UK bingo ad spend on course to surpass £50m in 2013
Figures from Nielsen suggest expenditure on spot advertising will more than double 2010's total
Bingo operators’ spend on TV advertising in the UK is set to have doubled over the course of three years, according to a report from data company Nielsen.
Tombola has been the biggest spending brand between January and April this year with an outlay £2.9m, closely followed by Gamesys (£2.3m) and Cashcade brand Foxy Bingo (also £2.3m). The figures do not incorporate sponsorship deals such as Foxy Bingo’s long-standing agreement with The Jeremy Kyle Show.
The report, seen by eGaming Review, reveals that operators have spent just shy of £19m across the first four months of 2013, leaving the industry on track to more than double the £26m spent throughout 2010. The £19m spent over the first four months of 2013 represents a 48.6% year-on-year increase.
“The UK is a relatively mature market for online bingo, and new entrants need to have deep pockets when it comes to advertising,” John Donovan, of media buying agency Concord, told eGR. Donovan cited Lucky Pants Bingo and Kitty Bingo, both of which have moved into the UK market in the last 18 months and both of which are on course for a seven-figure outlay on UK advertising this year.
“The top three online brands have traditionally been Tombola, Foxy and [Gamesys bingo brand] JackpotJoy, and those will be the top three again this year, but some of the high street brands have also upped their spend,” Donovan added.
Among the more established operators to up their bingo ad spend in 2013 are Gala Coral (up more than 200% year-on-year to £1.5m) and 888 (up 89.9% to £1.2m). The increased outlay from 888 is spread across a number of brands but Wink Bingo accounts for more than half of the total, part of a change in marketing focus which CEO Brian Mattingley said earlier this year has already begun to show positive signs.
“We’ve now got back to growth and our marketing campaigns are now working and we should see a return to growth [in bingo],” Mattingley said following the announcement of the operator’s first-quarter results in April.
In contrast, after spending £1.1m in 2012, Paddy Power Bingo is yet to invest in the TV advertising this year.
Read eGR’s feature on the future of online bingo in the upcoming issue of the magazine. For subscription options, click here