Recycling has paid off for VMLY&R Sydney. In July last year, the agency, relaunched Show Some Betiquette for the NSW Government, a campaign originally created by Y&R Sydney in 2017.
The campaign commercial combines humour with a responsible betting message for men (who make up 90% of online sports bettors) and a strikingly different illustrative style.
The campaign is being run by the NSW Government during key sporting events such as the footy finals and has just been awarded the Best Regulatory Campaign for 2021 by the International Association of Gaming Regulators.
Natalie Wright, director of the Office of Responsible Gambling, commented, “Over $1 million has been invested in targeted advertisements throughout this year’s sporting season, with a particular focus on the sports that attract audiences most likely to be at risk of harm from betting such as rugby league, rugby union and soccer. It’s hard to compete with the $271.3 million spent in advertising by wagering companies in 2020 but we are having a lot of success in cutting through to the audience and helping them to make informed choices and take action to prevent gambling harm.”
The campaign tackles a range of betting strategies such as knowing when to stop betting, planning your bets, overcoming peer pressure, and not betting under the influence of alcohol, strategies that can help young men to remain in control when betting and make safer decisions.
“The NSW Gambling Study 2019 found that one in 20 adults bet on sports, and that online sports betting had doubled since 2011. In 2018/19 almost $1.2 billion was spent on sports and race betting in NSW. The amount spent on sports betting in NSW is increasing, despite the impacts of Covid-19,” Wright added
The campaign is funded by the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund, which is providing $36 million in 2021/22 for a range of initiatives to prevent and reduce gambling harm.
The campaign plays out in full on the Betiquette website.
Credits (original campaign):
Creative Agency: Y&R Sydney
Executive Creative Directors: Dave Jourbert & Bart Pawlak
Creatives: Nick Cole & Pat Allenby
Head of Production: Jacqui Walker
Sound Engineer: Ben Crabbe
Studio Manager: Richard Spencer
Managing Director: Sasha Firth
Group Account Director: Aaron Swan
Senior Account Manager: Stefania Barry
Strategist: Mitchell Crowe-Hardy
Production Company: Sixty40
Directors: Simon Robson & Fred Venet
Matte Painting Artist: Max Clifford
Senior Producer: Charu Menon
Executive Producer: Will Alexander
Digital Agency: VML
Executive Creative Director & Managing Director: Aden Hepburn
Creative Director: Matt Geersen
Creatives: Rapha Valenti & Fred Corazza
Business Lead: Mark Tovbis
Senior Account Manager: Kirsten Jones
Strategist: Henry Innes
Senior Producer: Ed Krause
