First Ad Airs in UK

It may have taken online gambling companies a little over a month to finally air a television advertisement in the UK, now permitted under the 2005 Gambling Act, but it has proven to be worthwhile.

The first company to launch a TV campaign was Ladbrokes, the UK and Ireland's largest off-track bookmaker and operator of successful casino and betting websites. Its ad aired earlier this week, and is to be followed by additional ads under the same 5 million pound campaign and ads by other companies as well.

The Pitch
The ad features familiar English faces, though dressed in dirty work clothes, wearing hard hats and taking a coffee break from what seems to be a hard day's work. The faces are TV personality Jimmy Hill and former football players Ally McCoist, Ian Wright, Lee Dixon and Chris Kamara.

The Catch
While appealing to regular English men and women (the young waitress has a comic appearance in the long version), the ad maintains star power this way. The familiar faces only add to the main pitch that online gambling is for everyone, including you and me, as its motto says: "Everyone's got an opinion, what's yours worth?"

Furthermore, the football theme will surely help not only this advertiser, but the entire industry, reach large crowds and potential clients. By airing the ad during halftime of the Manchester United and Roma match in the Champions League, millions of viewers were exposed to the industry.

The Bottom Line
It is clear that Ladbrokes has invested a lot in the ad campaign. The millions invested, the long months of planning (the campaign has been in development since January, well ahead of the Act taking force), and the hiring of advertising strong horse M&C Saatchi are clear indications for this.

It is wise to be targeting the obvious potential market, namely 18-34 year old casual gambler, who can be found on Sunday night watching a football match with friends in front of the TV set.

This has received the comment of Chris Bell, CEO of Ladbrokes, who stated, "These ads capture the fun of having a flutter on football and testing your opinion - something millions of people already enjoy every week. We're pleased to be the first to air with betting advertising."

Perhaps the first, but not the last.