Ladbrokes Tones Down New Marketing Campaign

Ladbrokes has rolled out a new advertising campaign that seeks to change direction and emphasis. Ladbrokes Life intends to focus on the bettor, rather than 'screaming the odds' and shouting prices. It's a move away from what is seen as the more traditional style of betting advertising and acknowledges that times have changed.

New Campaign

The new campaign features five characters, designed to represent the perceived range of betting styles; The Gut Truster, the Professor, Mr Brightside, the Believer and Generous John. The work is produced by Ladbrokes' newly appointed marketing agency BBH (based in London), which won the contract in January.  Andy May, brand, research and retail marketing director at Ladbrokes explained, "Our challenge was to rise above the general noise in the market and BBH have developed a strong campaign that we believe will appeal to customers and encourage them to download our mobile app". In such a competitive market a change of tack can be risky, but sometimes necessary to encourage a breakthrough and real increase in business.

Going All Out

Ladbrokes are investing heavily in the new campaign, including a flurry of TV and newspaper advertisements. These have already begun to appear with the new 'The Ladbrokes Life' slogan being aired during sports coverage, as well as featuring in the national print press. A 60-second introductory film has been produced and broadcast on Sky and ITV, while five separate 30-second commercials featuring the five characters are to be introduced over the coming months.

The Future is Here

The Ladbrokes campaign is an admission and acknowledgement that people's attitude to betting has changed and has not gone unnoticed. Ladbrokes want their customers or potential customers to feel that they have been understood and that the company is simply responding to increased demand.