Signature Experience from Autograph, The Huddle

Autograph believes the lasting power of NFTs lies beyond just the digital collectible—they believe there's an opportunity to create a more engaging experience through experiential tie-ins. The experiential area they’re leaning into is real-world benefits and access—to events (both digital and physical), exclusive digital content and merchandise, and most importantly, to the icons that fans follow and love.

Fandom, especially in the sports world, is pervasive and defines cities, towns, and people when you love a team the way some fans do. However, fans have limited opportunities to get closer to the game today. In Web3, this is a brand-new avenue for those fans to collect, connect, experience, and get closer to other fans, as well as these teams and properties.

Autograph saw the opportunity to harness the power and nature of Web3 to create its new premium product, Signature Experiences, to challenge the traditional notions of fandom and reimagine how devoted audiences engage with icons and each other through a genuine and community-driven experience.

NFTs provide great value for other sports organizations and athletes. As the industry continues to evolve, we're excited to see NFTs expand to other leagues, franchises, and personal brands.

Objective

As a company, Autograph is focused on enriching the fan experience by adding utility to every NFT launch and providing real-world benefits that help unlock new bonds between fans and the things they love.

In August, they introduced their new premium product, Autograph Signature Experiences, beginning with The Huddle, a collaboration with co-founder Tom Brady, which took this concept to a new level. The Huddle allowed fans to ride along with Tom Brady throughout his 2022 season via the following: dynamic NFT updates which evolved weekly with Brady’s performance and stats from each game, token-gated livestream broadcasts with Matthew Berry and Buster Scher with never before head stories from Tom’s inner circle including Gronk, Fournette and more , token-gated entry to in-person events across the US in Boston, LA, Atlanta and Tampa, and token-gated voting for custom-designed physical & digital goods with partners like TB12 and Brady Brand. At the end of the NFL season, Brady will host an in-person event in Tampa for members of The Huddle. The Huddle marks the first interactive portal hosted on Autograph’s platform creating a richer, more interactive, community-driven experience.

Strategy & Execution

When Autograph looked at the current state of fandom, they noticed how limited the experience is for fans who, right now, are engaging in one-way conversations with their idols. Fans have limited opportunities to get closer to the game today, whether attending a game, buying memorabilia, sports, and trading cards. Autograph is harnessing the power of Web3 to reimagine how devoted audiences engage with icons and each other.

The Huddle is an interactive Web3 portal produced by Autograph, which allows fans to ride along with Tom Brady throughout his 2022 season. The Product & Tech teams at Autograph built it to distribute digital collectibles and then dynamically updated its visual elements to reflect Brady’s performance in each week’s game. Autograph also built a token-gated livestream platform to give holders access to special content from Brady before each game.

Autograph connects the fan and the talent where they can authentically engage in new ways. Individuals who purchased The Huddle also received surprise videos from Brady, were able to ask him questions and will be able to meet in IRL. Autograph will continue to set an example for the rest of the industry while keeping their community engaged in new and innovative ways.