UK-facing brands leave negative impression, says YouGov
Bookmakers operating both retail and online businesses occupy bottom places in research firm's BrandIndex
The UK’s biggest sportsbook brands are failing to win over the majority of the public, with those offering both retail and online products leaving the worst impression, leading research firm YouGov has found.
According to YouGov’s BrandIndex, which on a daily basis asks members of the public whether they feel generally positive or negative about a brand on a scale of 100 to -100, 10 of the industry’s biggest operators each returned a negative impression rating.
Ladbrokes performed worst of all with an average rating of -19.1, however, the operator was joined at the bottom of the pile by brands who also operate UK retail estates – Paddy Power (-17.7), William Hill (-17.3), Betfred (-17.2) and Coral (-15).
However, while online-only operators performed better, they still failed to win over the wider public with 888 (-13.2), bet365 (-12.6), Betfair (-12.3), Sky Bet (-7.7) and BetVictor (-3.7) all recording negative scores.
YouGov founder and global CEO Stephan Shakespeare said the results showed that those offering both online and land-based products had “work to do to match online-only companies in terms of perception” but were perhaps disadvantaged by the perception of high-street bookmakers.
“Betting firms have come under pressure for a number of reasons; some are unhappy with the alleged overwhelming presence of betting shops on UK high-streets, with accusations that it is exploitative and dragging increasing numbers into a spiral of debt and addiction, which they cannot sustain nor defeat,” Shakespeare said.
“Others say it is simply too easy to bet these days. Countering these accusations will be key to attracting more customers both online and in store,” he added.
YouGov said it surveys around 80-100 people on a daily basis with current BrandIndex results based on feedback from approximately 2,700 respondents.