Online Gambling Brand Unibet Sends Account to FCB NY, Initiative As It Prepares For U.S. Expansion

By Lindsay Rittenhouse 

Unibet, an online gambling brand owned by Kindred Group that is preparing to make its debut in the U.S., announced today that it has selected IPG’s FCB New York as its U.S. creative agency of record following a review.

FCB will handle creative, strategy and social for Unibet’s new U.S. division, while IPG’s Initiative has been brought on to lead media efforts.

The account will be run out of the agency’s New York office, which will serve as Unibet’s “key launch partner as it makes its first foray” in the U.S., slated for sometime during the first quarter of 2019, according to a release. The brand said it offers betting, casino and games, poker and bingo in 20 languages across more than 100 countries in the U.K. and Australia, and aims to be “the expert in understanding what players need to make informed bets.”

Advertisement

You may not have heard of this brand before. But remember that in May the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports gambling. And consider the dramatic effects that could have on the marketing business.

Kindred is a holding company based in Malta and comprised of 11 gambling brands that operate in the U.K., Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, France, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Italy, Sweden and Malta. The company said, to start, it is aiming to enter New Jersey’s recently legalized sports betting market, “with plans to extend to additional states down the line.”

“We’ve put players at the heart of everything we’ve done since 1997 and share their passion for sports and casino,” Manuel Stan, svp at Kindred USA, said in a statement. “Out of the gate, it was clear that the FCB NY team had this passion too, pitching a concept that will bring Unibet to life in New Jersey and beyond.”

The agency network was first introduced to Unibet in March, when FCB Inferno, its London office, collaborated with the brand on a campaign intended to foster conversations on gender equality, called “Queen Rules,” which saw the Queen card outrank the King. Unibet promoted that campaign across its channels.

“We love when clients show up with unwavering passion for their opportunity, ask for big, behavior-creating ideas, and say exactly what is on their mind. It creates an electric environment for the pitch,” said Laura Dunn, svp and director of business development at FCB NY.

Dunn added, the brand gave “a killer brief that allowed us to unleash the power of our complete IPG offering—media and creative working in unison under the same roof, sharing strategic and data resources, without redundancies.”

Advertisement