Features of the efficient service for betting companies

After a new DARING TO BE EPIC advertising campaign for Parimatch had aired in November, DC Chief Strategy Officer told Login Casino about some trends and features of the efficient service and creative for betting companies.

What trends in the creation of advertising campaigns for gambling and betting prevailed in 2019? Why?

The key feature of 2019 was the oversaturation of the advertising market, the abundance of same-type messages from different companies. Because of this, it was really difficult for businesses to differentiate from the competition. Therefore, the main trend was smart targeting, which took into account not only the technical parameters of the target audience but rather the points of emotional contact with it. It was all about common values ​​and character of the brand that is relatable with the character of its customers. We applied this approach first in the Parimatch rebranding and then scaled it in the new DARING TO BE EPIC campaign.

How much do legal aspects affect the campaign?

The betting/gambling status in a particular market always makes its adjustments to campaigns. Everything is very simple: if brand advertising goes against the law, it simply will not be allowed to be placed, and the company will have to pay fines.

This shows another advantage of our so-called emotional targeting. After all, the main thing is to convey key messages via the campaign. The field for efficient creative becomes so much wider when the messages are far beyond a mere “make a bet” call to action.

What is the smallest gambling advertising budget you’ve ever worked with? How interesting are these tasks for you?

We at DC love challenges, so we approach any budget tasks with interest and the same exactingness. There’s no reason to limit yourself. Each task, whatever its budget is, is a challenge to our creativity, skill, ability to make something truly efficient. This is what matters most.

When creating an advertising campaign, which stage is the longest and the most difficult? At what point do you most often have to prove to customers that the idea will work? How do you do this?

The most difficult thing, especially when it comes to a new client or a completely new concept, is at the idea level. What you see as a professional who constantly deals with marketing and advertising in the specific industry is not always obvious to the client. Sometimes bright and bold ideas that work in the conditions of the modern market frighten with their boldness at first. That is why we are preparing for the process of presenting ideas no less than for the creative process itself — it is very important to be on the same wavelength as the client.

Talking specifically about a campaign like DARING TO BE EPIC, about the creation of a video, post-production takes a lot of time. All the details in the video need to be brought to the ideal, so we work literally through every frame — until we see that the result is exactly what it should be.

A lot of time is also devoted to analytics and strategy. This is logical: to achieve the goal, you must first understand where you are, and identify the path. Details are often the most difficult part: for example, this time, international logistics was of great importance. Digital Choo already had experience in coordinating complex international projects, which, no doubt, played a big role in the successful implementation of the campaign.

What is the difference between advertising campaigns for casinos, lotteries, bookmakers, esports?

The answer to this question greatly depends on the market, the size of the company, the goals of a particular campaign and other details. For example, in markets where gambling status is legally restricted or there is no real regulation, you need to be very attentive to the requirements. Betting companies, especially large ones, must rely on the quality of creatives and look for their point of differentiation. Exaggerated promises are also prohibited for them, as they can easily undermine brand confidence — while reputation is becoming increasingly important. In esports, it is important to understand the characteristics of the audience: it is young, digital, easygoing, but at the same time demanding and easily distracted, which also forms a certain approach to creating campaigns.

Tell us more about making the video for Parimatch. What are the features of creating such a product?

This time, as I said, logistics was the key. The video was shot in two countries — one shooting day in each. Moreover, Conor was present only on the set in Dublin — but at the same time, scenes with his participation were also shot in Kyiv. Therefore, everything was planned thoroughly, and we had to shoot not only epic but also quite quickly. Fortunately, DC put together a real dream team to work on the project: a director who clearly understood the idea; the technical team, which impeccably prepared the set and the scenery; excellent post-production. It was very cool to work with Conor McGregor: he was very enthusiastic about the process and quickly transformed from one role to the other. The latter once again shows how ideally the ambassador conveys the character of the brand, as each image was based on one of the characteristics of Parimatch.

Tell us about the creative process of this campaign

The main goal of DARING TO BE EPIC was to demonstrate the brand’s bright and bold character to the fullest. It was important to “crack” the perception and to subvert all expectations an each of the campaign’s visuals to convey the essence of the brand deeper and more efficient. So the Digital Choo team focused on creating unconventional, bold, slightly strange, epic visuals.

What moments of the filming process became the most memorable for the team?

Technically difficult and therefore especially memorable was the shooting of those scenes in Kyiv where Conor was supposed to be in the frame but was not physically present on set. To make these frames possible, the stage was set in Dublin, McGregor was shot, and then in Kyiv, the frame was set again with the rest of the characters. Then, the frames were combined into one picture.

During our bright filming process, we got the chance to visit the most unusual locations. One of them was a closed regime industrial facility with a giant ship in a dry dock. That was memorable for sure! And, of course, the very atmosphere on set was epic. Incredible drive, energy, and inspiration forced each participant to give all their best and is perfectly noticeable in the result.

Can you change the campaign, in particular, the video at the post-production stage, if “a brilliant idea was born”? Or does everything always go according to plan?

This is possible if we understand that the idea will be more efficient and will work better than the original one. But, of course, at the post-production stage, we are talking about small changes — for example, frames rearrangement. More extensive changes are possible during the filming process, so at each stage, it is important to ask yourself if what is happening now is bold and efficient enough. The combination and balance of these two components give the STAND OUT result.

What should your clients look forward to in 2020? What trends should they focus on? And what will you surprise the market with next year?

The market dynamics this year promises so many trends for the next one that would be enough for an interview of its own. It is the growing role of strong marketing service for betting; the “socialization” of business, which is becoming a component of people’s lifestyle, rather than just a service or goods provider; legislative changes in several markets… Every aspect is important and attention should be paid to everything — only a deep understanding of the big picture will help to remain among the leaders and continue to grow. Our mission in this does not change, only scales: DC continues to be STAND OUT, invent bold and efficient approaches and create a WOW effect thanks to new campaigns.

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