INSIGHT
SPORTS SELLS Sky Bet , the most recent M & A target , has for a long time pioneered the concept of brand building , sponsoring the English Football League and a load of other events . Sky plasters itself all over Sky Sports and has partnered with sporting influencers such as Jeff Stelling and Jamie Redknapp , to name just two . Its advertising is heavily weighted towards existing players , with Sky Bet Club a key theme and also the Boost ads of recent times . It has a well known association with sport , underpinned by the Sky brand itself and the Sky Sports offering . With behemoth pairing Paddy Power and Betfair , the phrase “ best in class ” springs to mind . Betfair is without a doubt the leader in the exchange market , to the point where TV pundits are now referencing the Betfair product on ITV Racing as an example instead of saying “ the exchanges ”.
Betfair ’ s brand is fast becoming synonymous with the entire principle of exchange betting : “ How do you lay a horse ?” “ Well you go to the Betfair exchange .”
Paddy Power can give everyone a lesson in brand PR ; its risky approach with controversial undertones is a breath of fresh air compared with the stale product advertising methods of old .
Coupled with the fact that it has a collection of luminary brand ambassadors on its books , including the one and only Patrick Power , the company provides a masterclass in making a brand entertaining and attractive . When you Tweet or Facebook Paddy Power , you candidly pretend you ’ re actually talking to Paddy himself .
Over at Bet365 they ’ ve opted for a very similar approach to both Sky Bet and Paddy Power , with a brand ambassador once again acting as the front face . In this instance , Ray Winstone heads up the majority of the advertising , and the company relies on this one persona to carry the Bet365 name forward .
As a stalwart Englishman , for me it supports the great British values that I ’ ve come to admire from Bet365 over the years . Coupled with the fact that Ray is a right stand-up geezer and is often called in to speak on popular shows such as Soccer AM and Talksport , he ’ s definitely a people ’ s pick and a great ambassador for sports generally .
THE CELEBRITY CREW On the sole ambassador angle , I can also offer examples of brands that have been built on similar principles of front-facing characters . Take Mr Green , the tall dark gentleman with the tipped bowler cap . He goes absolutely everywhere fronting the brand , he ’ s mysterious , he ’ s cool , he IS Mr Green . Foxy Bingo , meanwhile , has … well , Foxy .
Others , such as BGO , have gone for a crop of front-facing celebs : Paris Hilton , Dan Bilzerian and the late Verne Troyer . “ Can you beat the boss ?” was a BGO strapline giving players something to aim for at least .
GalaBingo . com has always had celebrity ambassadors and is currently sponsoring the hugely popular ITV show The Chase . Ladbrokes had the four guys in the Ladbrokes Life ad , now it has Chris Kamara and Ally McCoist . Meanwhile , Coral has Carly and Farley , who have been highly entertaining for well over five years now .
Betfred and BetVictor were , during their pomp , considered classic British bookies , fronted by the people who helped make them what they were . Even when BetVictor was sold , it was clear that its brand was built from the origins of Victor Chandler , so for a short while it kept the face theme running .
“ There ’ s nothing sexy there , it has a dull sportsbook and even the name is fast becoming a boring upper class handle ”
We ’ ve mentioned some pretty big brands here , but the fact is , they ’ re only big because they ’ ve done a bloody good job at building their brands ! Now , with that said , William Hill is still a big brand , but its failed attempts to merge or even push through a buyout of another entity suggests to me that the company is not attractive anymore .
There ’ s nothing sexy there , it has a dull sportsbook and even the name is fast becoming a boring upper class handle . So unless Hills has something in the pipeline to stir up some public opinion , it is destined to drift off into the archives with the also-rans : Stan James springs to mind !
It ’ s clear that front-facing personas are well received within the market , and so far many of the big brands have got it bang on . So William Hill , your next move is crucial . I ’ ve got wind of a design overhaul , which is long overdue in my opinion . But that ’ s not enough , you need to appeal to your consumers , you need to be cool .
We ’ re in an era where technical excellence is standard practice , so quirky innovations and funky betting markets will not have the millions flocking back to play at , or even join , the site . You need to go big and bold with an advertising campaign , you need an engaging social strategy and you need a face !
54 iGB Affiliate Issue 69 JUN / JUL 2018