Bank BBVA Compass recently leveraged beacon technology to help it drive 700 sports fans attending the NBA All-Star Game to visit a nearby booth where they could transform themselves into a virtual bobblehead doll.

This is the second time BBVA has sponsored an in-stadium bobblehead station during a sporting event and the first time it is leveraging beacon technology to activate the sponsorship. Mobile users also received a coupon good for 20 percent off a purchase of an All-Star T-shirt at the stadium’s team store.

“We anticipate Apple’s iBeacon technology and proximity marketing to be a key focus for many brands in 2014,” said James Giglio, CEO and founder of MVP Interactive, Philadelphia, PA. “It’s important to keep pace with the latest technology and demonstrate MVP’s capabilities.

“Being able to showcase this offering on a stage like NBA All-Star Weekend 2014 was paramount to creating the awareness and giving our client the ability to create a call to action of their consumers by notifying them within 100 feet of the activation area,” he said.

Proximity marketing
The bobblehead promotion is the latest example of how BBVA is building a presence in mobile as customers enthusiastically embrace being able to bank via their smartphones and tablets.

Last month, BBVA acquired online and mobile bank Simple for $117 million (see story).

The Fan Morphing Station from MVP Interactive was deployed inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans during the NBA All Star Game weekend in February.

Using MVP Interactive’s skyeBeacon technology, alerts were sent to mobile devices within a certain proximity, notifying those within range that they were near a station.

The program was the first time MVP used skyeBeacon as part of a live execution.

Fans had their picture taken at the Morphing Station as they approached the screen and could watch as they were virtually transformed into bobblehead dolls adorned with the All-Star jerseys for this year’s game.

Once the transformation was complete, fans could print out their image on-site.

BBVA Compass’ logo appeared on the base of the bobblehead doll and in the corner of the printout.

Sponsorship activation
The Fan MorphingStation was active for three consecutive nights, starting with the Rising Stars Challenge Friday night, All-Star Saturday night and through to Sunday’s night’s All-Star Game.

More than 700 fans game attendees engaged the Morphing Station at a rate of almost one fan per minute.

Last year’s bobblehead campaign took place at the BBVA Compass Stadium, home of soccer team Houston Dynamo (see story).

The campaign is latest example of how brands are embracing beacon technology inside malls, stores, stadiums and other venues to drive engagement, deliver offers and activate sponsorships.

“BBVA is the official bank of the NBA and being at events throughout out the season will not only create that brand awareness to fans but open a positive dialogue with its potential new clients,” Mr. Giglio said.

“Not only were we able to deploy the skyeBeacon technology to draw fans in, we printed high resolution photos of each user’s bobble head,” he said. “Providing a tangible take away has proven to be an extremely gratifying experience for each fan.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York