Betfair, one of the world’s largest international online sports betting providers and part of the world’s biggest entertainment company, Flutter, has today launched a new bran positioning and brand platform developed with their creative agency partner, Pablo.
To learn more, we spoke to Tim Snape, Executive Creative Director and Chris Turner, Planning Director.
What was the brief?
In such a category that is well known for its homogeneity, carving out a space in people’s minds and building positive associations is critical if people are to remember you when they come to bet. In recent times, Betfair lacked a clear identity and consistent message.
Our brief was to create a new positioning and creative platform that could implant a powerful idea about what made Betfair special and deliver that consistently long term; increasing salience, understanding of our unique offering and positive associations with the brand and ultimately driving people to choose us vs our competitors.
At Pablo, we have a slightly different approach to building brands and this brief couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for it. We develop what we call 'Active Brand Platforms' (ABPs), which serve, not only as a communications platform, but also as the North Star ‘mission’ for the organisation in developing new products, tools, promotions and ultimately creating cohesion and consistency across all touchpoints.
This approach ensures that the brand is fit for purpose for the long term, informs not just what the Brand ‘says’ in its communications, but also what it ‘does’, and is all about creating talked about work, helping a smaller, more challenger brand, like Betfair, punch well above its weight in terms of its media spend.
So, we set about defining what Betfair’s Active Brand Platform could be to set alight the next chapter of this brand that brought with it, an incredible history of being the original category disruptor.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
The first task was to really get under the skin of what makes Betfair special. We conducted stakeholder interviews with people across the business to gain an initial understanding. It became immediately clear that there was much internal excitement, energy and love for a brand with such a rich heritage - a trailblazer that ripped up the rulebook and transformed a category with the introduction of the first ever betting Exchange.
Betfair was a brand born from unconventional thinking and had continued to innovate since then. We wanted to bottle up that feeling. Both ourselves and the client were really excited to see where we could take this as a creative articulation.
At Pablo we really love to work hand in glove with our clients and keep building together. We never account manage our clients out of the process, we are a partnership. This project was no exception. The creative ideation process itself began with a really valuable collaborative session, where we workshopped the brief and brainstormed creative springboards to guide our direction.
Throughout the process, the clients were deeply involved, participating in regular, meaningful conversations and actively engaging in workshopping sessions with some of the early creative concepts.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
At Pablo we think it’s important to involve creatives very early on in the process. Our Executive Creative Director, Tim Snape, was heavily involved in everything from the development of the new ABP, to formulating the creative brief and brainstorming the springboards that kicked off the ideation phase.
We knew it would take a pretty special idea to launch the Play Different brand platform and we spent a long time ideating. We came close with a few other routes, but we knew when we landed on the idea of creating a string of consecutive trick shots that we were onto a winner.
Trick shots are in essence a different application of sporting techniques, an audacious test of skill, accuracy and imagination which felt like a perfect demonstration of ‘playing different’. Once we landed on this as a concept, we were off to the races and with a bit of tightening of the idea we were into production.
What was the production process like?
Right from the offset, we challenged ourselves to create something surprising that broke away from traditional betting ad conventions. From conceptualisation to production, we embraced the "Play Different" spirit, seeking innovative methods to design a brand campaign that stands out and is truly one of a kind.
We knew that pushing boundaries and crafting something genuinely unique would come with its difficulties, but we were ready for the challenge! Our goal was to create the world's most ambitious trickshot ad, seamlessly combining seven individual trick shots into one unprecedented sequence.
To achieve this, we needed a production partner who shared our meticulous, boundary-pushing mindset. ManVsMachine surpassed our expectations at every stage! With over 28 cameras on set capturing all the action, the shoot felt like a live sports event unfolding before our very eyes.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges was working out how we were going to orchestrate a string of extremely difficult trick shots in a sequence that flowed seamlessly from trick to trick and then understanding how we’d capture this in a real and authentic way, without the need for VFX trickery.
