Ladbrokes Australia names new CMO as James Burnett moves to new pastures
Betting giant Ladbrokes has named a new chief marketing officer with former Australis College CMO Simon Jarvis joining the company to replace the outgoing James Burnett.
Jarvis helped build the Australis brand into one of the fastest growing registered training organisations in Australia and has also worked in Automotive, FMCG and sports marketing.
Brands Jarvis has been involved with include Hahn Super Dry, Saab, Coon, Dare Iced Coffee and Telstra.
Burnett leaves the role at Labrokes after three years, having joined when the business was Gaming Investments.
Following the acquisition of the company by Ladbrokes in 2013, Burnett was tasked with introducing the brand to Australian punters, with a particular focus on luring men over 35.
Ladbrokes framed its marketing around a cockney personality with early success, before drafting in the voice of actor Gary Sweet more recently.
The drive has seen the business to grow to become the third largest sports betting company in Australia.
“The decision to use (cockney actor) Jamie Kristian was polarising but the results proved it to be correct,” Burnett said.
“He gave us a unique voice in a cluttered market and the target audience, men 18 to 35 loved him and the ‘Lock, Stock’ style of ads we produced.”
During Burnett’s tenure the company also rolled out the Ladbrokes card in a world and category first.
Simon Canning
Congrats Simon well deserved. A great brand in a very competitive market that seems to be growing every year. I’m sure you’ll take Ladbrokes to very relevant heights!
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Burnett did a great job getting cut through. I think it’ll take a while for me to stop saying “Bet Better” in a cockney accent.
I am eager to see what Jarvis will do in the role.
Jarvis looks like he comes from a strong creative background, he’s got his work cut out for him in market where everyone is shouting though.
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Loved the work that James developed for Ladbrokes.
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James has done a marvellous job at Ladbrokes. Big loss for them, who have also hired someone with no category experience.
Wouldn’t be surprised if William Hill has poached him to run its Australian operation, as Tom Waterhouse is doing a terrible job.
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James did a great job building the Ladbrokes brand in Australia! Interested to see where he pops up next!
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Congratulations to Simon Jarvis on his new role. I’m sure he will do a great job. James can leave Ladbrokes tremendously proud of what he achieved over the past three years, establishing Ladbrokes as a major wagering player in an extremely competitive market. A unique approach to creative and campaign development was adopted – with exceptional results, not to mention the creation of new products and initiatives not seen in the market before. Ladbrokes is in a good position to continue to go from strength to strength.
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Looking forward to seeing where James pops up next. Did a great job at Ladbrokes, was a pretty handy neighbour and even the oldest Bronte clubbies thought he looked magic in sluggos. See you in Sydney mate..!
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Congratulations Simon! I know you going to be a great asset for Ladbrokes. Looking forward to what you do.
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Congratulations to Simon Jarvis on his new role. He will do a great job for Ladbrokes….looking forward to seeing new and fresh creative customer campaigns .
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