PokerStars hopes global rebrand will help it attain ‘entertainment titan’ status
PokerStars has spent the past six months ensuring its new positioning is right for a Covid world as it looks to build a brand beyond poker.
PokerStars is betting big on a global rebrand that sees the gambling company move “beyond product” in a bid to become an “entertainment titan”.
It is launching creative platform ‘I’m In’ with the intention of attracting a new audience to the PokerStars brand, bringing people into the community who previously haven’t played poker and want to be part of something “cool and aspirational”.
The Stars Group (which owns PokerStars) global director of brand, creative and communications, Martin Nieri, argues that poker in general has an aspirational feel, different to sports betting-led organisations whose messages are often focused on odds and “very shouty”.
While PokerStars is clear that coming from a poker heritage is an advantage, it believes it is important to “grow above poker” if it is to attain its ambition of becoming an “entertainment titan”.
“[The brand] could go into any area of entertainment that we so desire, but the first step was how to do we create a masterbrand that lifts the brand out of poker – which is a challenge because we’ve got poker in our name – but then injects meaning in that masterbrand of entertainment, fun, thrill, challenge, community and coming together?” Nieri tells Marketing Week.