Creating the environment in which to carry out the sequence was important, it needed to feel ownable and distinctive but also give us the space to manoeuvre and manipulate. The arena we ended up creating was custom-made for the sequence in collaboration with Production Designer Natalia Mleczak and her incredible team who, using 590 sqm of yellow vinyl, 210 sqm of horse track, 350 litres of yellow paint, transformed a disused factory on the outskirts of Warsaw into a fully functioning bright yellow ‘Betfair Arena’.
Once we had a rough sequence it was all about crafting and fine tuning to create an epic trick shot that flowed through our vibrant yellow arena. This was such an unusual production and required a leap of faith from the client to trust us and our production partners to create something special and unique.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
We decided to adopt a rather unconventional multi-camera shooting style to capture it as a live event.
We ended up with 19 fixed cameras (several of which were remotely operated), a buggy-cam (to keep up with the horse) and 6 GoPros mounted on people and around the arena, and everything was fed back to a truck outside the warehouse that was constantly recording – making sure we didn’t miss anything!
With such a wealth of different camera angles, it was a challenging edit and the team at Avenues, led by Thomas Goldser, did a spectacular job of wrangling and syncing a colossal amount of footage (and audio) from multiple different sources into a single coherent sequence.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
There was one trick shot in particular that was quite ambitious and fiddly to get - the golf shot. It took many, many takes to land it and there was a moment or two where we wondered whether we might actually get it or not and if we’d set the talent an impossible challenge.
Lo and behold… it happened. The cheer from the crew was deafening on set and definitely one of the big highlights!
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
This campaign aims to celebrate all those who Play Different in betting, and beyond. Those who challenge the status quo and embrace unconventional thinking, just as Betfair has done since its inception in 2000.
Our message is focused on our point of view; that we believe betting should be put back into the hands of the bettors and that every bettor is unique and this should be reflected in their betting choices. With Betfair having one of the richest and most varied betting experiences on the market, across a Sportsbook and an Exchange, we are best placed to enable bettors to make the game their own - empowering our players with more choice, more options, more control and more ways to safely play - so they can play the game, the way they want.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
September 2023 - May 2024
Can you describe the creative spark or inspiration behind the initial concept? Was there a specific moment or insight that ignited the idea?
We had been toying with the idea of difference inspiring difference in a few different ways but we hadn’t cracked it in a way that felt authentic. The creative team ended up finding a reference for a cool looking studio, which led to the idea that we do something for real, rather than creating a story reliant on CG.
Before long, we had the outline of a script that was based on one trick shot leading to another. We always wanted to push for something new and ambitious, so naturally we decided that connecting seven trick shots representing all the major sports for Betfair would be best.
How did you ensure that the concept aligned with the brand's values, goals, and target audience?
We have conducted a great volume of research throughout this positioning project to arrive at a place that is right for the business and motivating for our prospective audience.
We started with stakeholder interviews with employees across the business to deeply understand that internal perspective of Betfair’s character. We conducted category drivers and brand associations quantitative research to understand the motivation for choice and which of our competitors are associated with those drivers.
And along the way we have also supplemented all of this with qualitative focus groups and one to one interviews with bettors to ensure that the positioning and creative expression felt true to Betfair and interesting and exciting for them.
Were there any alternative concepts or ideas considered during the ideation phase? If so, what led to the selection of the final concept?
We were really lucky here to be able to make the most of a long but rewarding creative process. I think the main thing it has proven is how fertile the ‘Play Different’ platform is. We’ve been through horses riding backwards, kung fu tennis and a wide range of other executions before landing on our trick shot idea.
Can you discuss any collaborative or interdisciplinary aspects of the ideation process, such as working with other departments or external partners?
We were lucky enough to work with two exceptional directors, Mike and Liam at ManvsMachine who were integral in bringing the concept to life through their treatment of the idea.
What role did consumer research or market analysis play in shaping the concept and its execution?
