Succeeding on a Mission to Win Ohio
1
The Backdrop
While 2022 was winding down, Code and Theory began an engagement with Tipico. The sports betting giant had built a commanding presence in Europe and had set its sights on the nascent, complex, and crowded US sports betting market. With two states under their belt, Tipico was faced with a rare opportunity. On Jan 1, 2023, Ohio would legalize sports betting meaning Tipico could be a first mover in the market.
Tipico engaged Code and Theory as AOR to lead an integrated campaign to capitalize on the moment and bring Tipico to market. Armed with ambitious goals for awareness and acquisition, the ask was simple: Win Ohio.
Harnessing AI for Audience Personas
To help Tipico break into the mainstream US sports betting industry, we tapped into LLMs using ChatGPT for persona development. A process that would often take weeks took us less than 48 hours.
We created a living persona using first-party app data, desk research and audience interviews, which effectively trained ChatGPT on four personas that we could now have conversations with. The speed and accuracy of this AI strategy would pay massive dividends, with the campaign’s Ohio-focused launch reaching 57% of its 2023 acquisition target and it soared to claim 32% share of voice in the Ohio market.
2
The Journey
With such a big opportunity, it’s no surprise that Tipico would be joined at launch by other sports books, many of whom were bigger and more established, so we needed to create a campaign that stood apart, pushed against category convention, and created a meaningful and differentiated connection with our audience.
Beginning with that very audience, we used swaths of data and conversations to understand what makes them tick, and we landed with the trifecta of tradition, sports, and social life, but underpinning all of it was Ohio. As residents of a flyover state they’re used to being dismissed as ‘average’, but our audience are anything but. We knew that to reach them, we needed to be them – show them we know Ohio fandom.
3
The outcome
Registrations In The First Month
40K
We created campaign assets that spoke to Ohio sports fans the same way they speak to each other. Working with agency partners, we created a connected campaign across digital and traditional media channels and the app itself, and continue to evolve it to create heat around key sporting moments through the year.
Registrations in the great state of Ohio skyrocketed. One month post-launch the brand has already reached 57% of its 2023 acquisition target and 32% share of voice in the Ohio market.
Other Stats
NFL playoff weekend is obviously a huge date in the sports betting calendar, but for Tipico it hit some all-time highs:
- Highest single-day FTDs (first-time deposits)
- Highest-ever unique activity (active players)
- Highest-ever handle (total bets)
- They earned more on Sunday gameday than they do in New Jersey in a month
