When your brief comes with a built-in celebrity, working around the traditional celeb endorsement campaign is a challenge. Thinkerbell rose to the challenge for its Ladbrokes campaign. Mike Iceberg has arrived in Australia to turn up the dial on excitement and entertainment as the chief entertainment officer for Ladbrokes. Mike Iceberg is also known as Mike Wahlberg and his ideas include cheerleaders, a marching band and a dancing ATM.
The Ladbroke It campaign will run nationally in Australia throughout the year across broadcast, print, digital, social and out of home platforms.
“Part of our creative challenge was literally this: Use Mark Wahlberg to help us make racing even more exciting. Cue big shiny red Harley Davidson Horse and a dancing ATM…,” explained Jim Ingram, national chief creative tinker at Thinkerbell.
“Our creative strategy in this was to use Mark as an actor playing an actual role, Mike Iceberg, rather than a celebrity endorsement. Christopher Riggert brought all his crazy and the whole Finch team did a brilliant job bringing Iceberg to life.”
The work also includes a significant, dedicated responsible gambling commercial, set to the soundtrack, The Gambler. Ladbrokes, which is part of the Entain, one of the world’s largest sports-betting and gaming groups, is committed to reaching mainstream Australians with its Stay in Control messaging which helps Aussie punters understand that if it’s no longer entertaining, it’s time to walk away. The Gambler will feature on TV and digital channels.
James Burnett, group chief marketing officer at Ladbrokes, stated, “Ladbrokes is committed to encouraging Australian punters to gamble safely and stay in control of how they bet and play. Ladbroke It is about making having a bet even more fun and unmissable for punters, while simultaneously being enjoyed sensibly. The Ladbroke it platform is our way of injecting some more fun and entertainment into the world of racing and using Mark to play the role of Mike Iceberg to deliver our message is just the beginning. We’ll be committing to Ladbroking it across our platform, products and communications over the next 18 months and will be asking ourselves a lot, ‘What would Mike Iceberg do?’”
Credits
Client: Ladbrokes
Group Chief Marketing Officer: James Burnett
General Manager Marketing: David Rebetzke
Communications and Production Manager: Louise Gallagher
Campaign Manager:Sarah Green
Brand strategy: Element insight and strategy
Founder and Head of Strategy: Ewen Pettit
Creative Agency: Thinkerbell
Head Tinker: Sesh Moodley
Head Thinker: Lauren Shelley
Lead Tinker: Chris McMullen
Brand Thinker: Gerry Cyron
General Manager:Katie Dally
Chief Creative Tinker: Jim Ingram
Thinker: Jacq Henderson
Lead Production Tinker: Paul Leaning
Head of Production: Grant Anderson
Head Thinker Earned: Natalie Duncan
Lead Thinker Earned: Taylor York
Production Company: FINCH
Director: Christopher Riggert
Producer: Catherine Anderson
Executive Producer: Corey Esse
Editing: Stewart Reeves @ The Editors
Post Production: Blackbird VFX, Atticus & Cutting Edge
Sound Design: Ballad
Sound Mix: Squeak E. Clean Studios & Cutting Edge
Photographer: Toby Burrows
Stills Production: The Kitchen Creative
Retouching: Limehouse
Media Agency: IKON
Talent Management: XXYV, FOURWARD & WME
