Q&A: Shane Stafford, head of brand, BetVictor
Stafford tells EGR why the operator changed marketing tack and went back to basics
Standing out from the crowd can be an immensely strenuous task in a market as competitive as the UK online sports betting sector.
And with customers now bombarded night and day with ?¬?ashy TV adverts, ?¬?nding a unique voice in the midst of increasingly loud and in-your-face ad campaigns may seem nigh on impossible. BetVictor, however, have decided to do things a little di?¬?erently.
In a marked shift away from its competitors, the Gibraltar-based operator concluded louder was not necessarily better and instead opted to move away from its irreverent marketing strategy, ditch the brash Maurice character used in previous ads and go back to basics. The end result was the launch of BetVictor’s new ‘Simple As’ campaign.
eGaming Review spoke to BetVictor’s head of brand to ?¬?nd out more about its new marketing strategy and how the ?¬?rm is preparing for the upcoming Euro 2016 Championships.
eGaming Review (EGR): How did BetVictor come up with the idea for its Simple As campaign?
Shane Sta?¬?ord (SS): It started with the decision to concentrate on the things that really matter to the customer, the bet. We focused on improving their betting experience, making it simple and more relevant. Removing the clutter from both the product and value message helped us to di?¬?erentiate ourselves from our competitors.
EGR: What has the response been so far from your customers?
SS: The response has been very positive; we have seen a signi?¬?cant increase in FTDs since the campaign was launched. We saw record level FTDs and bet numbers during the Grand National meeting where our simple and relevant six-place message clearly resonated with horseracing punters. We will continue to focus on giving our customers the best value and the best possible betting experience.
EGR: Was it a tough decision to drop the Maurice character from your marketing?
SS: When setting o?¬? in a new and unexplored direction, you can’t help but be a little nervous. That said, as a company we knew it was the right decision to make.
With the Maurice character, we were competing in a saturated marketplace with the same set of tools, firstly, come up with a funny scenario and secondly, slap a value message at the end of it. ‘Simple As’ sets us apart as a betting provider and questions the overall value of communicating to customers in the above way.
EGR: Are there any plans to change the brand name now Victor Chandler has le?¬?? Does the brand resonate outside of the UK, for example?
SS: BetVictor as a brand carries with it a rich history and heritage that other brands would love to possess and need years to create. We want to establish the brand as a committed technology provider and we have a common goal to make our customers’ betting experience as easy and intuitive as possible. Changing the brand completely is not something we are looking to explore in the immediate future.
EGR: How would you sum up branding within the online gambling space today? Has it become a bit stale/banter-focused?
SS: I used an analogy of ‘using the same set of tools’ answering one of the previous questions. This is evident in TV and rampant in digital. We are awash with mimicking o?¬?ers that compete to bring in FTDs; we often refer to it in-house as the race to the bottom of the barrel.
I would compare it to the mobile phone industry a few years back. All the providers were competing aggressively with a value-based message. Cutting each other down with ‘reduced cost sign-up’ or ‘receive a new phone on connection’ o?¬?ers. Then O2 changed the game and started talking about product bene?¬?ts and cutting through the noise, focusing on what the customer truly wants: an uninterrupted experience.
EGR: How will you be looking to ramp up your marketing strategy for Euro 2016?
SS: This is an exciting time for BetVictor as a company; as you know, we have just partnered with our new agency for the Euros, Mr President, and are in the process of delivering what we believe to be a truly standout campaign.
With a strong push into Germany and Ireland and continued investment in the UK, we are con?¬?dent our Euro o?¬?ering will enhance the overall experience of what promises to be a magni?¬?cent tournament for all our customers, new and old. There will be a million reasons for customers to bet with us.
You can read the full interview with Shane Stafford in the most recent issue of EGR Digital Marketing available to view here.