‘TAB is being re-born’: Betting platform reads national mood in brand shift
Betting and wagering platform TAB has launched a major new marketing campaign and rebrand, shifting its focus from horse racing to a ‘Great Debate’ about Australia’s national sport.
The high energy campaign, created in collaboration with OMD Create and The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, champions Aussies from all walks of life, debating what Australia’s national sport really is.
Jenni Barnett, TAB chief customer officer, said while the campaign will air nationally, it would not ‘bombard’ the market during family viewing times.
Earlier this year, polling found that the vast majority of Aussies support a proposed ban on gambling ads, following recommendations from a parliamentary inquiry.
“At TAB we’ve had a very clear position that families shouldn’t be bombarded with gambling advertising and we’ve advocated really strongly for a reduction in gambling advertising on free-to-air television,” said Barnett. “We won’t be airing the campaign in the early evening when families are watching their favourite shows and we’re been really deliberate in making the campaign a conversation about sport rather than gambling. That’s really important to us.”
Barnett said the campaign is sure to get the nation talking: “There’s no bigger debate in sport than what is our national sport? Everyone has an opinion and this campaign taps into that.
“For TAB, our national sport is sport. Everything we do at TAB is about creating the ultimate customer experience for sports fans. This campaign celebrates that and also unveils our fresh, new branding which will be rolled our nationally.”
The campaign and rebrand aims to attract a new customer audience to the brand, according to general manager of brand and marketing, Vanessa Sanford.
“We’re starting a conversation and we’ve been blown away by the engagement from customers and sports fans, everyone has an opinion,” she said. “This is more than an advertisement – it’s a national debate.”
Sanford continued: “TAB is being re-born in this campaign…TAB is not ditching the famous green, but we’re certainly going to have more fun with many more shade of green.”
Some of the Aussie debaters featured in the new spot
On the rebrand, Barnett said the company is undergoing a rapid transformation.
“TAB, the only major Australian owned wagering company, continues to be loved by punters of all ages and interests. But I think it’s clear we’ve needed to modernise and move with the times including our digital experiences, giving customers what they want faster and our marketing strategy. Racing is what we know and love, but we love all sports,” she said. “Changing perception of the full depth of the TAB offering is what we need to do in an inclusive way. We love the new fresh direction.”
Chief creative officer of The Monkeys, Tara Ford, said: “This refresh for TAB is a fun homage to our passionate, sport-obsessed nation. Even though it’s lighthearted, the debate is real.
“We are finding many Aussies take the question of national sport, very seriously,” Ford continued. “We are looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds, knowing TAB is here for it all.”
As part of the campaign, TAB has invited every Australian to participate in the debate via a voting system on its website.
The TAB website invites Aussies to vote
Nick Hurley, director of sport partnerships at OMD Create, said: “This has been a fantastic collaboration across the agency village, TAB’s suite of assets and our incredible media partner. The engagement achieved in the first week of the campaign has surpassed expectations and shows how passionate and engaged Australians are with sport and the TAB brand.”
Credits:
Client: TAB
Media agency: OMD
Creative agency: Accenture Song
Director: Nick Ball
Production company: Finch
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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topics
Jenni Barnett
Nick Hurley
OMD Create
TAB
Tara Ford
The Great Debate
The Monkeys
Vanessa Sanford
Where was the lamb chop?
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A very flashy misdirect. Don’t believe the hype.
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Tab ads online today are weaponising an appallingly misconceived anti-betting warning “Imagine what you could be buying instead” [if you won].
Roll on a ban.
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