Monumental Sports & Entertainment Selects Hipcricket to Power Mobile Engagement for Fans of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hipcricket® (“Hipcricket”), the one-stop mobile marketing and advertising subsidiary of Augme® Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: AUGT or “Augme”), today announced that Monumental Sports & Entertainment, one of America’s largest integrated sports and entertainment companies and owners of the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Mystics (WNBA) and the Verizon Center arena, has chosen Hipcricket to power fan and patron mobile engagement programs.

“Our new mobile initiatives with Hipcricket will allow sports fans, concert attendees and anyone else who participates in events at the Verizon Center to develop a memorable connection with our teams and visiting entertainers, while allowing us to respectfully interact with an engaged, enthusiastic fan base on an ongoing basis.”

After a lengthy search, Monumental Sports selected Hipcricket due to its proven capabilities for delivering mobile marketing success; its broad, sophisticated technologies, which include solutions for mobile messaging and updates, in-arena display programs, mobile advertising, QR codes and mobile websites; and its track record of powering successful campaigns for many other sports- and entertainment-related clients over the past eight years.

The Verizon Center hosts more than 220 events annually, and all three home teams have strong and passionate fan bases, with the Capitals currently holding a 153-game sellout streak. Since completing its purchase of the venue and teams in 2010, MSE has aggressively embraced new technologies to enhance the fans’ experience, while further building customer and team loyalty.

MSE plans to use Hipcricket to power campaigns to drive patron engagement during games, concerts and other events. Fans that opt-in to mobile programs will be entered into a database that Monumental Sports can use for re-marketing purposes. This becomes a particularly valuable asset due to Hipcricket’s sophisticated integration capabilities, empowering Monumental Sports to link mobile fan interactions with its CRM systems to obtain a comprehensive view of customer touchpoints.

Planned mobile campaigns include:

Text-to-screen programs that tie directly into game presentation; for example, fans can participate in polling and contests simply by texting a message to an SMS code listed on the Verizon Center’s HD scoreboard display;
Team scores, highlights and breaking news;
Quizzes, contests and exclusive opportunities to win tickets and prizes; and
Promotional opportunities with arena, event and team sponsors.

“This is a banner day for Hipcricket, and we are proud to align ourselves with one of the most visionary sports and entertainment organizations in the country,” said Doug Stovall, Hipcricket Executive Vice President – Sales and Services. “We believe that fans are using their mobile devices—whether to take pictures, check statistics or interact on social networks—more than ever when they attend events. Our work with Monumental Sports & Entertainment will empower audiences to fully embrace this trend and enhance their loyalty to the teams, entertainers and others who perform at the Verizon Center.”

“We look forward to partnering with Hipcricket to implement innovative mobile marketing initiatives that engage our fans and provide them with breaking news, exclusive ticket opportunities, and exciting contests. Hipcricket’s unique combination of experience, technology and outstanding customer service will ensure we are reaching our fans with the best content as quickly as possible,” said Hal Speisman, Marketing Coordinator with Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “Our new mobile initiatives with Hipcricket will allow sports fans, concert attendees and anyone else who participates in events at the Verizon Center to develop a memorable connection with our teams and visiting entertainers, while allowing us to respectfully interact with an engaged, enthusiastic fan base on an ongoing basis.”

About Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Monumental Sports & Entertainment is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. Monumental Sports owns and operates three professional sports teams: the NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals and WNBA’s Washington Mystics. The group also owns and operates Verizon Center, the premier sports and entertainment venue in Washington, D.C., oversees the management of Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals, and George Mason University’s Patriot Center.

About Hipcricket

Hipcricket, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Augme Technologies, Inc. (OTC.BB: AUGT), is the one-stop mobile marketing and advertising company that empowers brands, agencies and media properties to engage customers, drive loyalty and increase sales. Hipcricket’s customers connect with consumers across every mobile channel, including SMS, 2D/QR codes, mobile websites, advertising networks, social media and branded apps. Hipcricket’s proven technology, strategic and marketing services and experienced account management teams have provided measurable success to a broad range of national and regional brand-name leaders (e.g., Macy’s, MillerCoors, Clear Channel) across an industry-leading 200,000+ campaigns. The company has also created the first comprehensive mobile ad network that taps into the buying power of the mass market with industry-leading capabilities to target customers via location and highly-specific demographic information across SMS, display, rich media and video.

Hipcricket is based in New York, with operations in Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.