Ladbrokes Debuts Rocky Ad
British sportsbook Ladbrokes has launched an eye-catching new TV advert, featuring the iconic film character, Rocky. The audacious ad used state of the art VFX to superimpose a fresh cast of supporters following Sylvester Stallone’s character in his famous running montage. The new ad comes shortly after Entain, owner of the Ladbrokes brand, received the Gambling Commission’s biggest fine to date.
The steps leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art are now recognized as a cultural icon, after featuring in the 1976 movie. ©Kelly/Pexels
Rags to Riches Story
Leading betting and gaming brand Ladbrokes has launched a brand-new TV advert, as part of its “We Play Together” campaign. The ad comes as the second installment in the already successful campaign, which was launched last summer following the EURO 2020 Championships.
The new ad centers around an iconic moment in cinema history, Rocky Balboa’s famous training montage. Entain, the operator behind Ladbrokes, collaborated with creative agency Neverland to produce the innovative advert. The ad has been described as a “first-of-its-kind” in the UK, thanks to its use of cutting-edge VFX motion capture.
In a clever twist on the legendary movie scene, a cast of 250 costumed actors was brought in to accompany Rocky on his run to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The cast, consisting of sports people, drummers, drag queens, dancers, horse riders, gymnasts and more, marks the biggest character replacement in Hollywood history.
A team of specialists went through the original film footage, digitally removing all of the original cast except for Rocky in the running scene. They then mapped out locations and camera movements to enable the new set of characters to be seamlessly imposed.
The new crowd was filmed at Origo Studios in Budapest, in a 95 meter by 50 meter studio. Members of the cast ran across a set which was built to exactly match the scale and dimensions of the locations that Rocky runs through in the film. Included in the set was a recreation of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.
The ad was produced by Danish director Nicolai Fugslig. The director has previously worked on the well-known Guinness Sapeurs and Sony Bravia Balls adverts. Further campaign developments have been created to accompany the Rocky TV ad. The English Session Orchestra recorded a new version of the original film’s “Gonna Fly Now” theme tune, with vocals sung by the London Voices Choir.
Innovative Campaign
The ad, which is by far Ladbrokes’ most ambitious to date, has already garnered praise from the press. Little Black Book selected the ad as its “Editors Pick”, while CampaignLive named it “Ad of the Week”. Jon Forsyth, founder of Neverland, acted as Executive Creative Director on the campaign. He was delighted with the final results, stating:
“This is the most audacious and exciting creative idea I’ve ever been a part of. I can’t even begin to convey the amount of time, craft and skill that has gone into making this. It sets a new benchmark in film making and I take my red headband off to the talent who have made this crazy idea a reality. Knock out.”
Neverland has been working with Ladbrokes since 2021, during which time it created the Balloon and Drummers ads for the sportsbook. Its latest ad was launched on August 19th, ahead of the Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk fight, as part of a media campaign carried out by the7stars.
TV viewers will see the ad aired during flagship entertainment programs, including Gogglebox, House of the Dragon and The Last Leg, as well as during Premier League fixtures on Sky and BT Sport. The ad will also be aired on YouTube. A behind the scenes film was created to offer an insight into the mammoth scale of the production.
The 90-second ad is just one element of Ladbrokes’ campaign to highlight its “World of Play”. Digital and social activations will be utilized to bring the campaign to life, including Snapchat Lens enabled posters. The rerecorded theme song will also feature in a series of audio ads.
Crouch Stars in Paddy Power Ad
The new ad highlights a growing trend in the field of gambling advertising. As the industry prepares for incoming regulatory changes, which are likely to affect advertising rules, operators are keen to rebrand themselves as purveyors of entertainment. The Rocky ad does not depict gambling, and its tagline “We Play Together” is deliberately ambiguous.
Paddy Power’s latest ad takes a more humorous approach, depicting football star Peter Crouch in a series of romcom inspired moments. The bookmaker is well-known for its tongue-in-cheek ads, which have occasionally landed it in hot water with the Advertising Standards Agency. Speaking about his experience filming the ad, Crouch said:
“I’ve gotten up close and personal with plenty of refs in my time, but never quite as intimately as this. The fun me and Clatts had making this ad could only be rivaled by moshing to Kasabian with Sean Dyche at the Isle of Wight festival. I’ve got nothing but admiration for him and his colleagues… but mostly Clatts after he nailed that Dirty Dancing lift on the first take.”
Ladbrokes’ new TV ad comes shortly after it was revealed that parent company Entain has been hit with the Gambling Commission’s biggest financial penalty to date. The operator must pay a record £17 million settlement after anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures were uncovered at its online and high-street businesses.
The UK gambling watchdog recorded a series of shortcomings dating from December 2019 to October 2020. Conditions have been placed on the operator’s license, and it must carry out a third-party audit within the next twelve months. The fine comes as the regulator’s biggest to date, owing to the fact that this is the second time that Entain has fallen foul of the rules.
Entain has responded to the Commission’s action, confirming that it has reached a regulatory settlement. It pointed out that no evidence of criminal spend was found, and that it has since introduced extensive safer gambling and AML improvements. Earlier this year, GamCare awarded it the Advanced Safer Gambling Standard.
