“Are you up for the challenge?” Ladbrokes’ new ad by Saatchi & Saatchi Australia begins.

It’s a 60 second commercial in the style of a sports brand ad. There’s the coaching-style voiceover, the montage of sporting moments in ECU, and slow motion. A palpable sense of competition emphasised by the ticking of a timer.

And that’s very clever. Evoke the heightened emotion of competition in sport – evoke the heightened emotion of betting on competition in sport.

Saatchi & Saatchi first work for Ladbrokes unveils the new local positioning, Up for the Challenge. The agency won the account following a competitive pitch in April.

The campaign is running in national print, digital, social, broadcast, radio and cinema.

 Credits:

Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Australia

Executive Creative Director: Mike Spirkovski

Creative Director: James Daniels

Art Director: V. Wassim Kanaan

Agency Producer: Honae MacNeill / Kate Gooden

Group Account Director: Ian Hartley

Account Director: Ken Attard

Production company: The Sweet Shop

Director: Noah Conopask

Producer: Kim Kirby

Stills production: The Pool Collective

Stills photographer: Ingvar Kenne

Client: Ladbrokes

Chief executive officer: Dean Shannon

Marketing director: Graham Latter

Campaign director: Scott Stephenson

TV producer: Liam Brown