Dive Brief:

• Sports-betting company FanDuel released its first national campaign on Aug. 28, per an announcement emailed to Marketing Dive. The effort is led by a 60-second ad titled "Anthem" which invokes a list of typical occurrences in sports — such as "tackle," "hit" and "save" — behind the tagline "Make Every Moment More." 
• The campaign will ramp to include three national spots plus an additional five ads containing NFL-specific imagery that will run regionally in the 10 states where FanDuel offers mobile betting. The creative will span TV, mobile, digital and out-of-home channels.
• The national push sees FanDuel promoting mainstream awareness of its brand while it capitalizes on growth of its business and the betting industry at large. The campaign was created with agency Wieden+Kennedy.

Dive Insight:

FanDuel's first national campaign seeks to reach mainstream audiences as the company builds out its sports gaming brand. The campaign includes national spots plus regional sportsbook ads that feature NFL imagery as the company takes advantage of the league's recent decision to allow up to six sportsbook commercials per game. This is Wieden+Kennedy's debut work for FanDuel, which is owned by bookmaking holding company Flutter Entertainment.

The tagline of the campaign's spots, "Make Every Moment More," illustrates FanDuel's goal to position itself more centrally within the sports viewing experience. By emphasizing moments over results, the company is nodding to its ability to offer bets on a range of events that happen in any given game, from prop bets on individual statistics to more traditional over/under bets on total points scored. The national spots also feature golfer and brand ambassador Jordan Spieth, as well as occurrences across a variety of sports, further demonstrating FanDuel's diverse offerings.

The company is appealing to mainstream audiences as sports gambling becomes more widely accepted in the U.S. Thanks to a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that gave states the power to legalize sports betting, more states have gradually adopted the practice, with many others showing interest. Participation in online sports betting has also increased, spurring tailwinds during the pandemic as more people spent time at home and online.

Marketing opportunities around sports betting have caught the attention of organizations like the NFL, which in April announced partnerships with three sports-betting brands, including FanDuel. The league is expected to announce four additional partners in the near future, per Bloomberg. The NFL's media partners, such as ESPN and Fox, also have joined in on betting content, presenting possibilities for future tie-ups with sportsbook operators.

FanDuel's national push to promote its brand comes after a year and a half of substantial growth. FanDuel increased its U.S. annual revenue 81% in 2020 and expanded its sportsbook offerings to four additional states. U.S. revenue for the first half of 2021 rose 159% compared to H1 2020, per the company's most recent earnings report. Over 13 million U.S. customers now use FanDuel's platform, according to the announcement.

FanDuel has made other moves to build out its marketing potential. The company in July announced Wieden+Kennedy as its lead creative agency, per the announcement, and in January tapped former AB InBev marketer Andrew Sneyd as its senior vice president of brand.