U.K. bookmaker Betfred is airing of television ads promoting their slots and gaming products on Britain’s SkyTV this week. While the company has utilized television advertising to pitch their other product lines, this is the first time they’ve used the medium to promote casino games.
“We wanted to make punters aware that we have a far bigger offering than just sports betting and we have some of the best and instantly recognizable branded games and slots such as Monopoly, Deal or No Deal and Gladiator, as well as offline favorites like Rainbow Riches and Cleopatra. There are currently over £3 million worth of jackpots on offer and we even have real dealers in the live casino,” company Commercial Director Rakesh Chablani.
TV Builds Brand Awareness
Of course Betfred isn’t the first gaming company to look to television commercials to promote their wares, only the latest. Gaming industry giants like Poker Stars and Bodog have long relied on television as part of their larger marketing efforts.
Last year Poker Stars made waves in the advertising world with an ultra-violent TV commercial depicting card players killing each other during a game. The commercial, which was meant to promote the safety of playing with Poker Stars, was banned in Germany for being too violent. That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad commercial, though.
All Publicity is Good
Poker Stars no doubt knew that their television advertisement would touch off controversy, but they ran it anyways. After all, in the advertising game, all publicity is good publicity. Any commercial that’s noteworthy enough to catch a governmental ban clearly falls in the latter category.
Even ads like this one for PokerRoom.com, depicting a man playing strip Russian Roulette with a beautiful woman, can be useful publicity tools even if they never hit the airwaves. Online site like YouTube are the perfect medium for brand building ads.
Betfred is a licensed U.K. firm that’s not likely to make waves with risqué advertising unless they have to. And, for now, it looks they won’t be joining the ranks of banned, controversial gaming ads on television.
Is television advertising a good medium for promoting iGaming? Let us know what you think in our Online Gambling Newswire Forum.