National Hockey League team Boston Bruins is aiming to connect with fans via a mobile application and video campaign.

The Boston Bruins mobile app is available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices and lets hockey fans keep up to date on the team with stats, news and alerts. Boston Bruins is working with agency Arnold Worldwide on the video portion of the campaign. 

 

?We as an organization are always committed to enhancing the experience of our fans both inside and outside of the arena,? said Amy Latimer, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Boston Bruins, Boston. 

?We pride ourselves on providing our fans with creative and entertaining content and the mobile app is one of the channels that we use to deliver this content to them,? she said.

The new Boston Bruins mobile apps are part of a broader digital push ? the Bruins Digital Entertainment Network ? to combine all of the team?s mobile, social and digital channels.

Users who download the app can view detailed information about the game, including player information, news and stats that are updated in real-time during a game.

Additionally, users can buy Bruins tickets from the app via Ticketmaster?s mobile site or with a click-to-call feature that connects users to the team?s ticket office. The promotion tab lets users see which tickets are on sale.

Another big draw of the app is the fan zone section, where fans can download wallpapers, play games, listen to music from the game and connect to the team?s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Fans can also access maps, parking information and view upcoming events at the arena via the app.

Going forward, Boston Bruins is looking at ways to include features such as parking information and ordering in-arena food into the app, per Ms. Latimer. 

The Boston Bruins has also placed a big bet on video as a way to connect with sports fans.

Although the app does not include mobile streaming, video highlights are highly promoted to let sports fans catch up on short, quick pieces of content.

The hockey team has also rolled out a video campaign that can be accessed on the team?s Web site, social media and mobile apps. 

The video series centers around the Boston Bruin?s mascot ? The Bear ? and is shot in ?80s style.

Sports fans and mobile usage go hand-in-hand, and The Boston Bruins is on the right track by tackling mobile.

For example, a recent study commissioned by Motricity found that 79 percent of sports fans use mobile devices to keep up to date on their favorite teams (see story). 

In particular, mobile video is a natural way for sports fans to keep up to date because they want to feel like they are part of the game.

?One area that I believe will experience huge growth in the near future is live streaming of games on mobile devices,? said Greg Almeida, associate creative director at Arnold Worldwide, Boston.

?Even though streaming exists now, it will only get better, faster and cheaper for the consumer,? he said.

?As the technology gets better and better, we are moving farther and farther away from having to watch content on television or sitting at a computer. For a lot of people, their phones are their main connection to the Internet.?