William Hill lets punters ‘Own The Moment’ in latest campaign via Fenton Stephens and Plaza

Following on from its headline grabbing ‘Green With Envy’ campaign, William Hill’s bold assault on the online betting market continues with the latest and biggest component of its ‘Own The Moment’ campaign via Melbourne creative agency Fenton Stephens. And it involves stunt horses and stunt jockeys directed by the stunt co-ordinator from Fury Road.

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William Hill’s Racing In-Play product allows punters to bet live on racing with just a few taps of their phone. Pushing the boundaries of online betting even further, its latest innovation gives punters the ability to bet up to twenty seconds after the jump of a race, at pre-race odds.

In effect, it gives people the ability to know where every horse is sitting in the field, before people make their bet. This kind of power is unprecedented in the Australian betting market, so Fenton Stephens were told to ‘go big or go home’ in its execution.

Says Alex Fenton, creative director, Fenton Stephens: “William Hill is giving Australian punters the chance to bet on a race after the horse has bolted! The fact you can get this advantage and still get pre-race odds is going to make it a really exciting spring carnival for William Hill punters”

The agency enlisted highly renowned and respected director, Paul Middleditch from Plaza, to create an intensely high energy horse race, that would then be ‘interrupted’ by a punter placing an In-Play bet. This involved stopping a field of stampeding horses mid-race, for real, which was no mean feat.”

Says Middleditch: “It was great to work on a racing ad that had a single-minded, disruptive idea. I was adamant we had to stop the horse race in-camera and not as a post production exercise. Operating a camera only 5ft from the starting barriers was an exhilarating experience. The energy created by these animals is incredible.”

The spots were edited by Peter Whitmore from Sydney’s The Editors, with BE’s Ben Eagleton looking after the colour grade and Nylon’s Simon Lister producing the sound mix.

The ’20 Seconds After The Jump’ 30-second spot will launch on TV during this weekend’s AFL and NRL Grand Finals, followed by a heavy push on both 30s during the Spring Carnival, with the 45-second version appearing online.

Says Warren Hebard, head of brand & acquisition, William Hill: “With the William Hill app on their mobile, Australia’s punters will have unprecedented access to In-Play betting. Like never before, betting live means you can own the moment.”

Client – William Hill