Creating new experiences: Fonbet on its sponsorship of the Russian national team

With such a massive acquisition opportunity presented by Euro 2020, we’ve seen bookmakers take a creative approach to making the best use of their promotions.  For leading Russian operator Fonbet, a partnership with the country’s national football team has helped it to deliver a range of new experiences for its players.

Speaking to SBC News, Alina Yakirevich – CMO at Fonbet – shone a light on the positive influence that this sponsorship has had for Fonbet, before highlighting the new range of promotions that it has rolled out to keep customers engaged. 

SBC: To start, tell us a little about how your partnership with the Russian national team developed?

Fonbet has a major focus on supporting athletics, with football as our top priority. We’ve been sponsoring the Russian national team for four seasons now. We’ve been very pleased with our partnership because in a way, it’s the country’s main team. 

We collaborate on promotions and release a lot of exclusive content. The most important thing for us is to give fans and Fonbet customers a new experience and the chance to be a part of promotions and other giveaways.

SBC: What are your hopes for this sponsorship deal in the long term?

Our agreement will remain in force for a few more years, and its renewal is a priority for Fonbet. Firstly, we are pleased that the Russian team is developing in two areas at once. The national team has developed its own strong branding and recognisable style. 

Secondly, they’ve been focusing a lot on digital development and now have their own sizable CRM base. For us as a partner, it’s crucial that the national team meets today’s needs and exceeds our expectations. The Russian Football Union is under extremely professional management. We’re proud to have them as a partner.

SBC: How will your sponsorship of the Russian national team help Fonbet strengthen its position internationally?

Fonbet operates in three countries, and we have big plans for development in the CIS and globally in general. Our cooperation with major world clubs — PSG, Milan and Real Madrid — has been a big step towards consolidating our position internationally. 

The Russian national team is more of a local partnership, but its positive influence on the company’s status is beyond any doubt.

SBC: Given that you had an extra year to prepare for Euro 2020, how did Fonbet interact with players betting on its matches?

We launched a lot of promos for Euro 2020. We’re giving new customers RUB 2,000 risk-free bets. This is a great incentive because people are always scared to lose. If a new customer loses their first bet, they’re not likely to return. An insured bet with no conditions eases people into betting more smoothly.

We also have another promo where you need to bet on different national teams and collect special country cards. We wanted to give customers the same feeling as with traditional collectibles (stickers, albums, etc.).

For our third promo, customers place bets, earn points and can exchange them for bonuses. It’s a simple loyalty programme, but our audience really likes it. This is our typical approach to marketing: we don’t mind spending money on bonuses and new promos for our active and new customers.

SBC: Euro 2020 has been one of the largest football tournaments since the start of the pandemic. Do you think we’ll see more people getting interested?

Yes, people are definitely paying more attention. We’re confident that June 2021 will be a record year for the company in terms of bet volumes, revenues and attracting new customers. 

We’ve been waiting for this championship for a long time, and we even launched a special ad campaign: “Now’s the best time to bet.” We wanted this video to drive home how unique this moment is. Watch it for yourself!