Andrew Naugher: Developing Relationships between Teams and Fans (Full Transcript)

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Ronen Ainbinder 1:07

Joining today's Halftime Snacks for the first time is an award-winning marketing executive who's an expert in social and digital media.

He's currently the founder and CEO of MediaX Partners, and he's building Rikodi.

Rikodi is a platform that allows fans to relive their favorite sports moments. Furthermore, Rikodi serves sports brands through a digital portal that delivers fan engagement and provides new and different revenue sources.

This episode will be packed with lessons in strategy, public relations, communications, and more!

It's my pleasure to introduce, mister Andrew Naugher!

Andrew Naugher 1:11

coming through the smoke right now. So I'm seeing lasers and everything. I wish everybody could see this. But it's an amazing intro. Thanks for that.

Ronen Ainbinder 1:22

Yeah, I also visualize Michael Jordan's entry when everyone was getting together to receive him. So that's how we're getting together to receive Andrew! First of all, welcome to the halftime snacks. It's an absolute pleasure to have you here. Want to kick our conversation off with an icebreaker, and let's make it a fun one. Let's say that I will tell you right now that you can only follow one person on Twitter, the rest of your life. So who would it be?

Andrew Naugher 1:50

Well, that's a fantastic question. Because I go back and forth between following people that we're in the entrepreneurial world and things like that. And then the sports world, but one guy I enjoy following who covers college football is RJ young. And he does a lot of great things. A lot of great tweets. Of course, he writes some incredibly good stories and things like that. So because I have a great passion for college football. So he's, he's somebody that I follow. I'm not a big celebrity person who follows celebrities very much. But it's probably that's, again, why I'm in the business. I mean because I love sports so much.

Ronen Ainbinder 2:38

I think it's a great compliment to someone if you tell them that you would be the only one that would follow on Twitter. I hope somebody says that about me.

Andrew Naugher 2:49

No, I would definitely follow you. You gave me one, and if RJ got off, it would be you.

Ronen Ainbinder 2:57

Alright, man, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it, Andrew, and I am so happy and so excited to have you here on the show. We're going to be talking about recovery, man, the story, and the things you came up with to offer solutions to sports brands and organizations, but let's just kick it off with some interesting side element of fans, right? Because Rikodi is all about the fan is all about figuring out, finding engagement, and understanding what they do, what they value, what makes them tick. So I'm very curious to ask you, what do you think about behavioral changes in terms of fans, but for comparing now and before the pandemic? Is there anything different that you think fans are valuing, valuing? Valuing or appreciating more now than they did before or something it doesn't necessarily have to be the fan in the stadium but can also be the fan at home? So just give me your thoughts about what you see. What have you found out that is different in fans between now and the pandemic?

Andrew Naugher 4:04

That's a great question. So several of the key trends that we have noticed in talking to fans and talking to the teams is that I think the fans of valuing live sports way more than they did before. I think pre-pandemic, it just became something that we were all used to, and we kind of took it for granted, even though we enjoyed it. But we also came to know that there are cardboard cutouts, and pipe den fan noise is no replacement. For a live event. Even if you're there, even if you're watching at home, you get amped up as much from the crowd energy and the crowd noise as you were if you were there. That's just all part of the experience. So I think fans have come to appreciate the live Experience form I'm sure players do because they feed off of that emotion, as well. But I think fans also realize that it has been taken away from them. So they definitely want to keep it there. So there, I think, even wanting more feeling, they want to feel closer to the team. Now, they want to have more access to the team. But I think that's part of the pandemic. In some ways, I think social media has mentally broken down these barriers that people feel like they have access to now because they can tweet to somebody or post this with somebody in a hashtag or at somebody. They might get a response or that type of thing. So that's new, that's a dynamic that we're all kind of getting accustomed to. So I think fans feel like they are more a part of the team. What we saw happened with the Super League over in Europe when the fans kind of revolt. And you saw the signs that said, we're fans, not customers; I think that's also a flip in the mentality that fans want to be treated more like they are part of the organization, that they're not just dollar signs.

