Canadian gaming company PokerStars has hired UK-based marketing firm Crispin + Bogusky Group, or CP+B, to be the leader of marketing efforts for PokerStars’ new sports betting branch, BetStars. The marketing campaign for the new site is rumored to have a £10m budget.
Rafi Ashkenazi, CEO of Rational Group, expressed much enthusiasm for the future of his company’s new brand in a December 2015 press release:
“We’re very excited about the launch of the BetStars brand, and expect it to be one of the most talked about sports betting sites in 2016 as it continues to evolve with new products and features that we believe will set us apart as a betting brand for the true sports fan.
We’re applying the same dedication and passion we have for poker to sports betting, and intend to create an authentic, world-class offering. The BetStars brand will build on this passion and provide a safe, trustworthy and, most importantly, exciting environment for sports fans.”
What can we expect from BetStars?
CP+B’s company motto reads “we are not ad people; we are culture tweakers.” Many of their advertising campaigns definitely reflect that motto. The company is well-known for many risqué advert campaigns and it’s safe to assume we can expect the same for the marketing of BetStars.
The company is best known for its often outrageous Paddy Power adverts. Considering the creative agency’s history with entertaining and sometimes headline-making advertising, BetStars could benefit and grow quite quickly in its early stages due to this partnership.
A few well-known CP+B advertising campaigns include:
- Pizza Turnaround – Dominos
- Star Wars – Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
- Professional’s Collection – Fruit of the Loom
- The Driver’s Seat 360 Experience – Infinity
- Captain Obvious – Hotels.com
What has BetStars launched so far?
In December 2015, BetStars launched its online sportsbook with both iOS and Android apps. The BetStars sportsbook offers over 25 sports to wager on. Also included are lines on poker and eSports tournaments.
This week, roughly a month after the BetStars launch, the company announced the release of its new Spin & Bet sports wagering product. The new product’s name is a spin off (no pun intended) of a popular PokerStars tournament format called Spin & Go.
Spin & Bet allows you to win a multiplier on your wagers. To activate the feature, bettors simply enter the stake they wish to wager and hit enter.
Ten percent of the bettor’s wager is spent on the Spin & Bet feature should they choose to participate in it. An animation appears with the multipliers 1X, 1.5X, 2X, and 10X on a wheel. The animated spinning wheel comes to a halt, and whatever you land on becomes the multiplier for if you win the bet.
For example, if you place bet at 2:1 and pay for the Spin & Bet feature, your bet can either stay at 2:1 or become 3:1, 4:1, or 20:1 depending on which multiplier you land on.
On January 13, 2016, Guy Templer, Director of Group Business Development and Strategy, made a statement about BetStars’ new feature:
“We’re really excited by the launch of Spin & Bet, which we believe is set to be the game-changing innovation in sports betting this year. We’re convinced our customers will love the new product as it brings a new and exciting dimension to betting for sports fans around the world.
This is only the first in a number of exciting, unique products that we expect to introduce in 2016 to distinguish the BetStars brand from its competitors.”
BetStars has released already released a short commercial advertising Spin & Bet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynuCsqE4_YQ