Paddy Power: overtired and showing off?

There’s no doubt that Paddy Power has done a good job in branding itself as the novelty betting bookmaker. It will offer odds on pretty much any topical news event and establish a betting angle in order to earn itself publicity.

Indeed the more controversial the story the more likely it will seize upon it, which is why offering odds on markets such as which animal will be the first to become extinct due to the BP oil spill or who will replace the Pope once he resigns due to recent child molestation scandals in the Catholic church are deemed to be fair game.

It’s a tried and tested formula that was originally conceived by Blue Square, who first targeted the cheeky chappy 20 to 30 something demographic in the UK with thought-provoking advertising and odds markets and cornered the marketplace at the start of the online gaming revolution a decade ago until it was taken over by The Rank Group – at which point it just became boringly mainstream and left the space for Green Square to exploit.

The Irish bookmaker’s approach has been clever, though, because not only does it manage to generate free newspaper and website column inches worldwide, but it has been prepared to back up its controversial image with targeted advertising campaigns, such as the blind footballers advert.

In fact the nearer the knuckle its ad campaigns, the better the publicity. One of its adverts, in which a group of disabled diners do a runner from a curry house in their wheelchairs, was banned by the advertising watchdog – and you get the feeling that was their intention all along. Like a notorious footballer who gets on the front page as well as the back page of the newspapers, Paddy Power operates on the premise that any publicity is good publicity.

All of the above is well-conceived, deliberate branding, which is worthy of commendation. But its the insistence on offering odds on anything and everything that lets it down. You can guarantee that as soon as any news story breaks, like Ronaldo having a lovechild, for example, they will offer odds on who the mother is. This isn’t creative marketing. It’s predictable and dull.

As is its claim that novelty marketing is in itself a big earner. “We’re in the entertainment game,” claims Sharon McHugh, Paddy Power’s PR agent. Erm, no you’re not Sharon, you’re in the bookmaking game. “We believe that if people are talking about something in the pub with their friends, they should be able to bet on it. We’re lucky enough that a lot of the ideas come to us through our customer requesting odds or suggesting we offer odds on something.”

Yeah right. Or maybe just your marketing team. Their latest claim is that the prediction of Paul The Octopus has turned the World Cup final betting around on its head. Actually, no it hasn’t, because Spain have been the tournament favourites ever since Brazil got knocked out of the tournament, so Paul the Octopus has got sweet FA to do with punters’ betting habits. But then that wouldn’t be a good story, would it?

To establish itself Paddy Power’s branding has been strong. It has sold itself as brazen and controversial and good for a laugh – and has been prepared to back up this position with considerable advertising Euro. But it’s now time it credited the betting man with more intelligence. Like an attention-seeking child who just won’t shut up, someone needs to tell Paddy Power that it’s overtired, showing off and past its bedtime. So it might as well be me.

Marketing News

Not tonight, love, I'm downloading my apps

Is it just me or does every UK betting website look the same these days? I understand that there is a need to identify the product you are selling and also to ensure new customers don’t get lost in navigation, but is it really a good idea to be a sheep?

Indeed, in the defence of sheep, being a sheep is all they have ever known, so being a sheep is no bad thing – unless of course you find yourself on the next truck to the abattoir. In the world of eGaming, though, surely a new focus, a new look, a brave new step would be no bad thing?

In the early days when companies were scrambling around to grab whatever land had yet to be claimed, some bookmakers tried to not only create an identity, but also to offer interesting content. The layout of the sites had yet to be controlled by a few software houses and bookmakers weren’t limited to functionality by dictatorial back-end suppliers. Unfortunately, though, this changed quite quickly when bookmakers started to use one of two main suppliers.

Suddenly, instead of being able to build and do whatever they wanted they had to wait in project line (the length of the line depended on which bookmaker you were) to eventually get told that the project was not cost effective or would take too long to deliver. In other words, it was scrapped.

These days all the major players’ websites look like they have been designed by someone that would prefer be in bed with an iPhone rather than Megan Fox and I demand to know why.

What is the bookmakers’ differential? The odds certainly aren’t. With bookmakers scared of putting their heads above the Betfair price threshold they need to come up with exciting products that set them apart. Everyone, rightly so, has jumped on the in-running wagon. But even here the products are unbelievably similar.

At least Bodog have thought outside the box in this regard and shown that the creative thought process is alive and well with their ‘Who Killed Archie Mitchell?’ live betting offering? This is a rare exception to the increasingly monotonous rule.

I believe, that if you take brand loyalty out of the equation there is room for a forward thinking bookmaker to mop up the floating punters. Give them a reason to keep coming back to your site. Wow them. Excite them. Offer something new. But, please stop copying each other, as progress will surely soon grind to a halt.

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