Premier League football began in earnest on Saturday afternoon. Apart from making every red-blooded male countrywide splurge everywhere with excitement, it also meant that the online gambling industry firms could show off their newest advertising campaigns to the watching public. Most of you were probably off taking a leak or getting a round of beers in, luckily we poured over the various new ad campaigns so you won’t have to.
We’ll start off with Ray Winstone‘s latest cameo for the guys over at Bet365. We know the drill now. Winstone’s oversized head uses its dulcet cockney tones to tell us the latest live odds on the game currently taking place. This hasn’t changed. They have added two new “fans” using their smart phones to bet in the stand whilst at the game. Neither seems at all perturbed by the presence of Winstone’s mug shouting “Oi!” at them and eventually they even ask him a question. The fuckin’ liberties!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If79PcBf-M4
Gambling industry veteran Ladbrokes has gone for a slightly different approach by enlisting the help of Italian football commentator/mental case Tiziano Crudeli. Whilst commentating on the game, the ball goes out for a corner and Crudeli suddenly starts chanting “FREE BET, FREE BET, FREE BET!” It’s by the fourth or fifth time that he shows his phone so you know what he’s going on about. Surely there are some rules that prevent commentators betting on games they’re observing? Obviously not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_-GjKaqh9Q
William Hill weren’t to be left out and we wouldn’t recommend that anyone with photo-sensitive epilepsy watches their advert. The opening line of “Let’s all have a disco,” what that has to do with sports betting, we haven’t got a clue. By the end of the advert, you’ll feel like you’ve been to school in a Soho nightclub. “Every club gets in-play treatment,” “500 leagues,” and “Over 600 games a wee,” are the facts blasted at you. There’s no doubt it’s informative. Just all a bit random.
William Hill’s mobile advert, however, seems to be the toned down version – like the Working Men’s Club to the earlier mentioned disco. Why is this the case? Well the opening line of “We’re here, we’re there; we’re betting everywhere,” would have been far more witty were they to leave the expletive in instead of betting. The ad itself guides you through their mobile app and shows how easy it is to use. The only thing missing from either ad is a (scantily clad) female.
Paddy Power’s ad was the only one that we noticed featuring a hot girl so that definitely gets the thumbs up from everyone here at the tablog. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a link to the ad online. Epic fail.
The overall trend is that every company in the online sports gambling industry is aggressively gearing their strategy towards the mobile gaming industry. Sitting in the stadium betting on your phone is the new getting a pie at half-time. Although you don’t even have to forgo the pie!
