Why Ladbrokes Coral wants to move ‘beyond just the bet’

At the start of 2020 gambling brands Ladbrokes and Coral were looking to make a “step change” in the way they communicated with customers. The idea was to differentiate themselves from the competition with a deliberate shift away from the “disposable” odds-focused advertising dominating the sector.

Leaning into the entertainment side of both brands with a more upmarket positioning, the aim was to dial up the ‘passion of the bet’ for Coral, whereas for Ladbrokes the focus was on showing the ‘excitement and social currency’ offered by betting.

Twelve months on the pandemic may have got in the way and changed some plans, but it has not altered the vision, insists Ladbrokes Coral marketing director Angela Porter.

“The market is crowded with lots of offers that are similar and similarly communicated and we wanted to change that. We have our year plan in place about how we were going to do that. When sports were cancelled, obviously we had to rejig everything as every business did and really think about what our customers were then going to want from us and how we could make sure we were communicating that in the right and responsible way,” says Porter.

“It’s fair to say that the whole brand refresh and our direction was never going to be a short, sharp burst. It was always going to be a longer-term play. So, much as our activity might have changed, our vision and strategy have totally remained the same and we’re still on that same journey.”