Active City: App development and campaign for our city
The Ministry of Interior and Sport strives to encourage more sport and exercise between the Alster & Elbe.
Running three times a week? Spikeball in the park today? Soccer practice tomorrow? Tennis the day after? Hauling crates of beer up to the fifth floor by yourself? How do you motivate a city to overcome its 'inner Franzbroetchen'? Active City – an app, web app and campaign – notifies users about sporting opportunities and motivates everyone from athletes to wannabe exercise fans to get on the move.
Before the game
Our challenge began after we were named winner of the Ministry of Interior and Sport’s Europe-wide tender process. The goal of the project was to develop a communication strategy that strengthened the “Active City Hamburg” concept and got Hamburg residents excited about sports.
Our strategy
An app connects all those interested in sports. Whether as a mobile app or a web app, it’s a central platform that brings together all information on sporting opportunities in the Hanseatic city and motivates people young and old to regularly get their pulse racing.
Through Active City, you can find clubs and training groups, challenge others or jump straight in and organize a competition with a neighboring district. Whether with or against competitors, Active City networks and motivates.
Pulse of the city
It doesn’t matter if the famous 10,000 steps are taken on grass, sand or concrete. The main thing is to get moving in the city. Every activity can be recorded in the Active City app and converted into the fictitious currency known as “the pulse”. The "pulse of the city" visualizes how active the people of Hamburg are and thus conveys both a sense of community and the idea of competition. Users either enter their own activity data directly in the app or activate automatic import from Apple Health and Google Fit.
For those who are not satisfied with just getting their pulse rate up, the challenge function provides an extra dose of motivation: everyone can compete in private and public challenges, collect pulse points and sometimes even win prizes. Competitors can be challenged directly via the app or via a link through standard communication channels. This way, we avoid a parallel communication structure and simplify participation.
Away from the competition and pulse points, a news feed delivers information about sports in Hamburg to the end devices. A map lists all sports facilities in the city – from the long-established sports club in the area to the soccer field around the corner. The district-based proximity search allows users to look for and find suitable sports facilities in their vicinity.
On your mark, get set, go!
With the Active City app, we have developed a digital offer for everyone. Whether you're a beginner, a sports fanatic or something in between – everyone is included and encouraged to get their heart rate up. With the fictitious currency of pulse points and the challenge function, the app offers playful incentives and makes the "Active City" the concern of the district's residents.
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