The campaign will incorporate digital, social, and out-of-home components and is “squarely targeted at the millennial and the 21+ Gen Z customer who certainly view sports and sports betting differently than older generations have,” said John Koller, chief marketing officer, Hard Rock Digital.
The first work is expected to debut in Florida later this year and expand to other markets in 2022. According to Hard Rock’s website, the sportsbook already exists in New Jersey and Iowa and is expected to be available in Florida and Indiana soon.
While specific creative direction was not disclosed, it's clear Hard Rock Digital will not be your father's sportsbook. “The digital world is changing rapidly, and in particular, the online sports betting category is increasingly where millennial sports fans live. For the launch of Hard Rock Sportsbook, we needed to collaborate with partners with strong strategic insights, creative rigor, and feet firmly planted within sports culture," Koller said in a statement.
“During the pitch, we looked primarily for an agency that would connect emotively with the millennial and 21+ Gen Z target audience, rather than just throwing a bunch of offers at the customer and basing the campaign only on fanship, which is so common across the category,” he added.
“We needed an agency that shared that more inclusive view and we know that Droga5 will be that agency that helps us build that foundation with sports fans,” Koller concluded.
“Hard Rock Sportsbook’s launch represents a whole new chapter for the brand, and we’re excited to bring its innovation and vision to the forefront,” Scott Bell, ECD, Droga5 New York said in a statement. “There’s incredible potential for Hard Rock Digital to play a role in modern culture at the intersection of sports, entertainment and technology, and we’re looking forward to creating fun work that engages sports fans and sports bettors everywhere.”
However, there appear to be some legal hurdles for online sportsbooks in the Sunshine State. The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times have reported on court challenges by casino owners to halt online sports betting in Florida. The lawsuits were filed after the state entered into a compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that permitted anyone in the state over the age of 21 to place and collect online bets on sporting events starting October 15. One of the lawsuits claims that the Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the Department of the Interior acted outside of their powers in allowing the compact to come into law.
While the Seminole Tribe has the legal authority to begin sports betting on the original October date, according to Action Network there will be a hearing on the issue on November 5. Koller declined to comment on the pending lawsuits or an official launch date in Florida.
Source: GMB
