We live in a data driven society where we now produce and have access to it more than ever. This information can be invaluable to marketers.
Sports marketers have invested a lot of time, resources and materials to develop effective ways to leverage analytics to determine content, programs and promotions.
Some brands are taking data a step further by developing products and services to make customers and athletes better by helping improve their performance through real time access to information.
Here are some examples of brands that are taking data and turning it into advanced products.
Armour39 by Under Armour
While other athletic brands have released performance systems that measures real-time key performance indicators like heart rate calories burned and intensity of workouts, Armour39 has taken their new technology to the next level with a new metric called WILLpower
This unique algorithm combines the length and type of workout, additional information like gender and weight, and specific heart rate measurements to score your workout on a scale from 0 to 10. Ultimately, the score will reveal how hard you, as an athlete, are training. This data can be used to help in determining an ideal score for an athlete’s workouts.
When the data is analyzed correctly, Armour39 may help guide and measure the ideal zone of physical exertion, but it could also provide psychological help to an athlete by providing a physical goal to strive for during training days.
94Fifty
94Fifty is taking a bit of a different approach to data measurement; it uses the motion of the ball to measure the player performance not the output of the athlete.
The 94Fifty basketballs use a suite of built-in sensors to track a player’s performance. Data from the ball is delivered through Bluetooth to an iOS or Android mobile app to show motion statistics like shot arc, shot speed, backspin, dribble intensity, and many other key performance factors.
The basketball leverages high-tech hardware components from Texas Instruments that can generate over 6,000 pieces of movement data per second. The new basketball is being released in early March through a KickStarter campaign. The company plans to make the product available via online sales only with estimated ship dates in the 3rd quarter of 2013.
Many division one universities are using the 94Fifty basketball currently utilizing for training programs. This new era of data that we live in is very exciting. The analysis of information can only help us continue to produce smarter and richer programs both from the brand and the consumer side.
As brands continue to invest in data that helps us become healthier and better athletes, we’ll all benefit. We’ll live longer healthier lives and continue to spend additional dollars with that brand.
Are you a believer in data? What other brands are leveraging data analysis to develop innovative programs? Comment below and make sure to continue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter @SportsNetworker