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if you thought the Betfair Front Room campaign was annoying....

then be prepared for a new onslaught of Betfair advertising....

Betfair set to launch new ads

According to online wagering firm Betfair's marketing team the latest advertising campaign is the largest the company has ever launched. Due to hit the airwaves in late August the advertising spots will run across the United Kingdom and Europe with the intent being to increase the customer base of three million that Betfair claims. A social media online advance will also be part of the globally comprehensive advert package. Created by Albion the campaign is directed at consumers who are encouraged to 'cut out the middle man'.

Jason Goodman, Albion London's chief executive officer, commented, "The betting industry is extremely competitive but Betfair's peer-to-peer exchange model makes the brand unique. It's this factor that Albion wanted to bring to life. Goodman went on to say, "In encouraging punters to 'cut out the middleman', this campaign uses the vernacular of modern, intermediating businesses that have thrived in the digital age by allowing their customers to go 'direct'.


Has the peer-to-peer message runs its course? The likes of BetFred and Paddy Power thrive by offering bonuses and specials that betting exchanges can't match because of the margins involved. Boylesports and Paddy Power both refunded bets on Dustin Johnson last weekend in the US PGA after the conversial ruling which cost him a spot in the playoff, exchanges can't do it as the layers certainly aren't going to refund it for them. That's the biggest challenge for the likes of Betfair as they fight with every other firm for the elusive recreational punters.

The television spots dramatise how a middleman or traditional bookmaker just is in the way which doesn't add anything to the wagering experience but annoyance. Scheduled for airing during sporting programmes and on channels such as Sky Sports, ESPN, Champions League football on ITV the Channel 4 Racing, and the Ryder Cup.

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