See previous answer above, but once we were happy with the positioning and verified via research, we also ensured that our creative work was the best expression of that positioning. Testing the creative platform as well as different executions to finally land on our trick shot which was interesting and entertaining for our audience as well as laddering back up to our creative platform and brand positioning.
Can you discuss any unique or unconventional production techniques or approaches used to bring the idea to life?
This was a really unusual production regarding filming. As we wanted to capture both the tricks as they happened for real and capture the connections from trick to trick, we couldn’t adopt the usual approach of capturing things shot by shot.
So, we designed a fully animated previsualisation - planning the edit and each subsequent camera position based on actual CAD data of the location. It was important to us not to fake any camera angles with pick up shots, so each camera, from GoPros to tracking cameras, is rationalised and fully visible in the final film.
How did you ensure that the concept remained innovative and stood out in a crowded marketplace?
"Playing Differently" shapes everything we do. We stay true to this approach, whether it's pulling off unique trick shots, avoiding the usual banter, or offering flexible betting options during the Euros. We're the brand that plays differently, and we'll keep this promise in everything we do. This is how we'll stand out, so people think of us first when they choose where to bet.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
"Playing Differently" sets a high standard for us and serves as a rallying cry for the Betfair team. It guides our actions, helping us stand out in the market and consistently deliver our mission to UK bettors. It’s a vision that defines who we are, what we stand for, and why people should choose us. By living up to this vision, we aim to punch above our weight, create work that lives longer in the mind than the media plan, and attract more customers to help Betfair grow.
The campaign launch is just the beginning. We plan to collaborate closely with our client to gather live data, including statistics and odds. This will allow us to create topical advertisements and become an integral part of the world’s key cultural moments and conversations that surround them, in both the world of sports and beyond. We’re excited about what the future holds.
Credit list for the work?
Brand:
Chief Commercial Officer Betfair UKI & Chief Marketing Services Officer Flutter UKI: Charlotte Booth
Managing Director: Richard Hayward
Interim Head Brand, Campaign & Media: Anna Glyn-Davies
Senior Marketing Manager: Chris Hughes
Senior Marketing Executive: Oscar Solomon
Rich Duke - Head of Art & Copy
Marcus Richardson - Head of Film & Motion
Bernadette Doyle - Head of Creative Service
Niall Murphy - Creative Manager
Rich Lord - Creative Manager
Victoria Tennant - Lead Creative
Gerard Kelly - Creative Services Executive
Pete Dawson - Motion Designer
Agency:
Executive Creative Director: Tim Snape
Creatives: Martins Millers, David Carr, Adam Reinke, Gustavo Bonzanini
Planning Director: Chris Turner
Planner: Oliver Edridge
Joint Managing Director: Harriet Knight
Senior Account Director: Charlotte Johnson
Account Director: Tom Penrose
Senior Project Manager: Kelly Watts
Head of TV Production: Tom Moxham
TV Producer: Pete Thornton
Production Partners:
Production Company: Friend
Director: Mike Sharpe and Liam Waters at ManVsMachine
Executive Producer: Kat Armour-Brown
Producer: Campbell Beaton
Production Manager: Natalie Uglow
Director Of Photography: Thomas English
Production Service : Marcin Nowak @Lucky Luciano
Production Designer : Natalia Mleczak
Editor: Thomas Goldser @Avenue
Edit producer: Amanda Jenkins
Post-Production: Rascal Post
Post Producer: Hazel Gibson
Creative Director: Markus Lundqvist
2D Lead: Jason Farrow
2D: Holly McLean
3D Lead: Daniel Westerlund
Motion Graphics: Matt Osbourne
VFX Producer: Hazel Gibson
Colourist: James Bamford
Colour Producer: Jai Durban
Executive Producer: Matt Towell
Head of Production: James Beck
Sound Engineer: Neil Johnson @Rascal Sound
Sound Producer: Amie Nedwell
Music Supervisor: Paul Brown @Mr Pape
Composer: Duncan Hamilton
