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NBA?s Golden State Warriors use voice marketing to engage users

The NBA's Golden State Warriors are using mobile to engage their season ticket holders during their renewal campaign.

The NBA team has tapped Vontoo Inc.'s latest marketing tool, VontooV2 (Voice + Video), which combines a personalized online video message viewable through recipients' mobile phones, with a prerecorded phone call.

"Golden State wanted to create a treat for their season ticket holders," said Steven Kremer, business development manager at Vontoo, Indianapolis, IN. "They engaged fans by making them part of a video game of sorts where they helped pick the play that wins the game.

"The fans were surprised and delighted! It was something so fun and different," he said. "And it really showed the fans that the team cared them enough to do something so unique.

"As a bonus, at the end of the video, they had a call-to-action to click on a link in the video to renew their season tickets."

Vontoo is a voice marketing company which uses the emotion, enthusiasm and energy of the human voice in one-to-one marketing communication.

The Warriors' video is built into the team's Web site.

People can view the video by visiting the Web site, or can be directed there by a link in an email or SMS.

The Warriors' campaign asks consumers to provide their basic contact information -- name and phone number, which the viewer is assured will be kept secure and never shared or sold -- at which point the video will commence, depicting the team gearing up for a big play.

The recipient's name then appears in the basketball playbook, just before the team scores the winning point.

The Warriors' head coach Don Nelson then makes his way to the backstage area, where he places a phone call to the viewer, who receives the prerecorded call from "Nellie" in perfect synchronicity with the video.

At the end of the video there is a link to a Web site where viewers can renew their season tickets.

Consumers that use the text-message option are added to a database of names for future marketing.

"This is a marketer's dream," Mr. Kremer said. "Like the early days of email building, an opt-in list can be difficult.

"The Vontoo V2 creates a FTC fully compliant opt-in list that can be marketed to at a later time," he said.

"Plus, with direct voice marketing you have the emotion of voice. Customers love it, too, because it's something totally fresh.

"It gets them engaged and allows them to experience something completely new that they haven't experienced before."

The voice marketing company also provides the Warriors Web metrics to measure ROI on a campaign-by-campaign or overall basis.

Vontoo can handle thousands of recipients simultaneously viewing the video and receiving phone calls.

Industries currently utilizing this new technology include professional and collegiate sports teams, universities and the gaming industry.

"[Mobile] is instant and it's hip," Mr. Kremer said. "It's everywhere you are.

"With Vontoo V2 a marketer can communicate with their customers at any time wherever they are," he said. "Vontoo V2 allows customers the fast-paced, excitement of video with the emotion, passion and personality of getting a call from a human voice."