Investec is an international specialist bank and asset manager that provides a diverse range of financial products and services to a niche client base in three principal markets, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia, as well as certain other countries.
Challenge
In 2014, Investec signed a ten year sponsorship deal for the ECB Test cricket. Design and technology agency Athlon was tasked with creating an innovative solution that would not only maximise Investec’s ten year sponsorship of the ECB Test cricket, but also make Investec synonymous with understanding performance and data.
The growth in data and analytics in the banking industry as a whole is on the rise, along with the drive to make that data more consumer-friendly. From a wealth management point of view, Investec was keen to demonstrate that it could understand and visualise data, whether that be data from a cricket match or financial data.
Solution
Athlon’s solution was the Investec Test Tracker, an intelligent web-based app that analyses real-time data to provide performance insights, driving relevancy between cricket and Investec, making it accessible to everyone.
Launched to coincide with the 2014 England v India Investec Test series, the Test Tracker provides real-time analysis of every aspect of every match, enabling cricket fans to gain detailed match insights about specific events as they happen.
The Test Tracker uses live feeds from leading sports data company Opta, presenting them in a unique visual format with interactive infographics and charts that enable users to track player performance. Capitalising on the popularity of second screening, the app also worked on mobile and tablet devices to provide cricket fans with insight and analysis of the matches while they watch them on TV or at the ground.
Athlon’s aim was to enhance the experience of watching the matches, enabling viewers to make sense of what they were seeing and how performances evolved over the whole Test series as they watch it.
The final solution was an HTML5-based app that operated seamlessly across all desktop, tablet and mobile devices irrespective of operating system. It comprises a number of key features including the Scorecard, a side-by-side comparison of team performance, showing which team is pushing boundaries and who is being dismissed; the Wagon Wheel, which mapped where deliveries were being hit to provide 360 degree batting statistics; and the Match Tracker for an over-by-over view on team performance and the key players who are influencing the game.
The Test Tracker was so successful in 2014 that Investec was keen to invest in it further and a number of new real-time features were added for 2015, including improved match progress analysis, a new match scorecard section that analyses player performance and links to the profiles section, and a new player comparison section which gives detailed insight into the game attributes player-by-player.
Athlon’s focus was to ensure the interface design was as accessible as possible for both expert and novice fans. Both cricket and sports sponsorship are crowded marketplaces so the objective was to develop a different but Investec-focused experience. The Test Tracker successfully demonstrated Investec’s prowess in understanding performance and analytics and applied that to cricket, making sense of huge amounts of data in a way that is both visually appealing and insightful.
Results
The Investec Test Tracker gives users the richest, most insightful experience possible, analysing every ball in every Test in both 2014 and 2015. Tapping into a growing trend towards using data as content in the world of sport, the app empowers users to explore the data in any way they wish, whether that’s via a traditional scorecard or at deeper per-player level. The new features have extended the app to give users a view on the Test performance that they cannot get anywhere else.
The app experienced high level of engagement in 2014, helping the hashtag #InvestecTest to reach 55 million social impressions, with a 20 per cent increase in the Twitter followers of @InvestecCricket. 49 per cent of people used the Tracker during play, followed by 23 per cent between match days. 80 per cent of respondents said the Test Tracker enhanced their experience of the series. Most users spent at least two minutes per visit in the app. The app also helped drive lead generation, with over 5,000 email sign-ups. Early indications show it to be just as successful in 2015.
“The Test Tracker worked extremely well last year in helping to generate positive engagement with Investec’s Test Cricket sponsorship and the Investec brand,” said Rich Kehoe, Digital Marketing Manager at Investec. “As a largely stats-orientated audience, our aim was to provide cricket fans with a visualised data, insights and analysis driven experience. The Test Tracker provides an enhanced view of the Investec Test Series and the Investec Ashes Series, and it has proven to be a great companion app for those following the cricket on TV or radio.”
