GRÖNBORG LIVE

TitleGRÖNBORG LIVE
BrandSVENSKA SPEL SPORT & CASINO
Product/ServiceODDSET
Category A06. Data-technology
Entrant PERFECT FOOLS Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation PERFECT FOOLS Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR PERFECT FOOLS Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production PERFECT FOOLS Stockholm, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Johan Lööf Perfect Fools Producer
Amit Raab Perfect Fools Executive Producer
Eric Karlshammar Perfect Fools Client Lead
Klas Lusth Perfect Fools Creative Director
Marc Scherlin Perfect Fools Designer
Justin Colavita Perfect Fools Campaign Architect
Daniel Lunde Perfect Fools Senior Art Director
Carl Larsson Perfect Fools Art Director
Joakim Ohlssson Perfect Fools PR Manager
Tony Sajdak Perfect Fools Chief Technical Officer
Stefan Lagergren Perfect Fools Developer
Eva Evesjö Svenska Spel Sport & Casino Brand Manager
Jonas Nilsson Svenska Spel Sport & Casino PR Manager
Ken Söderqvist Svenska Spel Sport & Casino Production Manager
Henrik Mäx Svenska Spel Sport & Casino' Social Content Communication Specialist
Eva Didriksson Svenska Spel Sport & Casino Digital Media Specialist
Matthias Svensson Svenska Spel Sport & Casino Content Manager

Why is this work relevant for Creative Data?

Through data enhanced creative 3D- and voice technology, the Swedish ice hockey head coach, Rikard Grönborg, was digitally cloned to become the world’s first virtual sports anchor. Using 20 years of ice hockey data, we built an AI-program and equipped the clone with it. The AI analyzed the data and taught itself to make predictions about the championship games. The predictions were reported by the clone in its own live-show and managed to predict the correct result in 78% of the games.

Background

The Swedish betting market is cluttered with brands communicating favourable odds, especially during big tournaments. During the Ice Hockey World Championship 2019, betting company Svenska Spel’s sub-brand, Oddset, needed to find a way to break through the noise in order to increase sales, strengthen Oddsets’s connection to Swedish sports, and heighten the perception of Oddset as a modern betting brand.

Describe the Creative idea / data solution (20% of vote)

Using data-driven 3D and voice technology, we digitally cloned the Swedish ice hockey team’s head coach, Rikard Grönborg. The clone looked, moved, and sounded like the real Rikard; becoming the world’s first virtual sports anchor when we gave him his own YouTube-live show, “Grönborg Live”. By using over 20 years of ice hockey data, we built an AI which used the data to predict the outcome of the tournament’s games. The AI continuously drew new conclusion from the games throughout the championship and optimized its own method to make better predictions. In the end it managed to predict the right outcome in 78% of the games. From his virtual studio, the clone reported live for over 400 hours straight about tournament news, interviews, entertainment, and lots of unique statistics. This gave viewers all the information they would ever need for betting on the games.

Describe the data driven strategy (30% of vote)

We spent hours in our studio together with the real Rikard Grönborg collecting data points from his voice and appearance and gathered data from over 20 years of ice hockey games and player statistics four our AI. We used Rikard’s data points to create a digital clone that could move like the original and read text out loud with the same voice, making him the world’s first virtual sports anchor. We created an AI that used the ice hockey data to accurately predict the outcome of the tournament’s games. For every game, the AI added the result to it’s calculations and optimized its own method to make predictions, thus using it’s intelligence to become smarter. We then gave viewers the chance to follow the virtual anchor’s live show in which it reported on tournament news, statistics, and it’s predictions - the clone even interviewed ice hockey stars on the show.

Describe the creative use of data, or how the data enhanced the creative output (30% of vote)

In our studio, the real Rikard spent a full day to digitally analyze his appearance and create data points that could make the clone look and move like him. Recording voice samples for hours and hours, his voice was also digitally cloned and built to read text in the same manner as the original. The AI’s data was collected from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and continuously from the World Championship’s official statistics.

List the data driven results (20% of vote)

The viewers could follow a 400 hour long live marathon broadcast with the world’s first ever virtual sports anchor, that looked and sounded like the Swedish Ice Hockey team’s head coach, Rikard Grönborg. The live show included very accurate predictions of the results of the games to use for betting. Viewers could also get all information and statistics that could ever be of interest around the tournament, packaged in a fun and innovative way. We reached over 47.5 million in earned reach and increased sales by 30% compared to last year’s Ice Hockey World Championships.