Betfair targets new audience with World Cup push
Giant octopus stunt teases new advertising campaign as new 'This is Play' campaign targeting recreational players is debuted
Betfair last night launched a new television advertising campaign targeting a “new recreational audience” with the tagline ‘This is Play’, as the marketing battle for World Cup supremacy continues to heat-up.
The 30-second advert, which featured a giant octopus playing four games of table tennis simultaneously, was created by Betfair’s long-standing ad agency WCRS and was aired on ITV just before England kicked-off against Ecuador in Miami.
The ad signalled the start of a new integrated campaign which will incorporate TV, digital and press coverage to market Betfair’s new ‘This is Play’ strapline and brand image.
The commercial will be followed by additional 30-second sports to be released over the course of the World Cup as part of Betfair’s Gold partnership deal with broadcaster ITV.
“Betfair’s innovative products offer our customers something totally unique, so now our advertising is unique to access a whole new recreational audience at the World Cup,” Mark Ody, brand director at Betfair, said.
“The adverts move away from industry stereotypes because Betfair itself is different. Simply put, we supercharge our customers’ betting experience,” Ody added.
The octopus’ image has began to feature frequently on Betfair’s new sportsbook website and is included within the operator’s new simplified “Yes/No” betting product which allows customers to bet on the outcome of a question based on a sporting event such as ‘Will England beat Italy’.
Betfair also accepted responsibility for a marketing stunt earlier this week which saw a van carrying a plastic model of a giant octopus break down on London’s Oxford Circus during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, causing traffic gridlock and attracting the attention of several national newspapers.
The World Cup has served as inspiration for many sports betting firms to introduce new marketing campaigns recently, with William Hill also choosing last night to kick off its own revamped advertising efforts.