Wolff Sports is one of the sports marketing agencies most chosen by bookmakers to advance in the Brazilian market. It was created in 2006 through the experience of Fábio Wolff, who has been working in the sports area and organizing events for 26 years, and has already closed almost two Thousand contracts in the last ten years. Pixbet, B1.bet, Esportiva.Bet, Betnacional, 1XBet, Bodog, Futwin, EsporteNetSP, Marjosports, Betmais, Betwinner, AG Club, 188Bet and Bumbet are only some of them.
For 26 years, the company has been active in the sports area and in the organization of events, in addition to providing consultancy helping in the planning, strategy, development, creation and activation of marketing for companies in the sports segment. Wolff Sports provides customized consultancy to clients regarding media, activation, promotion and relationship in football and in various sports, such as volleyball, beach volleyball, beach soccer, futsal, tennis, basketball and golf, among others.
GMB – The agency Wolff has been in the market for 15 years. What led them to gain so much recognition in the field of sports marketing?
Fábio Wolff – It is constancy and solidity in relationships and business. The work of the press office is also important. There are several things happening at the same time, with strategy and planning. This will solidify the image and obviously be ethical in the conduct of relationships. This builds the name. Today, we are one of the players in this market and it is not for nothing, due to planning, strategy and the good management of relations with all those involved.
When Wolff was born, little was said in Brazil about sports betting and today the company specializes in serving this segment, consolidating important brands in the country. Has the sector become the main focus for you?
You can't say that we specialize in betting, but a good part of the business has been through this activity. We have several other clients from various segments, but in the betting area, since 2017 or 2018, when we made the first deal, the volume has increased more and more and today we have more than ten clients in the segment. It's funny to say, because I often tell my sales team that the phone doesn't ring, but with bets, it has. So, as several bookmakers are entering the market, our name has been indicated by people who know our work and know how we serve the customer and how we activate with them. We follow the process until after-sales, which is very important. We don't leave the client unattended and this has made the phone ring at the agency, which is very good for us. Sometimes we get contacted by boomakers that we didn't even know, and that make us very happy. We hug and try to serve the best way possible.
To what do you attribute so much interest from bookmakers to the Brazilian market and the big football clubs? How to meet and understand the needs of both of them that complement each other so much?
Football is the passion of Brazilians. It's the number 1 sport outweighed by the number 2 sport. It's the vein of the betting business. So it's a pretty obvious option for bookmakers to invest in football. Our business also coincides, as 90% are related to football and 10% to other sports. So we've been sought after for advertising, brand ambassador and activation. Or even by other special actions and different from what most are doing. As I said, it's kind of an obvious and natural option. Football brings a very big return, especially from spontaneous media. It is the passion of Brazilians and that will not change for decades to come.
Which are Wolff's main partners, including bookmakers, clubs and championships? What were the most successful cases among these partners?
It is even difficult to mention names, because we are participating in a program and eventually I will forget or not say one or the other name. But we have several betting clients in the agency and we work with the vast majority of clubs in Brazil. Several cases are being built now and as I mentioned, soon we will have relevant news for the market. What I can mention as the first bookmaker's client was with Bumbet, which later started using the name Bodog, in which we made an occasional sponsorship with Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto (SP). Then came several other deals, for example with 1XBET for the Brazilian championships of Série A and Série B. This championship brings excellent visibility. Brands need to have brand awareness, as they are entering the market and want to become known. This is the main objective, to be the first option that comes to mind when someone decides to place a bet and the brand appears as the first option. It's what we call being in the share of mind. Football is wonderful in that sense because it covers all ages and classes, being very democratic. This is what we conquered, for example, with 1XBET in the Brasileirão Serie A and B.
We have cases that are being carried out, with sponsors in Avaí, Ituano, Inter de Limeira, CSA in Alagoas. We will soon announce a master sponsorship of a great team. Finally, we have ambassadors, who have been highly sought after by bookmakers. We have already closed some deals, including those that we have already announced, including Zico as a poster boy for PixBet. We are closing others and a few days ago we signed a new contract with an ambassador for a bookmaker that will soon be announced. So, the business is on fire as regulation moves towards making the market effective. Companies are increasingly looking to invest more. And those who are waiting for the definitive regulation look at Brazil with a separate budget. For us, that's great.
And is it still a barrier for more bookmakers to present themselves to the Brazilian market due to the lack of regulation, which should happen even before the World Cup?
