Last spring, the controversial "Svenska spel, Engelska odds" advertisng campaign earned Ladbrokes a trip to Swedish Market Court, but under a recently launched campaign in the Nordics, the company has scaled back the flourish -- sort of.
"The broad majority of Nordic punters are still pretty much in the legacy and history of betting with the monopolies, so we want to educate them that there are other opportunities out there," Lasse Dilschmann, the chief executive of Ladbrokes Nordic, told IGamingNews Monday.
The new televised ad campaign, in English, went live in Norway on March 10, then in Sweden and Denmark on March 16. It features the British-born actor Ed Stoppard, who paces maniacally about a circular, sterile, futuristic room -- colored pink and white.
Clad in a white suit -- except his hands, which are sheathed in pink gloves -- Mr. Stoppard is also seen moving a number of live television feeds around a transparent touch-screen interface (much like the one seen in Steven Spielberg's 2002 science fiction film, "Minority Report").
"Over 100 years of betting has taught us what people want," says Mr. Stoppard, whose voice, at times, is heavily saturated with echoic effect. "They want excitement, so we offer live betting and live-TV streaming with up to 40 betting opportunities per sporting event . . . They want good odds and big winnings, so that's what we give them."
Unlike last year's campaign, which was a clear affront to Sweden's gambling monopoly, Svenska Spel A.B., Mr. Dilschmann said the goal of this year's spot was to highlight the value of Ladbrokes' proposition and the company's long history as a betting operator.
"It's not as much about throwing the gauntlet because the gauntlet was already thrown," he said.
Indeed, the 2008 campaign featured an even more maniacal Mr. Stoppard, who, in appearance, was akin to the Willy Wonka of Tim Burton's 2005 film, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
As that ad concludes, Mr. Stoppard utters the phrase "Svenska spel, Engelska odds," or "Swedish games, English odds," then unfurls a paper cutout whose design closely resembles Svenska Spel's corporate logo.
Svenska Spel argued in market court that the alleged use of its name and logo violated the Swedish Marketing Act. Although Ladbrokes changed the shape of the cutout after the ad was released, it maintains the use "Svenska spel" followed the literal translation.
Mr. Dilschmann said a decision on that case -- as well as on a countersuit Ladbrokes filed against Svenska Spel -- should be issued in June.
He said that last year's ad campaign -- in addition to raising political awareness -- yielded a "very healthy business uptake."
"In the second half of last year, we didn't do all that much marketing, and still we saw levels of business that made us feel quite comfortable," he said.
Mr. Dilschmann said there's been little to no political backlash this time around, adding: "From the politicians, we're not expecting much."
Chris Krafcik is the editor of IGamingNews. He lives in St. Louis, Mo.