I NSI GH T
BR A ND U N CL E AR :
WHY WIL L I AM H I L L
IS B E I N G L E F T
O N T H E S H EL F
With a series of failed merger efforts in its recent past, Martin McGarry
says William Hill needs a new brand identity if it wants to appeal to suitors
WHEN THE STARS GROUP’S ACQUISITION of Sky Bet
came to light last month, many in the industry were
surprised. After all, rumours had been circulating
that the Canadian company was re-exploring the
idea of a merger with William Hill.
After a failed attempt at a merger with Amaya
back in 2016, before it rebranded as the Stars Group,
Hills is beginning to seem destined to being left
on the shelf. But why is this?
Perhaps William Hill doesn’t want to entertain
the notion of being taken over; witness the offer
from Rank and 888 that was rebuffed by the bookie.
On the other hand, maybe the company does
want to do a deal and there’s something holding it
back. As a marketer working in SEO and search
marketing, I suspect the problems might have
something to do with the company’s brand.
Admittedly, brand and brand building is my field,
not mergers and acquisitions, but I think William
Hill could be a bit more attractive to potential suitors
by applying some of the principles of branding.
“William Hill could be a bit more
attractive to potential suitors
by applying some of the
principles of branding”
As a consumer and branding professional I feel as
though Hills is not sexy anymore, and there’s clearly
something much more attractive about the other
sports betting operators. So what is it that has led
to the others being able to smugly flaunt their new-
found relationships about town?
I liken it to a school prom. Everyone else seems
to have been paired off, or warmed to advances
and accepted an invitation to the ball from a senior
student, while Hills sits glumly on the sidelines.
Why? Well, on face value, the other brands do
have something William Hill does not. They’ve built
some kind of front-facing public brand, and I’ve not
seen William Hill try anything remotely like brand
building for a long time.
MARTI N MC GARRY is head of SEO and PPC WhichBingo. Passionate about SEO and igaming,
Martin has now been in and around the industry for close to 10 years and knows two things really well:
Google and gambling.
iGB Affiliate Issue 69 JUN/JUL 2018
53