PRLog (Press Release) –
Apr 23, 2008 – The original pools concept is based on community, shared skill and knowledge, making the internet the perfect media on which to introduce the pools to a new generation.
Rebranded as the New Football Pools, it is the UK’s only football pools game and Sportech aims to position it as the number one football prediction site introducing it to a younger audience of ‘fantasy football’ fans as a test of skill to be played against friends and colleagues.
As the phenomenon of social networking intensifies and social media optimisation advances, Ambergreen has been appointed to lead the ongoing online campaign.
The agency will first lay solid optimisation foundations, ahead of a multi-million pound ‘through-the line’ advertising campaign launching the New Football Pools this summer. Supporting its online position the New Football Pools’ profile will be boosted by a deal with Ladbrokes to distribute the game in 1,700 betting shops.
Sportech’s acquisition last year of Vernons Pools, makes the New Football Pools the only pools game in the UK. The company now aims to leverage the heritage of Littlewoods Pools and put the pools back firmly in the heart of the football community.
Tino Nombro, Ambergreen MD explains: “The internet is the natural home for the pools. If the pools didn’t already exist, it would surely have been invented by fans online. Community thrives in the evolving digital environment of social media.
“And the pools has such a strong heritage within the football fraternity it will be fascinating to see how we can open it up to a new audience already primed to receive it. Our aim is to put the pools back in the heart of the football community.”
Ambergreen’s strong track record and deep understanding of the gaming industry combined with its pre-eminence in search engine optimisation made it a natural choice for Sportech’s new online team, brought into re-invigorate the brand.
New Football Pools is using new technology to make the pools easier and more enjoyable to play. The online re-launch this summer will include pod casts, an online magazine and new games based on Premier and Champions Football League fixtures, targeting the true football enthusiast who will see the New Football Pools proposition as a test of skill and knowledge.
The campaign faces a number of challenges. The launch of the national lottery ten years ago had a significant impact on Littlewoods Pools, as it was then. Since 1994 the number of people playing has fallen from 10 million, one in three of the adult population, to just 700,000 a week.
The football environment is saturated with information sources and the New Football Pools faces stiff competition from news, sport and gaming sites. By retaining the core values of the traditional pools but incorporating modern technology and understanding today’s social behaviours, Sportech aims to differentiate it from all the other sites by positioning The New Football Pools as the number one football pools based prediction site.
Dominic Starkey, Littlewoods Gaming Head of Online Marketing comments: “Online gaming is one of the most fiercely competitive markets and denied paid search, a robust and sophisticated organic search strategy is absolutely vital to succeed in this aggressive sector.
Organic search is critical to online gaming and Ambergreen has the best search marketers in the UK. Plus, they have a proven track record of success in the online and gaming sector. I have worked with Ambergreen before and I like the way they work. They are honest, trustworthy and they get the results.”
Ambergreen will conduct rigorous market research, including keyword research and demand, competititor research and link analysis. This combined with their market knowledge and experience makes Ambergreen well equipped to create a powerful online strategy. Social media optimisation will be a big part of this. Ambergreen will optimise the new content management system currently in development. The campaign will also target the insatiable overseas interest in English football, seeking to attract new players in eastern Europe and the Far East.
Founded in 1923, Littlewoods Football Pools was the first pools game in the UK. The game is based on predicting the outcome of top-level football matches set to take place in the coming week.
Through its links to football, including ongoing contributions to the Football Foundation, Littlewoods Pools alone has given back over £600 million to the UK's national game. The New Football Pools will continue this tradition as the only gaming community where every player gives something back to the game of football.
http://www.ambergreeninternetmarketing.com
