It’s not news to anyone that the number of bookmakers advertisements has increased in recent years, whether in physical spaces or on TV channels. Among football clubs, for example, 18 of the 20 teams competing in Série A of the Brasileirão have some type of partnership – only Palmeiras and Cuiabá do not have brands on their shirts.
Away from the pitch, a survey carried out by Tunad, released in January this year, revealed a 30% growth in advertising for bookmakers on TV, compared to the first three months of 2023.
The reflection of this growth can be seen, for example, in most competitions across the country, such as the Brazilian Championship. The tournament partners with six platforms.
“We at Esportes da Sorte believe in a model with segment exclusivity for this type of media, however, due to the appetite of Brazilian operators, this exclusivity would have an obscene cost. It is therefore necessary to adapt to the existing scenario”, explains Darwin Filho, CEO from Esportes da Sorte.
Brands that share this advertising space must work on differentiation. In the case of Esportes da Sorte, for example, we initiated this differentiation by not using the term ‘bet’ in its brand (neither in the suffix nor in the prefix), combined with visual and speech strategies that strategically position the brand in among the other competitors”.
Exposure is necessary in times of regulation
Specialists in sports management understand that the huge number of bookmaker advertisements in the same space is necessary in times of regulation.
“The existence of several advertisers from the same segment in a property usually greatly reduces the effectiveness of the space in question, but it is necessary to take into account that the market was regulated”, said Ivan Martinho, professor of sports marketing at ESPM.
“Being present in the main sports properties and establishing a position can be key to future plans when the market tends to stabilize”, he added.
The Brazilian team’s game featured an exhibition from seven bookmakers
Anyone who watched the Brazilian team‘s two friendlies in Texas and Orlando in recent days, against Mexico and the United States, noticed a multitude of Brazilian sponsors on the advertising boards in the stadiums where the games were held.
Among some of them, there were seven bookmakers: BETesporte, Bet7k, Betano, Superbet, Betnacional, 1XBet and BateuBet.
The BETesporte platform, for example, states that for the confrontation between the United States and Brazil, it invested in a greater number of advertising insertions, in addition to being present in the team’s last three games.
“In addition to increasing BETesporte’s visibility, we managed to create an emotional connection with the audience, which associates our ‘heat up the game’ campaign with the positive results that the Brazilian team has been obtaining”, explains Vinicius Nogueira, CEO of the company.
Bet7k understands that this type of investment brings a positive return to the platform. “We know that football is the true popular passion of Brazilians, as well as Carnival, fun and entertainment, and we believe that exposure to Brazilian games generates countless opportunities”, points out Talita Lacerda, CEO of Bet7k.
“Our strategy is to continue activating our brand in Brazil and abroad and, in this way, building this brand relationship with major events”, he added.
For experts, exposure on advertising boards during games, especially those that generate a good television audience and photos, memes and prints during and on social media, are still a cost-effective alternative for these brands.
“Research institutes prove that investing in field signs brings a great return in brand recognition, known as awareness”, concluded Renê Salviano, CEO of Heatmap and specialist in sports marketing.
