Manchester United is giving away free tickets to its upcoming match against Liverpool, although not in the way we’re used to.
The soccer — er, football — club is putting on a unique campaign with Google+ called Front Row. Fans around the world will have a chance to attend the March 16 match at Old Trafford — well, kind of.
A select group of United supporters will have their faces streamed live via Google+ Hangouts onto the pitchside hoardings just off the field. To win the contest, Man U. fans have to share a picture showing their support for the team on Google+ with the hashtag “#MUFrontRow.”
This is a pretty unique experiment that blends the physical sports world with the Internet and seems perfect for a huge global brand like Manchester United. It’s also another example of teams using technology to bring their fans closer to the action.
I do wonder how Google+ and the team will make sure each streaming connection is smooth and that the fans don’t do anything crazy — like moon their camera, for example — so this will be interesting to watch play out.