Today I have seen a race. It's a marathon, not a 100 meter sprint. Bookmakers who understood that it would be putting money into a 100-meter race have already fallen by the wayside. Those who understand that it is a marathon and it needs relevant investment, correct strategies, good planning and patience, as we have been following this for four years, are already having a strategic advantage over the others. They are positioning themselves in the market in a different way and entering the minds of consumers. When the market is in fact 100% regulated, [the bookmakers] will have a competitive edge. This fact may lead to some that are not on the market to try to buy them. We should see some mergers and acquisitions in the coming months.
How much have bookmakers invested in advertising and marketing in the last year and what is the forecast for 2022?
It is difficult to say an exact number. When it comes to advertising, it is something very broad, as we do not have access to TV and digital contracts. But if we take the case of Sportingbet, which bought a share in Globo, it would worth R$ 330 million (US$ 65m). Depending on the agency that made the purchase, there is a greater discount. It bought the rights to the Brazilian championships of the series A and B. I don't know the values, but I would guess something around R$ 60 million (US$ 11.8m). So just for these two cases we are talking about a company that invested something around R$ 340 or 350 million (US$ 67 - 69m). It is one of the companies that has invested the most and added to what the others are doing, I will not be wrong to say that we have more than R$ 1 billion (US$ 197m) in advertising in the market, including sponsorships and arena properties on the market.
It's a value that can grow maybe twice with regulation!
Quietly. What I hear is that we are talking about a market that moves between R$ 12 and R$ 14 billion (US$ 2.37 - 2.75bln), with regulation and several actions being authorized, something that still does not happen today, we should easily double or triple the investment of these companies in the Brazilian market. It is an oasis and companies know it. This race, in which many companies are ahead, continues. So, many, many investments will come to our market and the entire ecosystem will benefit from it.
Of course, this depends on the budget, project and strategy that each company will adopt, but what would be the main products for bookmakers? Clubs, championships, athletes, naming rights?
Within football are those points you mentioned. There is the possibility of doing sports advertising, which is the mere exposure of the brand, like what happens in the Brasileirão, in the A and B series, with signs, LEDs and mats. It's advertising, like you're buying 30 seconds on a TV station. There is the possibility of sponsoring a championship that has other counterparts. The Copa do Brasil does this very well, in which there are several counterparts, such as digital activation, tickets and relationship. The same goes for when you close a sponsorship contract with a football team. The uniform is one of the counterparts, but there are others, such as visibility, relationships, activations, experiences that can be provided to the bettor, such as knowing the backstage of a football club. I usually say that working with sport, the sky is the limit. There is a lot of emotion and passion. A little creativity and good will is important for the betting company. They should not put all their money into the sponsorship, leaving a budget to activate the sponsorship. Clubs are a media bazooka and carry millions of social media followers and fans.
Another possibility is to have brand ambassadors. Especially in 2022, demand has been bigger than supply. I have already mentioned Sportingbet, which has exclusive rights to the Brasileirão in series A and B. No other betting company will have any kind of visibility in what we call arena properties, which is what happens around the field. So, other companies that want to have visibility in the same championship will sponsor a club or hire an athlete or former athlete and creatively launch content on social networks, bring the ambassador to events and carry out promotional actions with him. Anyway, I repeat that the offer has not been sufficient for what the market has demanded. What has happened in some cases is the cancellation of contracts, which were made in the past and were not as relevant as the values that are circulating in the market today. They are being overthrown after a review of the termination agreement. There are two, three or four betting companies wanting to occupy the same place. It's crazy good what's happening in the market.
So the Brasileirão championship will have to go from 20 to 30 clubs!
The championship is very good, along with the Copa do Brasil. They are the two main championships in Brazil, but as you mentioned, there are naming rights. There are several regional championships and I have seen many brands investing in them. 1XBET, for example, has done this a lot. And I've also seen championships that haven't blocked the segment. It is possible to see more than one betting company in the same championship, which can cause a certain strangeness at first, but then everything goes on normally. This is our reality today.
Do these strategies go in that direction, for customer engagement and brand reinforcement?
No doubt. They want the market's attention. Some are national in scope and others are regional. Each one has its specific strategy and everyone is running after it to try to be as effective as possible for when the market is 100% regulated to enjoy and dance the best dance in the best way possible.
Since you mentioned that, do you believe in a brief regulation of betting and legalization of other aspects of gaming in Brazil?
I'm not the right person to talk about this, but I follow the comments of people and professionals who are in the sector, like lawyers and consultants. It is difficult to make any kind of statement in a country where things are not so clear. The approval of the gambling law in the Chamber of Deputies is something positive and shows that we are moving towards the market being in fact regulated. Now, to say if this will take a few months or if there will be some mishap, only time will tell.
Source: Exclusive GMB
