Last week we were banging on about the idea that online bingo companies may want to ease up on the jostling for advertising space, for fear of alienating their players. This week, we have managed to receive reports of ITV Bingo coming a little under fire for their recent marketing campaign to relaunch the brand, and the news that Tombola Bingo has had it’s knuckle’s wrapped (AGAIN!) for it’s latest TV advert, which has been banned by the ASA for conforming to some negative racial stereotypes.
Which got us thinking – with all the criticism over ad’s from some of our favourite online bingo operators, just how important is a good advert to getting players to sign up to an online bingo site? And just how much attention should online bingo companies pay to the press surrounding their press?!
The reports of ITV Bingo showed a less than inspiring reaction to what could be considered a less than inspiring ad. A woman jumps from the TV to her local bingo hall, with the premise being that ITV Bingo allows you to seamlessly combine the two. And the recent Tombola ad came under heavy fire due to its character Tito, who the ASA took to symbolising a very outdated idea of
In both cases, we think that the reaction was a little harsh, but a little justified as well. In effect, both adverts came under fire because they were “lazy” – resorting to stereotypes that were more than a little outdated. Many woman do not have to juggle the seemingly hectic demands of running to a bingo club or watching TV (with online bingo being around for quite a few years now, it’s fair to say, most have discovered you can combine both with catch-up TV and a laptop…) and the racial relationship in the Tombola Bingo advert harked back to an outdated mentality that however innocent in idea, can cause offence.
And we think it is these accusations of outdatedness that make it crucial for a bingo company to get their advertising right. With so many online bingo operators around – and with the list continually growing as more and more try to jump on the online bingo bandwagon – online bingo operators need to communicate more than ever what sets them apart from the rest of the pack.
Whether it’s through establishing characters (the most obvious being Foxy Bingo’s infamous Travolta esque Fox) or through establishing a great brand tone of voice that can be easily associated with the brand (see the recent newcomer Tea and Bingo, or Posh Bingo’s recent ad’s for quirky advertising that seems to capture the spirit of each brand) a bad advert can mean big business when it comes to online bingo.
Like their promotions, it has never been a more vital time for an online bingo company to stand out from the rest of the competition. With the battlelines now encompassing player retention amidst a growing number of competitors, it could well be that online bingo companies are going to have to pull out all the stops to keep their players happy – and advertising may well be a small factor to consider, but it can sure make or break an online bingo company.
