Each month, The Adquirer provides insight into the creative and media strategies of industry-leading advertisers in a particular sector. Estimated cost per web visit results are provided by our data scientists, utilising sources including Hitwise, Nielsen and BARB.
This month, we look at four different Bingo advertisers, all fighting to elevate their offerings above those of their peers. We explore the similarities and differences in their campaigns and unpack how they apply creativity to classically homogenous products to set them apart.
I repeat, you will not forget this Sun Bingo ad. It is a direct and first-class graduate of the WeBuyAnyCar launch campaign university, with honours. Repetitive to the point that you can’t help notice and remember it. As it happens, it was All Response Media that launched WBAC’s campaign all those years ago, so this approach provides a nostalgic glimpse into attention grabbing creatives.
The 30 second spot consists of the leading lady – comparable only to X Factor’s Honey G – asking anyone and anything in her path whether they are “gonna bingo” which becomes the rap song throughout. The ad ends with the rapping actress stuck hanging in front of a green screen, in a comedic turn of events for the confident performer. Perhaps some schadenfreude for viewers to enjoy after being bombarded with the song that will stay with you for most of the day.
The hook of the ad is the offer of “Spend £10 – Guaranteed Prize” but this is only displayed on screen after 23 seconds and for only 4 seconds before ‘The Sun Bingo’ appears for the remaining 2 seconds (after a brief flashing appearance at the beginning). A voiceover chimes in to emphasise the offer and land the call to action. Speaking of which, the ad could have utilised a stronger call to action, as no URL or app store logos appear at all, despite there being an app version available.
Although it wasn’t possible to ascertain an estimated cost per website visit for this campaign, Sun Bingo see much higher website visits than Wink Bingo and Vernons with not too much more TV spend, conceivably due to the established brand recognition that The Sun has as the most read paid-for newspaper in the country.
