OXFORD, Miss. & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Total Communicator Solutions, Inc. (TCS), a leader in mobile brand management, contextual intelligence and application development, is taking the University of Mississippi’s Rebel Rewards app to new levels of fan engagement with a location-based augmented reality (AR) game. Powered by TCS’s Spark Compass™ mobile proximity platform, the AR game is the first of its kind to become available on any college campus. The interactive game is the latest enhancement to the app, which already holds the distinction as the first beacon-based system in collegiate sports to use smartphones and a custom app to engage fans, and link to a rewards program.
The new AR game enables users to search for and locate AR football receivers at select locations both indoors and outside. Once located and connected through the app, throwing virtual passes to a receiver who catches them before he disappears earns the player Rebel Rewards points. The game enhances current AR features of the app, which includes game-day programs that seemingly come alive, and posters of select players that transform into entertaining videos.
“The Rebel Rewards app has reached unprecedented levels of fun and fan engagement with this new AR game,” said Michael Thompson, senior associate athletics director at the University of Mississippi. “We’re able to set up AR games where and when we want them, made possible through the Spark Compass platform.”
“Ole Miss continues to enthusiastically implement new features and technologies that enhance fan engagement,” said Erik Bjontegard, CEO and founder of Total Communicator Solutions, Inc. “We continue to deepen our relationship with Ole Miss, extending on-the-field excitement to fans right on their phones and watches, before, during and after Ole Miss games.”
With more than 20,000 downloads to date, the Rebel Rewards app has become a key driver of the Rebel Rewards program, established in 2009 to increase student involvement with Ole Miss athletics. The app, introduced in 2014, is powered by the Spark Compass platform to leverage users’ location on campus and deliver messages and experiences, in addition to Rebel Rewards points that are awarded automatically when users attend Ole Miss sporting events. More than 300 beacons have been installed across sports facilities on campus. The Spark Compass platform has gathered more than 8.7 million data points to date, enabling over 40,000 beacon interactions alone on game days.
Users of the app collect points to earn prizes ranging from Ole Miss caps to a private lunch with Athletic Director Ross Bjork. As points accumulate, users achieve higher status levels, which are showcased live in the app on a leaderboard. For more information about the program or to download the free app, visit RebelRewards.com. Be sure to follow @RebelRewards on Twitter for the most up-to-date information regarding the program.
About Total Communicator Solutions, Inc.
Founded in early
2012 by former Qualcomm executive Erik Bjontegard, Total Communicator
Solutions, Inc. has developed a fully integrated mobile communication
platform with customized applications to help clients connect with
users, customers and future users in meaningful and measurable ways on
mobile devices. The solution leverages real-data acquisition to deliver
analytics and real time actions and events, enabling delivery of curated
experiences on mobile devices. The company’s patented, contextually
intelligent communications platform, Spark Compass, integrates proximity
beacons, NFC, augmented reality and other sensor input to enable the
delivery of customized and relevant content and experiences for
real-time consumer engagement. With several installations in locations
across the U.S. and Europe incorporating thousands of proximity beacons
and sensors, Spark Compass is used by enterprises such as airports,
hospitals, university facilities, sport venues and convention centers.
Total Communicator Solutions is headquartered in San Diego, Calif., with
locations in Los Angeles, New York, Spain, Mexico, UK, The Netherlands,
Norway and New Zealand.
