Betfair's Safe Sub Campaign Keeps You in the Game

Betfair has teamed up with creative agency Pablo London and production company The Banquet to launch a bold new campaign unveiling Safe Sub, a breakthrough feature for football punters.

The campaign, fronted by a striking new TV commercial, brings the concept to life with unexpected flair: a singing substitutes board belting out The Klaxons’ anthem 'It’s Not Over Yet'.

With Safe Sub, if your backed player is substituted, your bet doesn’t end, it rolls over to the incoming player. It’s a feature designed to keep fans in the game and amplify the thrill of live betting.

Pablo London’s Adam Reincke, the creative force behind the concept, said, “This was one of those ideas that came together with real energy from the start. We’re so happy to have kicked it off and helped shape the creative direction with the help from the brilliant team at The Banquet and Betfair. It’s always exciting to see something you’ve sparked reach its creative potential with the right people behind it.”

Directed by Ian Roderick Gray of The Banquet, the spot ventures beyond the touchline into a surreal, high-energy world where the subs board literally comes alive, transforming into a mouth that performs the track in a moment of theatrical brilliance. From initial concept to delivery across TV, digital, and stills, the entire campaign was produced in just seven weeks.

Ian said of the production challenge, “When Adam first shared the concept, I was instantly struck by its cinematic potential. It was an opportunity to craft a distinct, memorable character with all the makings of something truly iconic. Beyond the tight timescale and inevitable technical challenges of a complex VFX production, the real creative hurdle was making the mouth feel alive, expressive, full of personality, and perfectly lip-synced, while staying true to the central design: an image formed entirely from the LED bulbs of a football substitution board. Too slick and fluid, and the authentic look would be lost; too rigid, and the character would lack impact. VFX supervisor Noah Kayma and the team at LMNTL struck that balance perfectly, bringing the mouth to life while preserving its distinctive design. It was a brilliant challenge, and hopefully the end result speaks for itself.”

Renowned for their agility and precision, The Banquet delivered high-impact visuals at speed. Working to tight budgets and deadlines, their production team pushed boundaries while keeping quality front and centre.

“We thrive on ideas that sound a bit mad on paper but shine in execution,” said producer and EP Adham Hunt. “This was the perfect storm of a strong concept, a brave client, and collaborative energy across the board. We’re proud to have brought Safe Sub to life in such a powerful way.”

Adham added, “One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was how collaborative it was from start to finish. Pablo London brought a brilliantly clear creative vision, Betfair gave us the freedom and trust to push it further, while Marcus Richardson and Daniel Flynn from the Internal Flutter Creative Team brought together all parties and maintained cohesion from start to finish, as well as giving us hugely beneficial insight from a brand perspective, and our crew, from on-set to post, worked hand in glove with the VFX team to make every detail sing. That open, solutions-focused dialogue between all parties meant that even under huge time pressure, everyone was pulling in the same direction and that’s what made the result possible.”

The campaign reflects Betfair’s ongoing drive for innovation in sports betting, giving fans greater control and excitement throughout the game.

​Sally Rushton, head of sports brand marketing for Betfair UKI, “To celebrate Betfair's exciting Safe Sub product, The Banquet, Pablo and our own internal studio teams have collaborated and developed an equally exciting campaign, with a stylised, yellow world that immerses football fans into the new season. Brought to life by animated 'dot matrix' style lips that deliver the Klaxon's sound track, a well-known and loved anthem, the campaign isn't just about Safe Sub - it's about how we elevate customers enjoyment of the game with a range of promos, products and content that enhance the fan experience. We're excited to share the campaign over the next few weeks and kick start the new season as we mean to go on.”

The Safe Sub campaign is now live across TV, digital, and social platforms,/ just in time for the new football season.