By: Kelsey Aylor, Staff Writer
In the fall of 2015, the Wofford Athletics department took to a new marketing strategy in order to encourage student attendance at sporting events. Although they have increased use of social media like Facebook and Instagram, the department took it a step further – they created their own app.
The Wofford Rewards App features a calendar listing all athletic events occurring, along with special notes about each event such as a game that will have free pizza or mugs, a social tab that automatically connects to and displays Facebook and Twitter posts and a fan cam option that allows you to upload, share and view photos from members across the campus.
Perhaps the most popular feature of the app is the Rewards and Awards section. As people attend various athletic events, they can check in, thus receiving points. Different point accumulations are equivalent to various prizes which users may later claim.
Junior Lauren Crawford thinks the Rewards app has been effective in increasing student turnout and support.
“I go to most basketball, football and baseball home games, so I check the app pretty regularly to keep up to date. I also check in at every event in order to pick up rewards whenever I can,” says Crawford. “I think the app gets people interested in coming to events and incentivizes students to come despite their busy schedules.”
Sophomore Kelsey Garrison works with the Athletics Marketing Office and has also seen an increase in student support at athletic events.
“I do everything from selling tickets at baseball games to the promotions during basketball games,” says Garrison. “I personally use the Rewards app and so do the majority of my friends. There has been a lot more turnout for athletic events this year than in the past, especially with basketball games.”
Chanel Stokes, a senior starting point guard for the women’s basketball team, has mixed reviews about the Rewards App.
“Usually our games don’t get that many fans and the amount that do come is nowhere near comparable to the turnout of men’s basketball games,” says Stokes. “I do think it encourages more students to come out and we did have a lot of support at our senior night game as it was our last home game. However, some problems with it could be resolved.”
Like Stokes, other students have complained about the system. Many cite technical issues such as app crashes and inability to update to newer, improved versions as a frequent issue they experience. Others are frustrated with the check in system.
“There’s definitely room for improvement,” says Crawford. “First, the check in function is very broad. You can be eating in Zach’s and can check into a basketball game despite not actually attending. Also, some of the rewards aren’t necessarily the most useful or desirable and once you earn some of them, there’s less incentive to use the system.”
Despite its flaws, the Rewards App has generally been viewed as positively affecting student involvement and attendance of athletic events.
“Yes, the accuracy of the GPS locator that the app uses could definitely be improved,” says Garrison. “But overall, I like to think that our student body wants to support their classmates by coming to these events. Never before had I seen so many people show up to a women’s soccer game on a Friday night until this app. I can only hope that attendance for all events will continue to increase.”