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Ladbrokes continues TV ad campaign with balloon short

Ladbrokes’ new ‘Balloon’ ad marks another marketing milestone for the British bookmaker.

LadbrokesAd

Produced by ad agency Neverland, the minute-long spot features a London-wide game of keepie-uppie but instead of a football, the players are using a balloon.

It begins in a fairly mundane office building before spilling out onto the streets of the capital city to follow a horde of people as they frantically pursue a red balloon.

The short was released on Ladbrokes’ and Neverland’s social media as part of a new TV advertising campaign for its online casino offering, Ladbrokes Casino.

The videos were tagged with the campaign’s strapline “We Play Together”.

Speaking about the campaign, Dominic Grounsell, Managing Director for UK and Ireland Digital at Ladbrokes’ owner Entain, said: “It’s a campaign that is all about community, shared fun and entertainment, and brilliantly brings to life our strapline “We Play Together.”

“It’s the first time that anyone in our industry has launched a brand-led campaign for casino and gaming but reflects the confidence that we have in Ladbrokes as an entertainment brand.”

The ad was shot by Emmy-nominated director Sam Brown while Neverland was retained by Ladbrokes in July 2021 following the success of its “This Time We Play Together” campaign for the UEFA Euro 2020 championships.

Ladbrokes has developed a reputation for compelling adverts, but its success hasn’t come without controversy.

In July 2021, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - the UK’s advertising watchdog - banned a TV spot following complaints about its depiction of those addicted to gambling.

This followed an earlier sanction from the regulator in February concerning an ad shown on All4 in October 2020.

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