In what may be the most material applications of blockchain technology by a major ad agency holding company to date, Havas Group’s Havas Sports & Entertainment unit this morning announced a deal with H2O FinTech to license a “direct-to-fan” blockchain application to create a secure system for managing sports consumer relationships.
Dubbed a “fan relationship management” (FRM) solution, the system leverages blockchain infrastructure to create a direct connection between sports rights holders and their fans.
“Fans can now be rewarded for ‘being a fan’,” the Havas unit states, explaining, “Their social media engagement and digital actions (games, quizzes, etc) are granted with rights holders’ branded tokens based on a private blockchain – and not a cryptocurrency – through the free and simple creation of an e-wallet.”
The tokenized credits accrued by fans can be “converted into real consumer goods,” including exclusive content and experiences that “money can’t buy.”
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The new FRM program also will enable fans to “swap” tokens they’ve accrued with other fans, effectively creating a new, secondary transactional marketplace of sports swag-related inventory.
While the announcement does not detail how third-party brands can leverage the program, Havas says “sponsors can also participate to this program and create a new form of relationship between the brand and the users, in the same digital environment.”