In sports, few events create the kind of real-time engagement opportunity that Draft night does. Once again, teams in both the NBA and NHL turned to Rover to maximize that moment — delivering personalized, data-rich campaigns that brought fans closer to the action.
Even more impactful, the #1 overall pick in both leagues belonged to Rover-powered teams — the Dallas Mavericks and New York Islanders — creating a unique opportunity to scale content, deepen fan loyalty, and drive measurable results.
Real-Time Draft Hubs Built for Scale
For the New York Islanders, the goal was to deliver a seamless, live-updating mobile Draft Hub that fans could rely on from the first pick to the last. Powered by Rover, the experience evolved in real time — featuring instant pick reveals, rich multimedia, and player profile pages updated within minutes of each selection.
The result? Over 87,000 screen views and 24,000 trivia engagements in just a few days — all from a single, scalable experience.
"The Draft is a major fan moment — and we wanted to meet that with a best-in-class mobile experience. Using Rover, we delivered real-time updates, dynamic content, and interactive features all in one place — giving fans everything they needed without leaving the app."
— Cory Wright, Director of Digital, New York Islanders
Partnerships & Personalization That Scale
The Islanders didn’t just inform — they activated. Their sponsored Draft Trivia, presented by Rheem Pro Partners, walked fans through a fun, branded quiz before inviting them to enter to win a prize.
That experience delivered:
- Over 24,000 screen views
- High-value visibility for the sponsor
- A stream of first-party data the team can use to fuel future marketing
By combining engaging content with real business objectives, the team created a blueprint for how sports organizations can turn tentpole events into sponsorship-ready, data-rich activations.
From Draft Night to Always-On Personalization
For many teams, the real opportunity wasn’t just Draft night — it was also what came after.
Using Rover’s built-in tagging and segmentation tools, teams are able to track relevant interaction — whether a fan explored a player card, clicked into the team shop, or tapped to buy tickets. These behaviors can now trigger personalized follow-ups.
If a user checked out merch? Teams can ensure they see the next drop. If they tapped on upcoming games? They can be targeted with tailored ticket offers. Even trivia completions can lead to follow-up contests or sponsor campaigns.
Full-Funnel Thinking with Long-Term Impact
Both teams didn’t just use the Draft as a moment — they used it as momentum.
In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks kicked off their Draft night by selecting Cooper Flagg — one of the most talked-about prospects in recent memory. With all eyes on the #1 pick, the team used that spotlight to launch a mobile campaign featuring real-time content reveals, dynamic player profiles, and commerce integrations that drove traffic and engagement throughout the event window.
In the NHL, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer, a high-potential addition to their blue line. Their app-based experience offered fans a detailed look at the Islanders’ draft strategy — with instant access to bios, stats, photos, and videos of each pick, all updated in real time.
These campaigns weren’t just reactive. They were proactive, personalized, and built for scale — enabling each team to connect with fans from first look to long-term loyalty.
“With the #1 pick, we wanted to give fans a Draft experience that matched the moment and Rover made it possible. Their platform let us share instant content, merch, and player updates that kept MFFLs connected from the moment we were on the clock. Grateful to the Rover team for helping us deliver to MFFLs around the globe.”
— Gabe Flores, Director of Digital Marketing, Dallas Mavericks
Built for Sports. Built for Speed.
From real-time APIs to data capture, teams using Rover delivered personalized, automated fan experiences.
The entire campaign was designed, deployed, and updated by marketers, in real time — giving teams complete control over content, engagement, and outcomes.
That’s the power of mobile marketing purpose-built for sports — fast, flexible, and personalized by design.
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