GMB - We would like you to talk a little about DL7 and Grupo Klefer, which is presented at ICE London and has a long journey in the field of sports marketing and has been acting strongly in the issue of sponsorship of football bookmakers.
Fernando Paz - DL7 is Klefer's commercial arm and arose from a market demand where a team was set up to be the missing ally in the group's gear and also to help rights owners raise funds for their projects always with the owner in mind, qualifying the sale of their assets as if they were ours
Klefer is one of the main players in the sports and entertainment market on the continent and this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. When it comes to sponsorship, product construction, branding and digital work, we were pioneers in Brazil in the sports universe.
In these four decades, we were responsible for several competitions such as the Brazilian Championship, Copa America, World Cup Qualifiers, Super Clássico das Américas, Copa do Brasil (2015 to 2022) and partnerships with the main clubs in the country. In addition, the first sponsorship of a football shirt in the country was brokered by us, which was the 25-year partnership between Lubrax and Flamengo. And, in terms of entertainment, we were one of those responsible for the Rolling Stones mega show on Copacabana beach in 2006.
Started in 2016, before the boom we are experiencing today in this market, we see our work with the betting market as a natural movement. As one of the biggest investors, as well as breweries, telephony groups, companies want and need partners who know the market and, in addition to representing them, know, in fact, the paths, opportunities, connect assets and aggregate value in the macro aligned with the main objectives.
What can Grupo Klefer add to sports and bookmakers in Brazil?
I would say, mainly, solidity. Almost all of this market is based in other countries and we know how our market is peculiar and often difficult to navigate. Many of the houses see us as a safe place to guide their investments and execute their contracts in sport, given our experience and penetration in this field. It's like having a friend living in another country who will take you to the right places to visit in your hometown.
Marketing is the tool that drives the operation of bookmakers in Brazil. How do you evaluate what has been done in this regard?
The sports betting market had the beginning of its true marketing boom in 2021. Many brands bet on the purchase of visibility assets as a focus on this search for authority and brand awareness and ended up not having a solid and clear strategy in the long term.
Some players have learned from this and we are already seeing a change in behavior: less aggressive and more careful, judicious. Those that will achieve greater prominence; and that goes for any segment, not just betting, they are the ones that carry out the most remarkable actions for their audience. The bottom line in marketing is people, and people are driven by feelings. Visibility alone will not guarantee you a top of mind.
Returning to the subject of regulation, it will be a great challenge for brands to adapt to future new rules within the reality of marketing and, also, with the entry of large, globally established brands that are waiting for the regulatory movement to enter Brazil.
We are very hopeful for what is to come and ready for these challenges that come along with it.
Brazil is already considered one of the most important markets in the iGaming area. How does the Klefer Group position itself at the intersection of sport and gambling?
One of Klefer's main characteristics over the years has been our ability to create and innovate, so we always encourage our customers not to just stop at asset acquisition. Okay, you got that sponsorship, but now what? What do you do with it? Visibility alone is not enough to stand out in such a crowded environment with hundreds of brands. For this reason, Klefer works continuously side by side with its customers so that we can, together, activate and extract the most from all contracts.
THREE SUCCESS CASES FOR SPORTS BETTING COMPANIES
Craque do Jogo (Bodog) + Copa Do Brasil
In 2017, during the management of the Copa do Brasil project, we created the Craque do Jogo asset. In a pioneering way, the action consisted of real-time voting, in an exclusive partnership with Twitter, by users and with the award being given to the player while still on the pitch. All this was reverberated on digital with an extensive production of content on the competition's official profiles, with numerous activations that were related to the asset and the market, such as, for example, lineups and statistics in real time.
Created with a commercial focus on opportunities for the betting market, the movement was a real success and was signed by a company in the segment during a long period of our management, drawing attention not only to the asset, but also to the relevance of the whole.
Sofa em Campo (Sportsbet.Io) + São Paulo
In 2022, during a São Paulo F.C. match, we activated Sportsbet.io's sponsorship of the club and the competition, Copa do Brasil, with a unique experience for celebrity guests and customers.
Upon arriving at the stadium, they were surprised by the brand and invited to watch directly from the pitch, very close to their idols, behind one of the goals, with all the comfort of a sponsor's personalized sofa.
Platincasino entry in Brazil
In 2023, we were responsible for the first actions of the European brand Platincasino in the country. With a strong connection with the universe of MMA, we carried out all the strategy and execution in the same period of the first UFC edition in the country in the year, held in Rio de Janeiro.
With actions on the main beaches and bars in Rio, and also on social networks, influencers and fighters publicized the brand on a large scale, with gifts, personalized actions and special promotions on the platform.
After the day of the fight, the sponsored fighters paid a visit to a Sports Center for residents of the Santa Marta community, where they held an open class. It was so successful that Platincasino became a regular sponsor of the Institute and will help train young people in the region.
PRESENT AND FUTURO OF THE BRAZILIAN SPORTS BETTING MARKET
By holding rights to important championships, such as the Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa América and some state championships, what are the milestones that Klefer reached in this ecosystem?
Result and credibility. We have no doubt that our transparency, our close way of working with clients, partners, clubs, athletes, federations and any other agent in the sports universe has qualified us to be at the level we are today.
We stand out for our ability to create, deliver and delight. Always way above the promised and with impeccable quality. Today, anyone who sees one of our products on the market knows that it is different from the rest.
Our portfolio would not be more than just a history of projects if we hadn't been very careful and committed to each delivery and the intelligence to identify trends, solutions and opportunities by and for the market.
We position ourselves as, in fact, the largest sports marketing company in Brazil, with a remarkable presence throughout Latin America, helping, in the process, hundreds of brands to reach their audiences and achieve significant results in their respective markets.
How do you see the sports betting market in Brazil and Latin America?
The market grows and gains space in the media, among consumers, in competitions, players and the entire sporting universe in general. It is a segment that moves a very large volume of money and must be seen and analyzed with great care.
At the same time that it is gaining strength, the saturation of the market is also notorious in relation to the number of bookmaker brands that appear day after day. There is still a maturation stage to go through.
We believe that, like other segments, regulation is essential to define rules and guarantee the necessary safety for brands, customers and the sport itself.
Once regulated, the segment gains even more credibility, transparency and strength within the national scenario.
What's to come in the near future? Do you believe in the rapid regulation of sports betting in Brazil?
Regulation is inevitable and necessary. With the presidential elections in 2022, the subject, still considered controversial for a part of society, had greater difficulty moving towards an outcome.
With the new government elected, the trend is that we have a new broad discussion and, I hope, progress on the subject, considering the good results that can generate the country, such as, for example, tax revenue capacity and job generation.
And our role is to help the industry in any way possible so that we all walk together in the evolution of the market.
KLEFER GROUP WILL BE AT ICE LONDON SHOWING ALL ITS EXPERTISE
Why did the Group decide to attend ICE London? What are your goals?
The objective of being at ICE and at the main fairs in the market is precisely to sit next to potential brands that want to come here and show all our expertise in the market. We have exactly what every betting company is looking for. We have the knowledge of the Brazilian and South American market, being able to be the complete solution for brands in the region. We want more brands to invest here, but to invest in the right way.
The objective is to expand the presence also in other regulated markets, and that’s why the participation in a global gaming trade show?
For sure. This is an inevitable and ongoing movement, with some conversations and projects being developed. With our experience and success in the sports marketing market with national and international products, we consider ourselves fully capable of helping brands in other markets that, in turn, have already had betting regulation.
Source: Exclusive GMB
