SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Seeking to boost its brand coverage and profile within the saturated UK betting market, European sports betting operator Betsafe has bet on boxing to gain its visibility and exposure.
SBC speaks to Chris Watson Betsafe Brand Manager for the UK & Ireland, on the impact and engagement of boxing, and why the sport may offer the best marketing value for industry stakeholders…
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SBC: Hi Chris, great to interview you. In a busy sporting period, what has attracted Betsafe UK to the sport of boxing?
Chris Watson: Boxing has exploded in the past 18 months, with Anthony Joshua, in particular, taking the sport to new heights… he is now a global phenomenon. With 90,000 people packing out Wembley Stadium for his fight against Klitschko and 30,000 this weekend for Brook v Spence, Boxing is back at the forefront of UK sport with a large, passionate following, and betting activity is going to be reflected in that.
SBC: How have you attached the sports of boxing to your new UK-wide marketing campaign ‘Passion Overcomes the Odds’?
CW: Boxing fits the narrative of our concept as often the odds are stacked against fighters, taking on someone with a better record, taller, heavier, more powerful with more reach and with strong home advantage. Fighters can be behind on a judges scorecard before delivering the fight-ending knockout to overcome everything they are up against. These moments of drama, passion and excitement are what make Boxing such a good fit, and it complements our wider combat sports portfolio including Cage Warriors event sponsorship, broadcast sponsorship of UFC/Cage Warriors on BT Sport and several fighter ambassadors such as UFC’s Emil Meek.
SBC: Betsafe has signed WBC Cruiserweight Champion Tony Bellew as their new Boxing Ambassador. Why is he an important addition to your stable of brand ambassadors?
CW: Tony is the perfect embodiment of Passion Overcomes the Odds – not only does he apply himself with Passion in everything he does, but he has overcome many obstacles, battles and challenges to get to the very top. When he fought David Haye, he was priced as high as 7/1 and not given a chance by many bookmakers, however his true determination and passion for succeeding drove him to victory.
SBC: How does a betting brand like Betsafe optimise its marketing initiatives for a single sports event such as boxing fight night? How does Boxing sponsorship differ to traditional sponsorships such as football, snooker, darts tournaments, etc.?
CW: Betsafe ensures that its channels are optimised to match spikes in interest around key fights and events, that our creative is tailored to provide boxing fans with exclusive timely content, seamless user journeys and contextually relevant offers. Boxing is a sport (unlike many others) where the interest concentrated in a relatively short time period, so we want to make sure that we align with that.
SBC: How do you see Betsafe furthering its presence in boxing within the coming months?
CW: It’s been a great 2017 for Betsafe so far in Boxing with the hugely successful Haye v Bellew and Yafai vs Murunaka fight sponsorships bringing in Tony Bellew as a brand ambassador and the title sponsorship for this weekend’s huge Brook v Spence Jr battle. Beyond that, we only want to further our presence in the sport and show that Betsafe is the place to go for betting on all major boxing events, fight nights and combat sports.
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Chris Watson – Betsafe Brand Manager for UK & Ireland
Sports marketing and bookmaker promotions will be a key theme/discussion at the upcoming 2017 Betting on Sports Conference (13-15 September Olympia Kensington London). Book your tickets today and get a 50% discount…
