (AR) technology to bring this work to life, including through messages from some of the biggest names in British tennis.
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The brief
Deloitte was tasked with making tennis more accessible to the public. It set out to use AR to reach a bigger audience. The company had just six weeks to design and build the ‘Tennis Opened Up’ experience, which showed that AR can be made to work on tight timescales.
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The idea
3D designers created avatars of Judy Murray, Marni Banks and Anne Keothavong (who all have their own Tennis Opened Up stories), which could be activated by scanning a QR-style code on a smartphone.
The Deloitte team printed the QR codes on packs of tennis balls, creating a great platform for the avatar. They animated the avatars to sync with audio messages: different messages for different audiences, including one for Deloitte clients; another for school children at '5 Million Futures' partner schools.
Students were treated to fun and engaging coaching sessions from professional tennis coaches, as well as educational skills sessions on the importance of physical exercise for health and wellbeing and a Q&A with professional player Marni Banks.
On the day itself, Judy Murray’s AR tennis ball, once scanned on students' phones, invited them to the Championships at the Queen's Club as guests of the LTA and Deloitte, so that they could experience world-class sport up close and personal.
Over a single summer, it created more than 700 AR experiences, opened over 4,000 times, for a diverse range of people: from clients at major tennis events to school children, tennis coaches and 'digital champions' who’ve been volunteering with the LTA.
The experiences helped the people at the heart of tennis with everything from moving their bookings online to promoting themselves on social platforms. Each tube of tennis balls was wrapped in an eye-catching label, printed with sustainable materials, and sent to the recipient with a personalized letter. Behind-the-scenes films, shared on social channels, showed how the AR packaging was created.
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The results
The content performed above the normal engagement rate and click-through benchmarks, and inspired Deloitte’s people and leadership to share with their clients.
Deloitte also reports that they've won work to deliver a similar experience for a food manufacturer, with a strong pipeline of further conversations about taking the technology to other industries.
This campaign was a winner at The Drum Awards for B2B 2022. You can see all the winners here. The Drum Awards for Marketing are currently open for entry. Find out how you can enter now.