By By Mike Green
When Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao square off in the 16,500-seat arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2 in a much-anticipated legendary battle, every aspect of the fight will have been analyzed by experts, including fighters who have been in the ring taking punches from both of these living legends. There’s no consensus on who might emerge victorious, but there are three expected outcomes:
It will be the richest fight in history with a $300M split for the fighters (see breakdown)
To sit in the arena at the farthest edges will cost between $1,500 – $7,500
No matter who is crowned champion, social media voting will be the big winner
Whether you’re one of the lucky 700 fans who score one of few available public tickets at the lowest prices, or you have the deep pockets to purchase a couple of seats down front that top out at nearly $90,000 each, you’re likely to join millions of fans watching on pay-per-view that will also be watching their mobile screens and texting, tweeting and sharing their real-time thoughts and photos on Instagram, Facebook and other social media.
That’s the bet the founders of a new instant voting app called Bedloo are banking on.
What is Bedloo?
Bedloo.com is a popular voting platform for Android and iOS with more than seven million users that allows users to ask a two-choice question by comparing two photos, videos or audio files for a side-by-side comparison that can be shared on the user’s Facebook and Twitter. All votes are tallied in real time and can be shared on social media streams immediately. Boxing fans can easily download the Bedloo app, follow the fight, and then vote round-by-round with instant results.
Social Fandom
This will be the most watched fight in history and the first mega-fight of the Social Media Age. Everyone has an opinion on not only who will win the fight, but also who will win each round. The Bedloo founders have developed the platform for fans of any sport or activity to express those opinions quickly, in real time, and receive direct polling data from millions of voters.
“We built the Bedloo App for everyday use by individuals and brands,” said Daron Destiny, CEO of Bedloo. “But Bedloo is also great for groundbreaking events like this big fight, so everyone can vote for who they think will win and see the results in real time.”
Social solutions are ubiquitous and embedded in virtually every communications platform. Even as consumers are staring into a variety of screens, they are connecting with other users staring into screens. Audiences are engaging instantly with news media, entertainment, sports and a wide variety of activities using apps that capitalize upon our propensity to use mobile devices as an extension of our social proclivities. Social media is also opening up new markets of commerce. The “selfie” stick is an example of merchandise catering to new consumer behavior. Bedloo is poised to capitalize upon the next stage of progression in the evolution of consumer behavior. It empowers users to quickly and easily ask a simple question: “What do you think, this or that?”
That simple question is a powerful engagement tool for anyone to poll any audience about any two comparisons. Bedloo is currently being used by major networks, including Fox Sports, VH1, WEtv and CBS to poll their audiences in real time.
The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will be the largest audience participation event in the app’s brief history, which is chronicled in a full-length documentary film produced about the founding team and their effort to build Bedloo from idea to market introduction.
“Our app gives users the feeling that everyone in the world is sitting together on one big couch watching an important event unfold, giving their opinions in real time, seeing the results and knowing their input matters,” said Angela Brewton, VP of Marketing at Bedloo.
Will Bedloo succeed? Download the app and cast your vote.
Mike Green is an award-winning journalist, New York Times Leadership Academy Fellow, Co-founder of ScaleUp Partners and expert consultant on developing inclusive innovation ecosystems. He can be reached via Twitter: @amikegreen2 or email:mike@scaleuppartners.com.
