The Project

The platform that connects volleyball fans

On one side, passionate volleyball fans willing to do anything to be close to their idols; on the other, the CBV, the country's main volleyball confederation, responsible for organizing the championship with the highest national audience. Among them, transcending the four-line limit and strengthening relationships, Cravada: a fantasy game platform capable of reinforcing the emotional connection between fans and their idols while unifying a community long spread across different digital platforms.

The Challenge

Seeking a balance between existing models and the specificities of volleyball

The Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV) approached us to create a volleyball fantasy game capable of not only entertaining fans but also generating an emotional connection between them and the brand. The goal, aligned with the social role of a confederation the size of the CBV, was ultimately to promote the sport.

To achieve this, one of the main challenges was adapting this already established model to the context of Brazilian volleyball. Contributing to this was the desire to bring something different to the product compared to what was already thriving in other sports.

The Process

When we discovered that athlete > club

We designed a discovery process that included not only primary research on the topic, but also a closer approach to the end user, with in-depth interviews and generative brainstorming sessions with the target audience. The goal was to understand the motivations behind sports consumption, develop a fan behavioral profile, and synthesize the findings into relevant product features.

At the end of the research, one discovery stood out: while in soccer (and most sports) the fan's relationship is primarily with a club, in volleyball, the primacy of emotional connection is with the athletes themselves, who play a central role in attracting new fans to the sport. It is through the relationships built with them, at major events like the Olympics or via social media, that the general public overcomes the barrier of casual spectatorship to become volleyball fans. This was the opportunity we needed to explore.

The Solution

My idols in the album and new chances every round

Considering the emotional connection with volleyball professionals identified in the research, we created an experience designed to bring fans and athletes closer together.

We wanted a solution that brought the fan in, and this premise guided our decisions. In the gameplay, we chose to implement the Daily Fantasy model, which, without accumulating points or currency appreciation, ensures round-by-round competitiveness. Furthermore, we brought the familiar collectible player sticker albums to the digital world, offering fans the chance to win cards of their idols at the end of each round.

With renewed chances of winning every round and the promise of saving your idols in a virtual album, Cravada addressed its initial challenge of providing not only entertainment, but also a new and engaging point of contact between fans and the sport.

Results

The Super League fantasy game

As a result of well-designed work that found solutions that addressed the needs identified in the survey, we've seen impressive numbers since the first month, with a notable high retention rate confirming the product's traction.