Ronen Ainbinder 6:25

Let's talk about Rikodi. Let's talk about what it is, what the story is, and how you came up with it. What pain is what is the real pain that is being addressed? And how exactly was it that you realize that this pain existed,

Andrew Naugher 6:43

The inspiration for Rikodi came from my father, who was a minister for five decades, and about 15 years into his retirement, he developed dementia, and it came on quickly. And I had to kind of announce that he was suffering through this because people were still wanting him to be involved with their weddings and funerals and just other events. After all, he had been involved with the generations before; they just couldn't think of him not being there. So once I made that announcement, I started getting notes and messages from people and pictures and videos of people sharing their favorite memories and how my father impacted them during their lives. And I thought, wouldn't it been cool, there was some kind of online digital scrapbook that they could have organized all these pictures and videos and told their stories, but also ask others to collaborate to come because that's that was the power of it is that all these people were part of a larger community that he had affected. And, there was nothing out there that allowed you to have that experience. So we've built a prototype and took it out on the road and tested it with numerous influencers in food and travel and parenting and things like that, to see how they would use it, if they liked it obviously, to get feedback. And we had tremendous feedback on that front. But during that time, I had the opportunity to go in front of some sports teams to see if there was a possible possibility of using it. And immediately, we had very, very positive feedback and understanding that this was a unique way of leveraging the power of the team's memories. And I think that was one thing that we strove for was getting the teams to understand that the emotional bonds that you have with your fans are, are my things that you have created through either game, attending games, interacting in the community, different things like that, just that emotional bond is strong, but fans don't have a way to kind of reciprocate the kind of give that emotion back to the team and in a healthy way. Right now, it's if you have you build up to an event, you're at this emotional apex, but game days over, everything kind of dissipates. And then you have to kind of build it back up again. And then, obviously, in the offseason, you have to do something to keep that interest up. Still, we found that the power of memories and letting people share those experiences back with the teams is an incredibly effective way. A big fan of building fan relationships and keeping them at a high level throughout the year. And then, we also allow the team to better understand each individual fan. So they're now building what we'd like to call emotional data files around individual fans in a way that they can't right now because the fans are basically sharing their memories, they're giving it to the team, they're saying, Here, this is what's important to me, here's everything you want to know about me that that causes me to love, love the team, here's who I love, here's why I watch it here. So I watched it with, here's what I drink, when I watch it, here's what I eat, when I watch all that kind of thing. And so it can become a powerful way we'd like to, we'd like to take it more beyond fan engagement to fan relationship because that's what it's about; it's building more personalized relationships with your fans, not just the one buying tickets, but the ones that watch at the local sports bar every time or the ones that are at home or talking about it throughout the year, because being a fan, right now is a 24-7, 365 experience.

Ronen Ainbinder 11:16

Yeah, and it's very interesting how you compare it to a relationship because it's funny. After all, most of your friends are most people you hang out with. And when you're with them, you're probably going to be talking about memories that you have together. You go to your new, recalling the emotion that something happened. Last Saturday, last Saturday, we were at this bar enjoying, so relationships are about memories and how those members determine our identity as friends, I guess. And so I guess that it applies the same way between teams and fans. It's like taking that element of also Yeah, we had these memories, you remember, you were there you were with this friend, and you were you had these emotions. So it kind of feels like it's trying to build up a friendship more than another element of what the fan experience is about. But it encapsulates all of it. So a very interesting point of view, Andrew. And I wonder what's in terms of like, the technology behind it, what powers the, the sort of like the workflow between creating the memory, or I guess that it's about pictures and video. So who creates the pictures of videos? Is it the fans? Or is it the teams themselves? So how are you guys leveraging technology or enabling different solutions through technology? What types and what is exactly like the workflow like how it works?

