UK marketing news source CampaignLive has reported that FTSE betting group William Hill Plc has awarded its UK media buying and planning account to London advertising agency Wavemaker Global.
Wavemaker is a subsidiary agency of WPP Group and will replace long-term incumbent Vizeum (Dentsu Aegis Network), as William Hill’s lead UK media planning and buying agency.
The yet to be confirmed update, sees William Hill close its ‘media review’, which the operator called for in February of this year, preparing for upcoming UK advertising demands placed on all gambling/betting incumbents.
The bookmaker’s agency review is reported to have been led by new Global Brand & Marketing Director Charlotte Emery, who joined the FTSE firm last November as part of William Hill’s executive team restructure.
Wavemaker is reported to have beaten incumbent Vizeum and Havas Group Media, in a three-way pitch to secure the multi-million £ William Hill media planning account.
Launched in 2018, Wavemaker is a new ‘audience engagement and activation focused‘ media planning subsidiary of WPP Group, formed through the merger of MEC and Maxus agencies. To date, Wavemaker has held no prior gambling advertising arrangements.
Preparing to meet new marketing demands, forced on UK operators, William Hill becomes that latest industry incumbent to have undertaken a review of its advertising set-up and strategy, following reviews by Betway and Kindred Group in 2018.
Last March, The Stars Group Inc confirmed that it had sanctioned a UK media review, as part of its post-Sky Betting & Gaming acquisition alignment.