Paddy Power and bet365 kick off Premier League season with new TV ads

Paddy Power and bet365 have started the 2023-24 Premier League season with new adverts including a major positioning shift for the latter.

Bet365’s new global ad campaign is centred around curling, which sparks a worldwide wave of attention into the sport with parties on the street, a flock of people participating in the sport and an increase in media coverage.

Using the tag “Never Ordinary”, bet365 is aiming to champion non-popular sports via the campaign. 

Bet365 global head of brand marketing, Chloe Shrubb, said: “The in-play betting experience is something that bet365 has and always will excel at. The sentiment behind this campaign is essentially a reminder for everyone that bet365 stands out from the crowd. It’s unique in so many ways and it’s absolutely ‘Never Ordinary’.”

The spot sees bet365 cut ties with the synonymous Ray Winstone who had been the voice behind the bookmaker for years.

The ad was created by Drummond Central and bet365 and was filmed on location and in-studio in Madrid, Barcelona and Los Angeles over 21 days.

The ad will run above-the-line in multiple markets including the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden.

Paddy Power’s ad takes aim at the influx of state-backed billionaires pouring money in the sport, in particular players leaving for Saudi Arabia, Newcastle United’s PIF owners and the ongoing takeover speculation surrounding Manchester United.

It focuses on a fictional fan supporting Hardlypool FC, angry about a state-backed takeover bid only to then get excited when he learns that the club have been bought. A chant is then sang to the tune of Ginger Rogers’ “We’re in the money”.

The ad documents the ebbs and flow of a football takeover, the joy soon turning to pain when a fan attempts to buy a season ticket only to learn there’s a 12-year waiting list.

Former Liverpool, Tottenham and England striker Peter Crouch features in the TV advert as a reporter, which first aired on 10 August.

Explaining the rationale behind the oil money ad, Paddy Power said they couldn’t resist poking fun at the state of football and the turns fans are making in regards to whether the influx of money is good or bad.

A Paddy Power press release read: “Football has put the oil in loyal of late, with fans changing their tune faster than Jordan Henderson when a Saudi-backed billionaire rolls up in their gold-plated sports car to bankroll their morally bankrupt dreams. We couldn’t resist a sheik-y dig at the utter absurdity of it all. And don’t even get me started on Jay-Z.”