As the NFL kicks off its 2023-24 season, online sportsbook DraftKings is debuting a campaign that takes advantage of fantasy football mania and fans’ enthusiasm to feel like they are in on the action. The star-studded play comes as sports-betting competition is expected to ramp up, with companies capitalizing on a category that attracted $93.2 billion in bets last year, according to estimates from the American Gaming Association.
Launching Aug. 21, DraftKings’ latest marketing blitz builds on a previous effort that laddered into a Super Bowl ad starring Kevin Hart as the comedian acts incredulous at the deals DraftKings is offering. This year’s campaign ropes in other celebrities (notably retired football players) to help Hart get the message across.
“What we really saw resonate last year was [Hart’s] lighthearted humor and that witty comedy that enabled us to bring to life the exciting promotions that we have to offer in a really simple way,” said Stephanie Sherman, chief marketing officer of DraftKings. “As we were thinking about ways to continue to add into the campaign with something new, we wanted to consider how we could best bring to life some of that excitement.”
In the first spot of the new push, Hart contends DraftKings is “spoiling” him with offers like receiving $200 instantly after placing a $5 bet. He asks retired NFL “smart guy” (and Harvard graduate) Ryan Fitzpatrick to break it down.
“Just place your bet, and your bonus bets appear instantly in your account, like magic,” says Fitzpatrick. He brings it home by concluding with one of his famous catchphrases: “Like Fitz-magic.”
The campaign also introduces a new tagline, “The crown is yours,” which will be deployed across all of the company’s channels. While making reference to the brand’s royalty-themed name, the new tagline is part of a larger customer-centric approach to DraftKings’ marketing, Sherman said.
“Our intentions here are to focus and orient around the customer,” Sherman said. “We’re communicating around the promise and the thrill and excitement that we know our players get from engaging with our product.”
Expansion play
Football season is a key time for online sportsbooks, which is understandable since the category grew out of Americans’ love of fantasy football. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel started as fantasy football platforms where individuals could compete against friends and strangers alike for bragging rights and cash prizes.
“We have had a longstanding partnership with the NFL as you think about sports betting and fantasy,” Sherman said. “As you think about the number of games and engagement across it and other sports, the NFL season is a key and critical moment for us.”
In the wake of a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that put the legality of sports betting on the states, rather than on the federal government, the fantasy league apps quickly morphed into platforms that would enable convenient sports betting. Since that ruling, online sports gambling has grown into an $8 billion industry. DraftKings is available in 21 states, representing approximately 44% of the U.S. population. That explosive growth has resulted in some changes to the company’s marketing strategy.
“As we think about our marketing strategy, the way we’re thinking about it is leaning more into a national scale, though we will always have local components as part of our buys,” Sherman said. “We’re able to better connect with our audience on a national scale when we think about engaging with our players and creating efficiencies across our various properties.”
That expanded national presence has enabled DraftKings and its competitors (most notably FanDuel) to take out higher-profile advertising. DraftKings will also face fresh competition in the near future as Disney throws its hat in the sports-betting ring. ESPN last week inked a deal with Penn Entertainment to rebrand Penn’s existing sportsbook as ESPN Bet. The offering will be the exclusive sportsbook of the network.
Both DraftKings and FanDuel had strong presences at the Super Bowl, with DraftKings running a star-studded commercial with Hart (along with an activation around betting on Molson Coors’ first spot at the game in more than 20 years). That sort of high-profile, buzz-worthy marketing will continue throughout this season.
“In and around the NFL launch and the Super Bowl are exciting moments for us, in terms of both acquisition and general engagement,” Sherman said. “We’ll continue to focus on retired players as we think about NFL and activation and bringing that to life in engaging ways to connect with Kevin and our promotions.”
