Dive Brief:
- Caesars Sportsbook, the online betting arm of casino giant Caesars Entertainment, on Wednesday launched “We’ve Had Some Work Done,” a new campaign that showcases recent changes to its mobile app and user experience, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- NFL legend Clay Matthews appears in ads with an over-the-top makeover that features exaggerated features and overinflated muscles. The 15- and 30-second spots will roll out nationally across TV, digital, social and other marketing channels throughout football season.
- Matthews’ outré styling is a nod to a “looksmaxxing” trend around improving physical appearance that has taken certain parts of the internet by storm. The makeover was teased by TMZ and went viral in the days leading up to the campaign launch.
Dive Insight:
Caesars Sportsbook’s new campaign is timed to the start of the NFL season, which kicks off tonight, and Clay Matthews’ Sept. 10 debut as a Netflix sportscaster. Ads show off the makeovers of both Matthews and the sportsbook app as the five-year old offering looks to break through in a crowded sports gambling space dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel.
“The Caesars Sportsbook app today is vastly different from the one we launched in 2021. We knew it wasn't enough to simply tell bettors we've improved. We needed an unforgettable campaign that made the evolution impossible to miss and gave bettors a reason to take another look,” Samira Zebian, senior vice president for digital brand marketing and strategy at Caesars Sportsbook, said in a statement.
The ads focus on Caesars Sportsbook’s improved design, new rewards and features like Flex Parlays — along with Matthews’ ridiculous jawline and calf implants. “We’ve Had Some Work Done” was created in partnership with minority-owned, full-service creative agency Fellow Kids and produced by Hungry Man. Directed by Dave Laden, the spots rely on prosthetics and makeup by special effects studio Legacy Effects — not artificial intelligence or digital filters.
“When we heard how much Caesars Sportsbook had revamped their app, it was clear they’d had a ton of work done. So we wanted to tell the world in the most memorable way possible,” said Neal Desai, co-founder and executive creative director at Fellow Kids, in a statement.
The campaign was teased by TMZ ahead of launch to build online buzz and speculation about Matthews’ new look. Similar earned media tactics have been used in recent years for CeraVe’s Michael Cera campaign and other Super Bowl efforts.
The looksmaxxing trend has cropped up in so-called manosphere circles on the internet and popularized by controversial influencers like Clavicular, but it has also been a source for parody across pop culture. “Maxxing” has also been applied to actions like eating protein, which itself was parodied by challenger brand Purely Elizabeth.
