BetVictor needed a clear point of difference, not least because their name shared the word ‘Bet’ with almost half of the gambling sector, but given they couldn’t outspend the media budgets of the bigger fish (SkyBet, PaddyPower), we had to adopt a challenger behaviour and box smart...

So, instead of trying to make loads of noise, we targeted a more considered bettor and set ourselves the goal of helping them make a more informed bet. ‘Make Your Best Bet’ launched not only as an external brand line, but as a mantra that defined how the business behaved internally.

Our first campaign launched with Harry Redknapp (the newly-crowned ‘King of the Jungle’) taking the form as BetVictor’s latest voice-activated virtual assistant to give tips and advice to punters. Landing Harry not only got BetVictor more fame and exposure than its media spend merited, but it also allowed us to show off our betting expertise as a digital first, tech brand.

For the Euros, we evolved the idea by releasing the next generation of ‘Smart Tipster’ in the form of Michael Owen and pitted his expert opinions against Harry’s. This kicked off the new brand idea of ‘Versus’: Harry’s knowledge vs. Michael’s instinct, back the underdog vs. the favourite, and right down to safer gambling in taking the bet vs. playing it safe. This idea informed our approach to social, partnerships, and content.

To respond to both the larger briefs and the quick turnaround tactical campaigns, we developed an internal content creation agency that offered agile high-quality production to tackle briefs of all sizes (and speeds).

Now into its third year, the ‘Hey Harry’ campaign has led to a 20% increase in consideration and remains the highest recall creative in BetVictor’s history. Turns out Harry was our best bet after all. ‘Triffic little campaign.