Hills hires PR agency to boost tech credentials
William Hill appoints Wildfire to promote its new WHLabs and establish the brand in the wider tech community
William Hill has appointed technology PR agency Wildfire as part of a concerted push by the UK operator to help establish its brand name in the wider tech sector.
The operator has hired Wildfire to promote its new start-up accelerator programme WHLabs, which launched last month, and to build its credibility in the heart of the UK’s tech community, as well as to change public perceptions of the brand.
“Technology and innovation will be a key battleground in the future of betting and gaming, so we deliberately sought out a tech-savvy PR agency to help us build our credentials in this space and transform market perceptions,” Alex O’Shaughnessy, marketing director at William Hill Online, said.
The operator’s accelerator programme WHLabs was announced in June and will see William Hill invest up to £350,000 into eight new businesses aimed at keeping the operator at the “cutting edge of omni-channel change”.
In May the company also outlined its plans across its digital channels at the Digital Shoreditch festival, where it displayed new products including a virtual reality horse racing app.
“William Hill is one of the most recognised, respected and trusted brands in the betting industry, but despite being responsible for a number of industry firsts it has yet to be widely recognised as an innovator,” Debby Penton, deputy MD of Wildfire, said.
“WHLabs will be rolling out some unique apps and immersive experiences, and we can’t wait to tell their story, help them reach new audiences and build their reputation as being the most smart and progressive bookie in the market,” she added.
William Hill has being using its Shoreditch tech hub to test and launch a series of innovative new products, such as its darts app, which won the prize for Innovation of the Year at the recent eGaming Review Operator Marketing and Innovation Awards.