The tech world has worked to earn your trust via mobile portals on the biggest Sunday of the year. This week, we’re looking to determine if the Super Bowl has done the same, offering a review of the official NFL mobile apps specifically developed and/or updated for Super Bowl XLVIII. Our focus today is the NFL Homegating app.
One quick note of clarification: there are three particular apps removed from our review this week, including NFL Mobile (the official league app, a known commodity and source of news for football fans updated accordingly), NFL Pick ‘Em (a traditional game of choice sports fans during the regular season, leaving one more game to pick), and the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee Volunteers app (a special application designed by enterprise superfirm SAP AG in support of the league’s volunteers working the event… though we’re betting, based on SAP’s reputation, its outstanding).
NFL Homegating
Developer: NFL Enterprises LLC
Function: Sports
iOS: Available
Android: Available
This season the NFL is taking a cue from Pinterest, where numerous bloggers from the worlds of retail and food have flourished in attaching features to the game’s biggest party. NFL Homegating is the league’s attempt to bring the love of the tailgate party into every mobile-enhanced life out there, presenting some simple game updates as the title block for an interactive menu of NFL products, featured recipes for the event, and cooking tips presented via video from Chef Marc Payero, Executive Chef and Director of Restaurant Associates for the NFL. Users can also find interactive features to create a party, send invites via email and social media, and share recipes with images and directions of their own.
While its easy to see the tie to the NFL Shop (and just as easy to find links out of the app to buy them), the overall effort is highly informative, intuitive and worthy of use. The video tips are short and sweet (and, as an insider tip, often offer additional prep tips that work great for party situations), the curation is simple to navigate, and extended social integrations work well. The food options are extremely enticing and diverse, but more importantly, the ties to simple sharing and social interaction will draw the interactive fans in homes around the world around this app during game day activities. There are tremendous opportunities to drive data, sponsorship and additional NFL content through this platform and it’s simple layout should allow for easy expansion.
We expect the NFL Homegate app may be the true champ of this mobile Super Bowl, and we expect it will continue to evolve in function and audience moving forward.