Online betting operators BetVictor and Paddy Power are embarking on decidedly different new marketing campaigns.
This weekend will witness the birth of a new, more refined BetVictor approach to raising brand awareness. The company has ditched comedian Paul Kaye’s laddish Maruice character in favor of two “modern gents” discussing online wagering opportunities over wine and crudités.
A BetVictor spokesperson told eGaming Review that the new campaign, which centers around the tagline “simple as,” was aimed at reminding punters that odds comparison site Oddschecker has ranked BetVictor tops in terms of Premier League betting value for five years running. The campaign is set to debut on Sky Sports during this weekend’s tilt between Leicester City and Manchester United.
Julian Douglas, vice-chairman of BetVictor’s longtime ad agency VCCP, said the new campaign “eschewed the conventions of the sector,” an approach he summed up as meaning “no flashing lights, no geezers, no noise, no nonsense.”
If that sounds like the throwing down of a gauntlet, Irish betting operators Paddy Power are more than willing to pick it up. Lucky Generals, the marketing miscreants handling Paddy’s highly irreverent creative account, have found their own unique way of explaining the simplicity of placing a wager with the company’s iPhone app.
The ‘pocket jostle’ spot was released online this week but don’t look for it on television, as Paddy chief marketing officer Gav Thompson deemed it “a little too fruity for mainstream TV.” Sparing no double entendres, Thompson said that while the ad was “a bit close to the bone” the metaphor of “knocking a quickie out in your pocket was just too good not to share.” We couldn’t agree more, so check it out below.