The National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors were struggling in their playoff game on Friday, May 4, with their star guard Steph Curry being held to just 19 points—less than half of his normal game output. Off the court, though, Curry was helping sports brand Under Armour score big during the game.
Just before the start of the game, the brand that specializes in sports equipment and gear launched a Steph IQ mobile app that challenges players to answer basketball-themed questions to win a pair of Under Armour Curry 5 shoes, NBA Playoff tickets and a shared grand prize of $10,000 in Under Armour store credit.
The game actually kicked off just after the star guard scored his first three-pointer. As soon as Curry landed his first three-pointer, fans were prompted to answer eight consecutively more difficult questions. And players only got one shot to score with each question, and a 10-second shot clock pressured them to answer quickly. Toss up a brick or an air ball and they’re out. No rebounds or second chances.
The Steph IQ app continued during the Warriors’ second playoff game Sunday night—which the team won and Curry scored 25 points—and will continue in each of the team’s playoff games. The team is expected to make it to the NBA Finals.
Such live gamified trivia content contents are becoming a more common way of brands to engage audiences. The Steph IQ app is the first trivia game app that is dedicated to one brand, but the field is expected to steadily increase as brands look for ways to increase their mobile engagement with their audience through interactive measures. The Steph IQ app will be closely watched. No numbers were yet available as to how many players used the app during last Friday’s or Sunday’s Golden State games.
Digital agency Red Interactive created the app, and social media personality BDot serves as the game’s host.