G'day Punters, news media, gambling and advertising tycoons, mad men and mad women, TV and internet watchdogs...woof, one and all. Following our tremendously popular feature yesterday on Australian sports betting ads and promos, we've decided to dish you up seconds 'cause so many customers asked politely. These are some of the ads, promos and campaigns on Australian TV and the web that you love or hate. Media Man and Gambling911 serve up a hearty dish from our world class menu that even Crown Casino's Neil Perry would be proud of. 2, 4, 6, 8, dig in, don't wait!...
Firstly punters, let's get a few disclaimers out of the way so we cover that from the get go (shame some other media companies and website portals are not as upfront with disclaimers and where they stand)... My company, Media Man, primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company has created and worked on numerous campaigns, promos and the odd affiliate program over the years. Some of the brands we have assisted in various capacities, that do have some sort of presence down under in Australia include PartyGaming including poker and casino brands, James Packer 50% owned Betfair, Richard Branson's Virgin Games, Centrebet, PokerStars, 888, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Betezy and WagerWorks - I.G.T. We mention this so no one can say "Media Man isn't being up front" and "where's the disclaimer?" Ok haters (and lovers), on with the Grich-free news.
TV and Web
Shane "Warnie" Warne (gaming and Aussie TV's current 'Human Headline'!)...
Shane Warne - You have to give 'em credit for the McDonald’s advertisements for the Legend Chicken Burger. The former cricket spinner has become the talk of the town, be it for cricket, his 'Warnie' TV show, text messages with a certainly well known lassy in the UK - LH, Messages On Hold and club ambiance music for our mate, Kym Illman, and a bush tucker bag of other gear. Warnie is relevant. I'm not a big fan of his poker brand, but I will be a big fan of his poker room and / or bar at Crown Casino once it's gone from small talk to concept to reality. Warnie's name is out there, and so is McDonald's... and check out his Twitter (if he's game to Tweet again). I don't think he will be giving too much info away on personal stuff given his latest effort, but give him another chance. It's the Australian way maties.
Betfair Australia...
Betfair Australia. I miss the "pink pigeons", but what is happening is the TV ad featuring former English cricket captain (and legend) Michael Vaughan. MV decides he wants to place money on the Australians via James Packer 50% owned Betfair. Take it from us... the TV broadcasting tactic of cricket and sports broadcasters regularly plugging gambling within programs within programs works, but annoys some viewers.
PartyGaming...
PartyGaming's PartyCasino (on European TV and also on YouTube, and see on the Media Man YouTube website network). Last year the PartyGaming 'Feel It' campaign did the job, with the sign up bonus getting a nice plug, cool music, wind tunnel effects on the hair of hot sexy boys and girls (over 18), and so on. Most punters and would be punters wouldn't spotted this ripper. This year Party launched a TV campaign on Channel Five that also became quite the hit on YouTube and it featured Pommie sporting celeb (and sort of equivalent to Shane Warne) Phil "Tuffers' Tufnell. Phil in the 60 sec or so ad plugged games such as 'Rambo', 'The Terminator 'The Godfather. Phil goes on to say 'Now that is an offer I can't refuse'. Insiders say the ad was a huge hit and attracted both males and females to their brand. To find one or two Tufnell PartyCasino adds on YouTube type into the Google search engine "Phil Tuffers Tufnell PartyGaming YouTube" and you will be able to see for yourself. Good correction though.. these days the sign up bonus is up $3000, not $500. As they say at Wayne's World, bonus dude.
Paddy Power...
These guys go for controversy almost every time. We're not certain if they ever got on Aussie TV, and if they did, it was late at night. Many of their banned ads and promos can still be found on YouTube and other social media streaming websites. Look 'em up if you want a laugh (or want to be shocked).
JackpotCity...
The rumor mill said these guys got on late night Aussie TV about 2 years ago, for about 2 weeks. Then the ads stopped. We suspect 'Big Brother' got onto them. Not our favorite campaign or Microgaming powered casino, but they are still in business, so give the devil's their due!
PokerStars.net and The Poker Star...
In a very clever move, the Joe Hachem fronted campaign got a (not very good) reality TV program, where Blind Freddy could see Hachem was with PokerStars, which we have mixed feelings about. We think they got caught up in the Aussie blacklist caper, and Australian based companies affiliate programmes stopped working correctly. As legal eagles have pointed out, including some of our mates like Jamie at Addisons, .net often references free sites, where .com is generally for paid. That said, .net can also be used for money sites, so can .org, and .com is a global medium. Last year a considerable website portal also sold part or all of its space to PokerStars in a move that rightly upset many affiliate partners. We're not keen on the brand, but it was clever of them to get ads on TV as well as the reality show. Hachem is also one half of the new Crown Casino media campaign along with Warnie, so expect to see some ads along with some more appearances aka plugs on Network Ten's 'The 7PM Project'.
