Grey London Celebrates Skybet as a Love Letter to the Fans

In collaboration with Grey London, Sky Bet proudly unveils "For the Fans," a new long term brand platform for Sky Bet marking a strategic shift from focussing on the betting experience, towards prioritising the modern fan experience. Going beyond just communications, this launch campaign marks a shift in mindset for the entire Sky Bet business, demonstrating its commitment to putting the football fan at the heart of everything it does. From its products and content, to its staff and external communications. Sky Bet aims to disrupt betting category tropes and foster a meaningful connection with its audience that goes beyond offers and short term tactics.

Today’s betting market is saturated with the same offers and betting tropes of epicness and entertainment. But bettors don’t identify as bettors, they fundamentally see themselves as fans of the sport, and betting adds to that experience. Most betting brands fail to address their audience in that way. Fans make such a big commitment to the sport they love, and it’s about time someone truly committed to them and their experience in the same way. 

Sky Bet have long been on the football fans’ side, sponsoring the EFL for over a decade, creating innovative fan-centric products, fan-led content and supporting local community initiatives. It was a natural next step to centre their purpose around making the fan experience the best it can be. Because football is only at its best when the fans are at their best.

Conceptualised, developed, and executed by ATL by Grey London, the campaign marks the launch of Sky Bet’s new commitment to football fans and step one of a long term brand platform. Launch executions focus on the unwavering commitment fans make to being fans, showing that often it makes no sense to be a fan, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. The new strategy brings a fresh authenticity to the betting market, going beyond football fans and betting stereotypes to bring to life the real fan experience, and just how weird and wonderful it can be.

Leigh Peacock-Goodwin, head of brand and sponsorship at Sky Bet said, “Repositioning a brand that has been so successful always makes you think twice, but in a category that to your average customer seems to offer nothing different, or distinctive, we knew we didn’t want to follow suit and needed to take a different stance; to move from a brand that’s for the bettor, to a brand that’s for the fan. With our heritage in sport, our continued partnership with the EFL, now into its 11th year, and our various other initiatives like our Building Foundations Community fund, we’re well placed to understand what it’s like to be a fan. This is the start of a major shift for us as a business, and we’re all fully behind it."

David Wigglesworth, Grey London ECD, said, “ We believe football is at its best when fans are at their best, and when we put fans first, they’ll put us first. This philosophy has been at the heart of Sky Bet’s transformation from betting first to fan first. We have been lucky enough to create a deep partnership with Sky Bet as we aim to build a long term platform for the next five plus years. This new platform will shine through in a variety of ways outside of just ads. Through match-day activations, new product innovations that give fans more control and unrivalled content partnerships such as The Overlap with Gary Neville, and the League of 72.”

Skybet is a love letter to the fans. Elena Pettiti di Roreto's vision is an authentic representation of British sports fans with all their glorious eccentricities. 

There’s humour that makes the film and the people who inhabit it relatable and reflective of British culture, deliberately steering clear of any stereotypes of loutish footie fans.

The imagery is inspired by the saturated, deeply inquisitive photography of Marin Parr, and the ecstatic approach to realism of Werner Herzog, all through the discerning eye of the inimitable Elena Petitti di Roreto.

Shot on 35mm, Elena’s film is cinematic and premium but stands apart from traditional sports and betting advertising.  

Elena’s background is in commercials and fashion films, and her strong attention to aesthetics, details, light and composition is in full effect here collaborating with Sky Bet and Grey London.

Director Elena Pettiti di Roreto said, “It has been such a fun project to be a part of! The new direction for Sky Bet allowed me to collaborate with the agency and develop an exciting visual approach rarely seen in this type of commercial. Drawing inspiration from the portraiture style of the British photographer Martin Parr, we decided to give it a go and to shoot on 35mm film, with a 4:3 aspect ratio. These choices, combined with a rough camera style mostly based on handheld zoom, allow us to create a mockumentary-style feel where the fans appear as authentic as possible. Casting and production design have also played a fundamental role in designing believable and humorous characters, complete with their specific regional accents and, of course, football club colours.”