GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 28 - April 2014

Bingoadvertisingon daytime television– howmuch is toomuch? ByDanPodheiser Areonlinebingo sites terrorizing children in theU.K.? It's a silly thought, tobe sure. But it'snot far from the rhetoricpresentedby someBritishpoliticianswhowant toplace serious restrictions on the ability of bingo sites to advertiseon television. According to a study inNovember by independentU.K.media regulator Ofcom, gambling commercials onBritish television increasedby 600percent sinceSept. 2007whenonlinebingo ads and sportsbook ads (during sporting events) became exempt from thepre-watershed advertisingbanput inplace by theGamblingBill of 2005. (The "watershed" refers to thepoint in time afterwhichprogramswith adult contentmaybebroadcast. In theU.K., the watershedon free-to-air television is between 9p.m. and 5:30 a.m.) Gambling commercials in theU.K. have increased from234,000 to1.4million ayear since thederegulation, andgambling advertisementshavegenerated 30.9billion individual viewsduring that time, perOfcom's research. Pre- watershedonlinebingo adsmakeup a substantial portionof the total. Television advertisementshavebecome crucial for the success ofmanyof the roughly 350onlinebingooperators in theU.K. "We foundTV advertising avery successful start toour launch and it really gaveus . . . (new) life as abingooperator," saidWinnerAffiliatesMarketing DirectorYoni Sida. "We found it (helped) give thebrand credibility . . . Despitebeing in avery clutteredmarket itwas important toget our voicesheard." WinnerBingohas spentmore than sixfigures on television advertisements in thepast sevenmonths, according toSida. The site's "feel your inner winner" adshave runonTV everyday forfivemonths, andWinner has investedheavily in integrating the ads'messaging throughout its brand. "Webackedup the campaignwith . . . verygoodonline activity tohelp tie up all ends andmade surewedrove themessagewith a consistent look and feel," Sida said. LuckyPantsBingobroke into themarket last year thanks to a catchy and well-planned television advertising campaign,whilePaddyPower's "HubbyRemoval Service" ad tookhome "Best BingoTVAdvert" at the Bingoport.co.ukPlayers' ChoiceAwards inLondon inFebruary. TheonlinebingoTV ads thatworkwell have a lot in common: They're funny, engaging andmakeyouwant to seemore. COVERSTORY Bingoadvertisingondaytime television–howmuch is toomuch?

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