Virgin Games and Virgin Bingo...
You got to love Richard Branson (and his Bingo partner in crime mate, Ricardo Jalapeno). Last year the brains trust at Virgin cast Branson as the Mexican online bingo lover or nut. The campaign worked beautifully, and we understand Ricardo came back for seconds. Their ads has hit UK television a few times now, but as is the case with PartyGaming, if you're down under in Australia you will likely only see the full promos on YouTube. If you're a Virgin Games affiliate partners, you might also be able to see the promos in the creative section of the affiliate portal. Oh readers, if you need a refresher on what an affiliate is, read the Gambling911 articles that we have penned over the years, as we recently told Fairfax Media and News Limited. Some otherwise switched on mainstream media companies still can't totally grasp what an affiliate program is. Virgin sure know, having won the top honours at this years EGR Awards night. The current Virgin Casino mainstream media campaign comes with the tagline "The Home Of Online Slots" (we say, Yes, but not if your in the U.S, Canada, Australia or New Zealand). Can't say we're surprised that Branson and the Virgin powers that be haven't been able to sort things out with the Australian government yet. Look up the Aussie P.M's "illegal" references to 'Our Julian's' WikiLeaks, if you're trying to figure out why Virgin aren't doing online gambling in Australia at the moment. Virgin's loss is Party's, Warnie's and PKR's gain!
PKR
The popular PKR 2D or 3D (depending upon your perspective...and maybe eye glasses) was strongly rumoured a few years ago to hit mainstream TV in the form of a show. It never happened, however they do have a web TV show of sorts and are also on YouTube. They frequently get plugs in the UK FHM lad's mag, and we understand last year somehow got an advert in the Aussie version of the mag, before they stopped printing them, and went to online only. Check out our review on the website for more insider info.
Promo And Ad Winner...
PartyGaming. Great production, cut through factor, use of mainstream celebs (does Tony G and his Germany Shepherd dog count?), plugging into Crown Casino's Aussie Millions, PartyCasino major Premier League Snooker - Matchroom Sport Limited sponsorship deal in Europe, and being listed on the London Stock Exchange plus having come to financial settlement terms with the United States Department of Justice doesn't go astray either, not does their fantastic account management and customer service. They haven't won numerous Media Man and eGaming Review awards and commendations just for being nice guys. The industry needs more good guys like the PartyGaming family.
YouTube Sneak Peaks...
Want to see some promos including some no longer on TV? Look no further than YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/mediamanint and http://www.youtube.com/casinonewsmedia
One's To Watch Out For In 2011...
PartyGaming's World Poker Tour is understood to be getting a major media push along soon, perhaps waiting for the Bwin merger situation to get settled, and Caesars Entertainment (formally Harrah's Entertainment) 'World Series of Poker' is set for a big push. Both poker tournaments got mention in Australian mainstream media including on Murdoch's Foxtel television programming over the past few years, and next year should be no different.
Wrap up:
How did you like the menu selection? What's your favorite and most disliked gambling or sports betting advert, promo or campaign? Before you mention it, we know we didn't list a couple (of bad apples). If you think you have some "good apple" recommendations, list them in the forum, and we'll check them out, and they may get a mention in a future feature.
Don't be a turkey, even though Christmas is coming. If you have a bet, do so responsibly. Always bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. The surgeon general also says if gambling is becoming a problem for you, please seek professional assistance. Gambling is said to be more addictive than cigarette's, so don't smoke too much. Be good, nice, not naughty, because some Aussie PM's reckon gamers and more dangerous that bikies, so be a good citizen and do your big for positive news and PR for the gaming sector. We can also now disclose what form of news media we won't be doing again next year... the style that goes: "Thanks Corporate Media: We Couldn't Control The People Without You"! If you liked the sound of that, look up the graphic on the Media Man Int website portal in the "censorship" section. The graphics always offer some much needed comic relief, as is also the case at the world famous (or notorious) Gambling911. Please tell us if you like our tag team efforts. Also remember the old saying "Anything in moderation". Merry Christmas.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911 http://www.gambling911.com
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company
*The writer owns shares in Ten Network, Crown Limited and Virgin
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