SA Rugby has partnered with professional services firm Accenture in a deal that will focus on revamping the digital media strategy of the governing body of South African rugby union.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Accenture will serve as the Official Digital Partner to the South African Rugby Union and the national team. SA Rugby has identified digitisation as a key enabler of the organisation’s strategic aspirations.
“We want to become a fan-centric organisation, with the ability to engage directly with loyal Springbok supporters via the various digital channels that modern consumers now use to interact with their passions,” SA Rugby chief executive, Jurie Roux, said.
Wayne Hull, managing director at Accenture Digital Africa and Accenture’s executive lead for the partnership, added: “Accenture South Africa will now fundamentally change the way SA Rugby engages and interacts with local rugby fans to deliver on the organisation’s digital strategy and ensure that it is positioned at the forefront of the sporting arena in the country.”
Based on Accenture’s analysis of SA Rugby’s existing digital capabilities, the federation needs to refresh its existing digital capabilities. “According to our research, 75 per cent of people judge the credibility of a brand from their web and mobile platform, while 38 per cent stop browsing if the platform is unattractive,” Hull said.
“Mobile users are also five times more likely to abandon a task if a web platform isn’t optimised for mobile.”
Once implemented, a new digital platform will create opportunities for SA Rugby to hyper-personalise fan engagements. Fans will enjoy real-time access to team and player insights, in addition to stats, data and exclusive content in an effort to enrich the fan and game-viewing experiences.
Hull said: “With the ability to deliver personalised content for all types of fans, SA Rugby will place hyper-relevance at the core of its fan experience and engagement strategy. This new digital platform will also enable SA Rugby to scale its active engagement fan base tenfold.”
The new digital engagement platforms will go live in time for the start of the new season.