AO ARTBALL
A digital brand experience
serving fans a piece of the action.
Client: Australian Open
2022 - 2023
Innovative Use of Tech & Platforms for Sport
A new way to
experience sport
The Australian Open faced covid crowd restrictions and a large dip in international visitors, so to unite tennis fans globally, we launched a unique brand experience to build a new community, digitally.
OWN
THE BALL
We created digital collectibles called “AO ArtBalls”. Over seven thousand virtual tennis balls each with their own unique artwork and attributes. Selling out in under three minutes, the campaign raised nearly $1 million dollars for the Australian Open, a non for profit organisation.
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THE COURT
By dividing the official Rod Laver arena into 6,776 individual squares, each AO ArtBall was assigned its own section of the court. Using official Hawkeye line-calling data and blockchain tech, each AO ArtBall was automatically linked to the “plot” of a final legal bounce.
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THE MOMENT
This means when a player won match point, so did the ArtBall holder. Winning ArtBalls earned trophy stickers and visual upgrades, and owners could connect their ArtBall to the 3D match-point web experience and relive their winning moment from every angle.
A new era. A new arena.
We built Melbourne Park as a virtual playground, launching the world's first metaverse experience for a global sporting event.
Here our community could interact with their favourite players, access exclusive content and participate in virtual games and tennis comps. No matter where you were in the world, you could experience Melbourne Park from the comfort of your own home.
