Infinite Path

“It’s all about the In-Play,” says Ray Whinstone in a slightly menacing tone in bet365’s latest advertising campaign. In reality, it’s all about the future of advertising.

The rise of In-Play betting, which allows users to bet on a sporting event whilst it is in progress, is symptomatic of the increasing culture of immediacy that has been prevalent since the dawn of the twenty-first century. Rolling news channels and the Internet allow us to access information at our own convenience and we expect this to be immediate and forthcoming.

This trend is something which advertisers are hoping to take advantage of, with bet365 the first company to employ a televised advertising campaign which offers information in real time dependent on the current state of play. These adverts are typically broadcast during half-time of football matches and up-to-the-minute odds are provided for the second half’s action. This encourages punters to place a bet depending on the action they have already seen.

Five years ago, this would not have been possible. In-Play betting was a fledgling concept and to place a bet would have meant leaving your television and turning on your PC – or visiting your local bookmaker. However, with the rise of smart phones, mobile social networking and company-generated apps, this can now be done whilst you watch the match in the comfort of your armchair with beer in hand.

This new concept suggests the potential future of advertising as the Internet, television, games consoles and mobile phones all become integrated into one multi-dimensional world of online communication. In five years time, your wireless connected 3D TV could show you your betting history and how much you have in your bet365 account as the advert plays. This targeted and personalised creative could reap large dividends as companies look to recruit fans rather than mere customers.

Personalised real-time creative already exists in the world of online advertising. Algorithms analyse a customer’s browsing habits, as well as their interaction with previous adverts for a particular brand. The creative is then adjusted accordingly to try and make the customer buy a particular product. This is expected to become more sophisticated in the future – with companies offering reduced prices for goods viewed but not initially purchased in the hope of securing the sale.

In a way, bet365 are already doing this with betting, hoping to attract customers with favourable odds. In the future, this policy could become a cornerstone of all companies.