Bwin Interactive Entertainment: POKER ISLAND

Credits & Description:

Type of Entry: Product & Service


Category: Travel, Entertainment & Leisure


Title: POKER ISLAND


Advertiser/Client: BWIN


Product/Service: ONLINE POKER


Entrant Company: MPG ITALIA Milan, ITALY


Advertising Agency: ARNOLD WORLDWIDE ITALY Milan, ITALY


Media Agency: MPG ITALIA Milan, ITALY


Creative Credits


Name Company Position


Maurizio Bertoli MPG Client Service Director/Buying Vp


Guido Surci Havas Media Vp Strategy/Development


Maurizio Maresca Arnold Ceo


Federica Casagrande Sky Italia Marketing Dept.


Paolo Troilo Arnold Art Director


Alessandro Sabini Arnold Copywriter


Details


Results and Effectiveness:


Our gamble paid off. The event generated a huge presence both on main and niche poker sites as well as online TV guides and stations covering poker tournaments: • 720,000 impressions, 70% men • Viewers spent an average of 20 minutes engaging with the brand • 350,000 players in the online tournament • Over 27,500 online games • Bwin market share increased from 3.6% to 6.5% with just 2% share of investment vs. the competition • The Poker Island audience was 62% higher than the SkySport average


Creative Execution:


We developed an online tournament – Bwin Poker Island Challenge – that became a casting call for a chance to play on the ultimate stage: a Mediterranean villa on an island paradise, complete with an infinity pool. We turned the challenge into a hit reality TV show Poker Island. TV cameras followed the eight finalists on their exclusive championship weekend, transforming them into stars of their own poker program. Six one-hour episodes were part of Sky Italia’s sports schedule. During the day players battled it out for the final prize of a spot in the reputed Aussie Millions Poker Championship. But at night they played hard enjoying adventures, nightlife and the in-house chef. Our unique online/offline tournament was promoted through TV, Internet and print. Poker Island aired December 5th, 2008 - January 12, 2009 as Bwin’s logo maintained maximum visibility throughout the program and on all TV guides.


Insights, Strategy and the Idea:


Online poker was legalized in Italy in September 2008. Due to widespread publicity, offline poker grew from 480,000 players in 2007 to 970,000 in 2008. Online poker is estimated to grow to 4.3 million as legalization welcomes more less-talented players. Bwin is the world’s largest online gaming organization offering 30,000 daily bets in over 90 sports. But Italy’s marketplace was flooded with competition well ahead of Bwin. Our challenges were to promote Bwin poker and recruit gamers with a budget much smaller than the competitors. We targeted young men 18-34 who play poker regardless of skill and who use the Internet to find deals, buy tickets and make purchases. They get a kick from testing their skills, but what really seduces them is the lure of the bluff and the glamour associated with the poker world. We gave them the chance to learn from pros and play big style in paradise.