ATG had been a horse betting company for over 45 years, but as from 2019 we also offered bets on sports and events. Due to our history we struggled to raise awareness about these products and engage customers and media beyond trotting contexts.

On the other hand, we knew we could reach millions by communicating in trotting contexts. The brief was to find a way of communicating sports betting in trotting contexts, but at the same time engage a broader audience beyond horse racing.

No other event gets as much publicity as “The Eurovision Festival tryouts”. In February the show coincided with trotting broadcasts and ATG offered bets on both. We assumed both events were watched by the same audience. The idea felt quirky at first, but it turned out to be brilliant in its simplicity.

The idea was to enhance our customers “Saturday experience” by creating a campaign where bets on horse racing were combined with sport bets on The Eurovision Festival tryouts.

To bring energy into the initiative, we used a trotting loving Eurovision-fan as ambassador - Eurovision Stefan. He did not just pose in a sequin-clad driver’s outfit in our ads. He gave his best horse/artist tips for the coming weekend in trotting broadcasts, social media etc. Being a familiar face in the trotting world as well as showbiz, he also became the spokesperson in media within and beyond trotting.

Due to our history we struggled to increase awareness about our sport betting products and engage customers and media beyond trotting contexts.

To overcome these challenges, and position ATG as something more than a horse betting company we needed to:

-Create publicity and engagement in contexts beyond horse racing

-Communicate to a broader mass of the population

-Increase awareness among our horse betting customers, and perhaps get them to put a bet on a sport- or entertainment event.

The Eurovision Festival tryouts as well as the horse racing broadcast individually engage millions of Swedes. We assumed that both programmes were seen by the same households and wished to enhance their “Saturday experience”. The strategy was simply to combine these two events in a new campaign that stood out from other betting companies.

During six weeks Eurovision Stefan created recognition in all our marketing activities:

- In a sequin-clad trotting outfit, Stefan was poster boy in print and display advertisement

- His horse/artist tips were published along with humoristic videos on social media

- Articles with Stefan's tips were published on ATG:s website and in emails and sms to customers

- A native collaboration with Expressen: content including videos and articles with Stefan

- Stefan visited ATG stores all over the country, appeared on in-store advertisement and “Eurovision Stefan’s weekly bet” was sold over the counter

- In the printed “Festival tabloid” that came with Expressen (news media) ATG:s odds were shown next to the coming week’s artists

- Hosts in the Saturday trotting broadcast, phoned Stefan every week to hear about his favorite horse and artist

The purpose was to raise awareness of ATG:s sport bet product through PR, and position ATG as something more than a horse betting company.

REACH: 24 MILLION IN EARNED MEDIA

By combining trotting and the Eurovision Festival tryouts, we managed to engage media within and beyond horse racing. Each week the reach in earned media was 4 million, in total 24 million.

ALL TIME HIGH IN SALES AND NEW CUSTOMERS

Sports betting reached all time high during the campaign, both in sales and new customers. 1/4 new customers put their first bet on the Eurovision Festival tryouts. The horse betting audience actually extended their Saturday experience by betting on both.

STANDOUT AMONG COMPETITORS

It is hard to distinguish one betting company from another by looking at their marketing. Products are shown in sport contexts. Never has a Swedish betting company combined a great betting sport with a great entertainment event.