Andrew Naugher 12:47

What we have created is a kind of a SaaS model. So everything is available for the team, and they can brand it themselves. And this, that's very useful on different levels. But the beginning, middle, and end are the communication that starts with texting. So when you create a book, within the recording, it will generate a magic link that will be unique to that particular book, but also create a code that they can be promoted in the arena on the broadcast that but, through the phone, because we want to leverage the phone for several reasons. The most important thing is that you're dealing with the human; that way, you're not dealing with a social media burner account or that type of thing. So the idea is that there, there's quick communication. So it can go out at any time. They can easily take the content off their phones, but when they upload the pictures and the videos together. They're also encouraged to tell the story. So it's not because what we don't want is the most kind of scrapbook: digital scrapbooks, hardcover photo books, those types of things. If it's just a picture, you're still looking and wanting to know, well, who is that what's going on, you're still wanting to know the story behind it. So the app gives you the ability to tell the story with each picture and also with each video. And that's important. So that gets sent back into a content management portal that the team has and own, and then they can then easily access the content they've created. So it's also valuable for them to repurpose social post animated GIFs, which means all the things they've posted online and the beautiful videos and pictures and pictures that they have from their staff. So it melts The fan content with the team content. So to create something that's, it's multimedia. So it's very immersive, it's very engaging. And it's something that you would want to relive over and over again, with just the back to the example that you gave up. When you sit, and you talk with people, you're reliving those moments. And that happens all the time. So this book is facilitating that same experience. But also, at that time, the teams can collect the data from the stories and then use that to build better, better profiles around their fans to help them be more effective in their marketing messages. So they may figure out who their favorite player is and have this universe of people in their database that love this certain player. So a marketing message could go out with a video from that player, or that player's picture on there or something like that. So now you've understood that I'm getting, I'm getting a message, I'm delivering it from a person that's going to cause this causes the recipient to probably get more emotionally engaged with your call to action than they will have before, and then it also opens up quite a few new revenue opportunities, year-round revenue opportunities, because they are digital books. So there are sponsorships within the book, there could be ads within the book, we also incorporate any commerce component. So you can make a call to action for ticket sales and merchandise sales or things like that. But another great aspect of Rikodi is we give them a branded digital library for all these books that can be housed that ties in to their current web, their websites, or their apps. So now they have a digital experience that they're in total control of, no algorithms to mess them up, that they get all the data to and in a way that they can't, right now. So that gives them a place where they can drive people in to have a great ongoing experience around team branded content,

Ronen Ainbinder 17:14

What have you thought about regarding the people's privacy appearing in videos or people uploading videos from home? What is up with that?

Andrew Naugher 17:29

Well, there are two steps involved. So one, by agreeing by saying yes to the Met that they want to be involved, they've already agreed to be involved. And then, when they upload their content, we're only limiting it to about six digital files. So it's a combination. Suppose they want to do all pictures or all videos or combinations. In that case, they can do that before they click it. They click on a box that says I agree to allow whatever team to use this for marketing and promotional purposes. But the teams are also that they have great discretion on things they use, but understanding that, again, they made an invite. If you wanted to be involved, you're doing it so that the fan is doing it of their own volition. They're, they're not being forced. Nobody's scraping anything, nobody's doing it's just here it is. I wanted to be involved and have fun using this content that I've given you permission for.

Ronen Ainbinder 18:30

And I wonder essentially, if anyone can access anyone else's videos, or if I was a fan, can see what other fans react to how other fans react? Or is this something that we can do as a fan on the platform?

Andrew Naugher 18:50

Well, suppose I understand the question correctly right. In that case, the first version of our code is the fans contributing to the team, and then the team selecting what they want to use in combination with their content. They don't have to use everything that comes in, say for particular because they say there was a winning shot because of the multimedia aspects. There were maybe 60 different versions of the winning shot from just saying from inside the arena. Then, you have the fan reactions at home. Still, I'm just saying the winning shot inside their brain, or there may have been 60 videos uploaded for that. Well, the team may say tonight, look around, we're gonna use 10 or 20. Then we have these 40 leftovers, but all of the assets can be hashtagged and then stored. So then they could go back and say, You know what, we're in the offseason, we're going to create a book called our favorite moments of 2021. And then they can bring those other unused videos back in, so now you're getting a fresh book with fresh perspectives. And it's another way to reach out and connect with fans. And then obviously, another way to generate revenue, because you can have the book sponsor, you know that that type of thing so that the books are available to every fan, right that Well, there's two ways they can be available to every fan. But the teams can also create personalized books and do it for a group that may be their group that's like sitting in a luxury suite or say, it might be the little league team that came to see the Rangers tonight, they can do it for that group that that's one of the powers that I have is that they can create very personalized memories books for, for groups for specific groups, as well as the larger fan base. So it gives the team the power and the leverage to do things that would have a long-term emotional impact on the targeted audience.

Ronen Ainbinder 21:06

Nice, nice, I want to know if there are any lessons that you've learned about fans through media x and recording in general,

Andrew Naugher 21:15

Probably, the biggest one is that I think fans want to be a part of the team. I think they felt that way for a long time. But I think now, even more, that fans see sports not only as a viewing experience or a pastime, but I think they see it as part of their family. Because sports probably has done something to create bonds with family and friends, just like you were saying, it has, it has a great way of bringing everybody together whether you agree on politics, or religion, or food or travel or fashion or whatever, but sports brings all you know all people together. And I think fans see, and they crave that. And I believe that it is now, even more, a part of our experience than what we had before.

