Bill Hanifin
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The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres has an extremely loyal fan base in its hometown. In fact, it took the “blizzard of 2014” to cancel a home game. The franchise hopes to amp up fan enthusiasm even more with the introduction of its new mobile loyalty application, Fan Advantage.
Available for iOS or Android smartphones, fans can earn points for scanning game tickets, watching televised games (a code word is announced during each broadcast), purchasing Sabres gear and even concession purchases in the arena!
Members of the loyalty program will be able to select from multiple reward options via the Fan Advantage Store which is pre-built into the app. Some of the available rewards include Sabres merchandise, autographed or items used in an actual game, tickets, raffle entries, or “experiences”. As members reach specific point level tiers, they can take advantage of local partners to Fan Advantage offering discounts and coupons and other rewards.
The trend in sports franchise fan loyalty programs seems to go beyond point earning opportunities and include experiences that connect fans with the teams and players they follow. The NFL Kansas City Chiefs launched a notable sports affiliated loyalty program, Chiefs Kingdom Pass, which is designed to deliver exclusive benefits for its season ticket holders.
Unlike the Chiefs Kingdom Pass program, Sabre’s Fan Advantage is available to all fans. Maybe the optimal model is to have one fan loyalty program with a base tier for any fan and a premium tier accessible only by season ticket holders. Now there’s some free consulting advice for you today!
