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When one of the most iconic franchises in the NFL taps you to help reshape how fans engage on game day, you say yes. Then you get to work.
Watson is proud to have been selected by the San Francisco 49ers to design and build their Fan Loyalty Portal—a fully integrated digital experience that connects real-world behavior with digital rewards, all within the context of one of the most tech-savvy fanbases in the league.
Set to launch at Levi’s® Stadium, the platform was built to do more than keep pace with the demands of a modern sports audience. It was built to raise the bar.
At the core of the 49ers’ ask was a simple challenge: how do we create meaningful, repeatable interactions with 68,500 people—simultaneously—on game day?
This wasn’t theoretical. Levi’s Stadium is wired with one of the most advanced high-capacity Wi-Fi systems in professional sports. Fans come expecting mobile access, live stats, digital tickets, and immediate rewards. Watson’s job was to bring all of that together in a frictionless, engaging, and branded ecosystem.
The fan portal would allow users to:
And if everyone hit “redeem” at once? No problem. The system—designed in partnership with SKIDATA, a global leader in secure access solutions—was engineered to withstand the scale.
“If 68,000 fans all hit their redeem button at the same time, this system will manage it,” Watson noted. “That’s where strategy meets infrastructure. No smoke and mirrors—just strong thinking and solid tech.”
This wasn’t a cold call. The 49ers came to us after seeing what we’d built for other leading franchises: the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Union, Seattle Sounders, and Portland Timbers, to name a few. Our relationship with SKIDATA, led by longtime collaborator David Sjolin, helped solidify the opportunity—but it was the work that won the room.
Watson’s approach wasn’t about flashy overlays or one-size-fits-all platforms. It was about customizing the experience to fit each team’s culture, voice, and operational reality. The 49ers saw that—and trusted us to help future-proof their fan engagement.
Levi’s Stadium sits at the epicenter of Silicon Valley. And in many ways, the 49ers operate more like a tech company than a traditional franchise. That mindset fit perfectly with Watson’s design-led, research-backed philosophy.
This wasn’t just about the product—it was about how we approached it:
We don’t design in isolation. We design in context—of brand, of audience, of infrastructure. That’s what made this project different. That’s what made it Watson.
The 49ers project represents more than a marquee win. It’s part of a larger body of work focused on redefining how brands—sports or otherwise—engage audiences in the real world, in real time.
The loyalty portal isn’t just about gamification. It’s about building systems of value. It’s about making every touchpoint—from a digital check-in to a hot dog purchase—part of a brand experience that feels rewarding, personalized, and seamless.
And this kind of thinking doesn’t stop at the stadium gates. Watson is applying the same principles across sectors: healthcare, education, nonprofits, consumer brands, and urban development. Wherever people gather, engage, and make decisions—Watson is designing the systems that support them.
