As times have moved on, so too has the concept of what is and isn’t allowed to run on television. Slowly, the industry has chipped away at the initial values of contemporary modesty imposed at the advent of TV in the 1950s, pushing for edgier and edgier content.
However, when Smarkets recently released its latest TV ad campaign in the UK – which was fronted by its CEO Jason Trost – a line was crossed. The response from the clearance body Clearcast was strong, which said in a statement the ad would ‘bring advertising into disrepute’ should it be allowed on TV.
Smarkets, of course, knew the commercial wouldn’t clear the regulators; it even counted on the fact it wouldn’t – with the campaign itself labelled: ‘The ad we weren’t allowed to make. But we made it anyway.’
Since the ad failed to meet the expectations of the UK clearance body, Smarkets has simply made it available on YouTube, allowing customers to see it via a QR code on posters at London railway and underground stations.
In the ad, Trost dismisses Smarkets’ rivals in a brutal fashion, knowing that the public is more interested in seeing something that may push the boundaries of being acceptable than another anodyne gambling commercial. In taking the gamble with the edgy nature of the campaign, the ad has caused the exact response that Trost wanted.
That ‘edge’ is now a trend that’s catching on in advertising; companies and digital media agencies know that consumers watch more advertisements by choice than anything else. Think of Renault’s Clio advert back in 2019, which racked up over three million views on YouTube alone – and was likened to a short film.
That shift marks a change in the advertising industry. People are now less responsive to general marketing and, in 2022, targeted advertising is proving significantly more effective in attracting consumers to brands.So having an edge – even one that proves too much for clearance on TV – suddenly has more of an impact in attracting customers than generalised methods do.
PointsBet has followed this new trend with its latest ‘Do It Live’ TV spot, launched to celebrate the start of the new NFL season. The latest US ad from the sportsbook operator – called ‘Sanctuary’ – finds a man live betting on an NFL game, all while sitting on the toilet.
Again, this is a concept that PointsBet knew wasn’t going to pass regulations; but the operator made it anyway. A fact evident in the statement it issued regarding its ad not meeting broadcast requirements: “We view the bathroom as the ultimate sanctuary where plenty of people leave the world behind, get out their phone, and use the PointsBet app.While our original creative vision was a bit out of the box for broadcast, at the end of the day, whether you want to admit it or not, loads of us have enjoyed the thrill of a cash-out while being King – or Queen – of the porcelain.”
Every company in every industry around the world is trying to find new ways to be recognised by the global consumer, ways that are increasingly becoming more risqué – especially in an industry that walks a tightrope with the concept of social acceptance. And now, through the advent of mobile advertisement and eye-catching advertising content, marketing companies have realised that having an ad that’s safe for TV isn’t all that important anymore. Sure, it helps, but it isn’t necessary.
Operators such as Smarkets and PointsBet enjoy success with advertising campaigns designed to be edgy and boundary-pushing. It’s a style that has already helped push Smarkets’ brand in the UK, as CEO Jason Trost stands above the railway travellers, wielding his brand and company as a mighty weapon in the fight for market share.
Meanwhile, PointsBet has taken a different road – focusing on a part of life that has become wholly realistic since the advent of smartphones. It isn’t over-the-top or offensive – it is just overly graphic for the TV audience. Of course, for all the techniques and styles used by smaller businesses to reach loftier heights, the big players still advertise on a whole different level – one where they do not need to use such gimmicks to be noticed.
From the big companies, we see Hollywood faces trotted out to back the latest advertising push, with Jamie Foxx and Vanessa Hudgens recently at the forefront of BetMGM’s campaign as new brand ambassadors. The difference in being able to showcase Vanessa Hudgens and Foxx, compared with Smarkets’ advertising campaign featuring ex-Manchester United defender Gary Pallister, is stark. Would Foxx appear in an advertisement as eye-opening as Smarkets’? Probably not. It doesn’t have the brand recognition or the budget to hire him without significant negotiation and a concession on his part. In fact, Gambling Insider understands such a star would command a fee of around $400,000 per year, according to industry experts.
So, how else are smaller operators(many perhaps based in Malta?) supposed to grab the attention of the wider audience? How are they supposed to compete with Jamie Foxx’s wholesome face staring back at the audience through the screen?
The domination of larger businesses has caused advertising to shift in tone and strategy. As more companies become aware that the TV is no longer a necessary medium for products, the way many conceptualise advertising is further targeted at demographics more likely to use the product – which is where both Smarkets’ and PointsBet’s campaigns came from. It begs the question: Will other operators decide to push the boundaries of advertising for the sake of tapping into an audience? And, by extension: How far will the medium go? For gambling companies, the idea that campaign advertisements can attract customers by themselves is appealing – as by ignoring marketing regulations and targeting people that want to watch edgier online content, far more is possible.
It leaves room to be truly creative, push boundaries and pull in audiences. However, the danger comes from the idea that everybody will adopt similar methods, and the industry will once again end up trying to find another way of being noticed by the consumer. The fallout from such a risqué method could mean that gambling advertisements are more scrutinised than ever when such a point is reached. There, perhaps, lies the trade-off, as smaller operators attract new audiences, but find themselves out of bounds.