Ronen Ainbinder 22:27

Would you say that fans didn't know that they had this pain of saving memories to relive the special moments? Or is it that you know me as a fan? I usually say when I go to the stadium, I do one or a couple of videos or a couple of pictures. Then I save them on my own camera roll and, those are the things that I will eventually remember. So I want to know if this is like a pain that fans have. But they don't know they have it because it's so, like, something that improves their experience in a way. Still, they don't know that it can improve because, as I mentioned, you might just go and take some pictures yourself and save them for yourself. So how exactly is it? Is this pain plugged in? In the fan? And is this? Like? Is this going to be the future of fan engagement? Or is this going to be like what's going to be changing the way we interact with each other in stadiums? Or at home? Or is it going to change the I don't know the fans' attitude in the stands knowing that this is going to be part of memory so they might cheer up louder or something? Still, I'm just trying to go a little bit deeper on the idea of what this means for a band on a cognitive level?

Andrew Naugher 24:00

That's a great question. Because I think the fans want a place to store these memories to relive them, I think they would; they definitely want to share them with the teams. And to have also to acknowledge the team that Hey, thank you for sharing these memories. And by the way, those were so important to you, but they're important to us. Now it's part of this collection that we are creating that not only you can relive, but other fans can relive. But they can also be relieved five or 10 years from now. If you want to know how it's become part of Dallas Cowboy history or Dallas Mavericks history play or whatever. And I think we all as humans crave that kind of connection at attention as well. We just don't know because it's, there's no other way right now to be This personal other than you might hashtag something on social media, but again, that gets lost with everything else. And it's not in an organized fashion that you can go back and understand and get a deeper appreciation of everything that happened. And I think what's been exciting for us is that we've usually started with someone on the digital marketing side when we talk to teams. But by the end of the discussion, they've involved someone from ticketing it from sponsorship because they get that this covers all of that. And that's what we want them to know that this was built by marketing, person marketing people with the eyes of helping them be better, more effective marketers, and, and also to help generate sales, because, at the end of the day, the team still need to need to make money, they need to be doing things that are and, and we want to be an effective tool and that we're, we are part of their ecosystem this, this is content that's going to be shared on their other social platforms, just like you would an article or anything else like that. So they're continuing to enhance their social presence. But we're also giving them the ability to now have a branded digital experience. If they can control the data, they can keep the experience at a very positive level. It's not fighting with anything else. It's not fighting with cat videos, political arguments and vaccine conspiracy theories, and things like that. It is all team branded content that, again, all draws back to a very emotional tie that these fans have with the team and other fans.

Ronen Ainbinder 26:52

Wow, that's so fascinating. Andrew, I think that it's, it's very, it should be very cool to be decoding the mind of a fan, and trying to deliver solutions for them through opportunities also to create revenues for the teams and bring that relationship between as we mentioned, me and France, it's my team and me now closer. Sounds super fascinating. Andrew, I'm delighted with everything you've been mentioning. Maintaining time has gone so fast that you gotta wrap it up because this is just a halftime snack. But I can't. I can't leave without asking you a more personal question, Andrew. And my question for you is, what is your biggest dream?

Andrew Naugher 27:39

Wow. Let's see outside of owning an island in Greece off. To be honest, one of my biggest dreams would be to meet David Ortiz. Because I'm a big Red Sox fan. I just love his game. He's very special. But because my wife adores him greatly. So try trying to make her happy. But no, he's someone that I've always admired. And, of course, he's generated a lifetime of memories for me, and I love his personality. I love what he's done for the city of Boston and what he's doing in his retirement as well, but that would be a big dream of mine would be able to sit down and have dinner. I might light a cigar. I don't think I could smoke it as he could smoke it, but I might even try if he had if he asked me to.

Ronen Ainbinder 28:44

Well, David Ortiz, man, if you're listening to this, man, you gotta go grab some dinner or some snacks, maybe some Halftime Snacks, you know with some snacks! I want to wrap this thing up, man; thank you so much for coming to the halftime snacks. That's been an absolute pleasure to hear you and listen and learn from you. Recording and everything that you guys are doing in the media. It's so interesting. I told you that I'm so jealous that you guys get to be called fans that I hope that I get to do it with you guys one day. But for now, thank you so much for coming to the Halftime Snacks.