Winnipeg Jets

Mobile Application

Sports

2022

Launch year

Mobile App · CMS · API · POS

Technologies used

Fuelled by passion

Mandate

Once upon a time: Winnipeg’s community and its love for hockey

Professional sports teams create a unique sense of pride and belonging in a city. But when those teams leave the town and the fans that cherished them, they create a collective heartbreak. This is what happened to the city of Winnipeg when their beloved Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996. But, against-all-odds, the city was able to get a team back in 2011. Since then, the Jets’ fanbase has been fuelled by passion. A fanbase made of, more often than not, hard-working blue collar and proud people that make sacrifices and tough choices to support the team and the city they love so much. But 11 years later, some of those sacrifices can be harder to justify for some of them. Could a mobile app help keep the fire alive?

For most Winnipeggers, the Jets are more than a hockey team. The pride of being a Jets fan is deeply intertwined with the pride of being from Manitoba or living in Winnipeg. A symbiotic relationship exists between the team and the city. One constantly fuels the other. If we wanted to deepen the engagement fans have with the team, our guts were telling us that we needed to deepen the connection they have with the city and its people as well.

User research

Built with care for true fans

Aiming at rewarding fans for their dedication and involvement over the past thirty years, the Winnipeg Jets' new application was designed and built for and by the fans. To do so, even before the first mock-ups and code lines, we travelled the streets of Winnipeg and its arenas to interview hockey fans to get their opinion on what they thought would be the ideal application for their favourite team. We also sent out an 85-question fan survey that garnered over 2500 responses. Once again, fans proved their passion for their team and their wish to connect with players!

Jets 360

The program

With Jets 360, the exclusive reward program within the app, fans can complete challenges like watching Jets and Moose games, answering trivia questions about the teams’ history, and attending events at Canada Life Centre.

Since Winnipeg is all about its community, the rewards program goes beyond the Canada Life Centre and Jets or Moose hockey games by awarding “pucks” to fans supporting the community by visiting local landmarks, showing up at events, and even by playing hockey at community rinks like Iceplex and other neighbourhood clubs.

Once they level up, fans earn “pucks” that can be used to participate in exclusive contests to win rewards or access unique experiences.

The strategy

Whether our user is the team’s most loyal fan or a proud Winnipegger not watching Jets games, our 100% custom loyalty program has features designed to create engagement loops that fuel loyalty and constantly moves everyone further in their fan journey.

Low friction rewards actions that increase engagement with the community, the sport of hockey and the team, like city check-ins or outdoor games check-ins, help fuel fan acquisition. Exclusive features available only to season seat holders help reshape the value proposition and show the Jets’ true appreciation to their most loyal fans in order to improve retention.

Two teams, one app

Not only can Winnipeg hockey fans stay in touch with their favourite team, whether at the arena or at home, but they can also follow the Manitoba Moose, a minor professional hockey team. One click is all that's required for the application to switch between the two teams.

Music and entertainment aficionados can also use the app to purchase tickets for any Canada Life Centre event as well as access the full schedule, beyond hockey games.