Never let it be said that we don’t like to broaden our horizons to bring you the latest campaigns from around the world. And so it is this week that we are heading to the land down under, where our friends Vegemite, barbequed snags, Lara and Stuey, and barramundi and chips are the order of the day.
Talking of buddies, Ladbrokes, part of global sports betting and gaming entertainment operator Entain Group, is using friendship to launch a campaign to promote a new group betting product – Mates Mode.
Created by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive, the campaign builds on the brand’s platform: ‘Ladbroke It’, with the ambition to keep making the racing and betting experience more enjoyable and exciting for punters – and keep them laying plenty of cash on the line too.
According to the official blurb, the Mates Mode campaign “showcases the fun, endearment and at times downright hilarity that comes with true mateship, because – pretty much anything and everything is more fun when you do it with mates”.
Ladbrokes Mates Mode allows punters to start groups and share their punting experience together, all through a mobile app. Punters will be able to chat within their group, share their bets and start separate betting pots.
Directed by Benji Weinstein and set to Andrew Gold’s Thank You For Being a Friend, the spot features four mates who do everything together – from walking their greyhound, to the first dance at a wedding, to skydiving, to cheering on a winner at the racetrack. Funnily enough it doesn’t show them losing their shirt on a dodgy bet or the pain of gambling addiction. Funnily enough, there is no such thing as “When the Fun Stops. Stop” in Australia,
Entain Group Australia chief marketing officer James Burnett enthuses: “For our Ladbrokes punters, we’re thrilled to now offer them Mates Mode. We know there is nothing more enjoyable than experiencing racing and sport with mates, so we’ve mirrored this experience through our new best-in-class product, Mates Mode, for our customers, and we hope our new campaign leaves our customers smiling.”
The campaign launches nationally, and will run on broadcast television, VOD, cinema, OOH, radio, online, digital and social, although it is not known whether it will reach these shores.
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, first up, we recognise that the Australian market is vastly different from the UK. After all, this is a country where, until relatively recently, alcohol brands used to tell you how much booze you could neck before you were over the limit.
However, the way Ladbrokes is promoting Mates Mode makes it look like having mates who are gamblers is such great fun because everyone’s a winner, every time, which funnily enough would put Ladbrokes out of business straight away.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “not so friendly” 6 out of 10
