Paddy Power poised to mark 1m Facebook audience
Paddy Power is planning a campaign “typical” of its irreverent voice to mark it reaching the one million Facebook fans mark, according to marketing director Christian Woolfenden.
Speaking with Marketing Week, Woolfenden said the bookmaker was poised to launch the campaign – which would be “typical of the brand” – next month when it is on course to reach the landmark number, it currently stands at 964,000. By contrast William Hill has just under half a million Facebook fans.
This will be followed by a “significant evolution” of its ‘We Hear You’ social media activity as the bookmaker marks the kick-off of the 2013/14 Barclay’s Premier League season.
Woolfenden says the bookmaker is looking to further its online marketing success through the employment of online personalisation – i.e. using cookies and behavioural targeting technology to display the most relevant content – both content on its website and its online advertising.
“We’ve been constantly experimenting with social for the last year to 18 months. Paddy Power operates on a 70/20/10 basis [in terms of its marketing budget]. Social is in the ‘20 bracket’ right now but it’s very much moving into the ‘70 bracket’ and becoming a bigger part of the mainstream strategy,” he said.
Woolfenden recently increased his UK-based brand team with the appointment of Anna Braithwaite as sportsbook marketing manager to tea-up Paddy Power’s horse-racing and football brand campaigns, plus Harry Dromey to its now infamous “mischief” division.
The Ireland-based bookmaker credited its irreverent marketing activity – including ambush tactics around the London 2012 Games and Euro 2012 tournaments – as a significant contributor to its 31 per cent year on year hike in revenue last year and plans to continue with the same tone of voice.