Attention, mothers and fathers with teenage children. Tell them this news and you’ll become “totally the coolest parent, ever”.
Ogilvy Australia has just launched a service called Padlokt which lets fans get closer to their idols anywhere.
And don’t pretend that you didn’t get a little excited yourself (strictly for business reasons, of course).
In the global Padlokt environment, fans get to know the real person underneath the celebrity. It has begun as a platform that allows fans to talk directly to top tier stars from across the globe through a unique subscription model involving both talent and consumers. As the business grows, other services will be included that extend the offering.
The aim of the business is to be the leading platform in bringing fans and celebrities closer (#closestfan).
Ogilvy Australia was Padlokt’s co-founder. The agency helped to develop the idea, design and build the platform, and create the business model to take to market to gain broad investment. The agency has launched it via its Ogilvy Ventures division. Padlokt is a stand-alone company with offices in several global locations, and Ogilvy is an ongoing investor.
“Ogilvy has been moving into more of an innovation space for several years, including the launch of Ogilvy Ventures last year. Our involvement in Padlokt is part of this move, as we look to not only provide marketing services to our clients, but create new products and services in the content space,” stated Ogilvy Australia chief executive officer, David Fox.
“As we collaborate with other companies to launch new products, we continue to drive a fully-integrated model with innovation at its core. This change in our business model is really the platform to drive our growth at scale and at speed.”
A personal way to connect with athletes, @padlokt is changing the game when it comes to fan engagement. pic.twitter.com/15skIkwxnI
— Front Office Sports (@frntofficesport) December 8, 2016
The platform provides fans with direct access to a variety of stars contracted to the service, either by being part of a group asking a question via video from a mobile or desktop, or through watching and listening through a live stream, accessing a library of video content and reading exclusive news. All questions to the talent are submitted and vetted before the video event, with a moderator on hand to ensure the process runs smoothly.
Padlokt also provides a direct and new revenue stream for athletes via a revenue share. It has already partnered with UFC in a deal to bring some of its top current and former athletes to the platform, offering subscribers access to live video interactions and content created exclusively for the platform.
These athletes will join professional basketball player, Julius Randle; professional American footballer, Randall Cobb; four-time track and field Olympic gold medal winner, Sanya Richards-Ross; former professional cricketer, Adam Hollioake; and US TV personality Marquel Martin as content creators using the platform.
Padlokt expects to announce more partners from across the sporting, entertainment and lifestyle worlds in the near future.
Anthony Johnston, head of Ogilvy Ventures, stated, “Ogilvy Ventures views Padlokt as a way for both talent to get closer to their fans, but also for brands to engage with consumers in ways that provide meaningful returns. We have a direct investment in Padlokt and see building businesses and creating opportunities for our clients as the future of the ad agency model.”
Padlokt calls Australia home and has offices in Las Vegas, London, Munich, Sydney and the Gold Coast.