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Fanatics Sportsbook wants to break away from the usual gambling promotions that rely on former football players and quick-cash incentives to make its marketing point.
The wagering platform hopes to attract people to betting who don’t already spend their days thinking about odds and spreads by relying on a decidedly different kind of spokesperson for its Super Bowl ad. Kendall Jenner will lead the effort, asking fans to bet on some of the memes and digital discussion around the “Kardashian Kurse,” tied to the fate of her previous basketball-playing boyfriends.
“We very much have a challenger mindset, very entrepreneurial, and we’re thinking about how we can build differently,” says Selena Kalvaria, chief marketing officer at Fanatics Betting and Gaming, during a recent interview. The goal is “to bring something different to market.”
Sports betting in the U.S. is currently dominated by DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel, which control about 80% of the market. A recent projection by Flutter puts the size of U.S. wagering at $39 billion by 2030. After gaining traction with sales of sports merchandise and memorabilia, Fanatics in 2021 expanded into betting and gaming.
A 30-second ad crafted with OBB Media will appear during halftime on NBC’s February 8 telecast of Super Bowl LX. NBC has been seeking between $7 million and $10 million for a 30-second spot, according to executives familiar with negotiations.
It’s important not to emulate rivals marketing maneuvers at the Super Bowl, says Michael D. Ratner, founder & CEO of OBB Media and CEO of Fanatics Studios, a joint venture Fantatics and OBB recently unveiled. “When you’re going to make projects for the biggest stage, you really want to think about something that’s going to disrupt, something that’s a bit ironic, something that’s noisy,” he says. “There’s just so much out there.”
As part of the overall campaign, Fanatics Sportsbook will unveil a 90-second version of its ad as well as shorter iterations for social media. Fans will be encouraged to “Bet on Kendall” as Jenner makes her Super Bowl picks. “We definitely see this as a bigger world a and and not just one spot,” says Kalvaria.
Indeed, other celebrities and notables may appear as part of the broader campaign in months to come, she says, and Fanatics Sportsbook hopes to have a presence at other sports spectaculars, including the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. “There are a lot more sports to come,” she says.
English (US) ·