SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Using renowned athletes such as Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson is key for an operator to help distinguish themselves from others, according to Parimatch CEO, Sergey Portnov.
Speaking at the recent Betting on Sports event, Portnov explained to SBC some of the benefits that Parimatch has seen from its partnerships with McGregor and Tyson, and how the two athletes have helped the operator reach two entirely different demographics.
He said: “The partnerships have been exceptional, and I’ll explain why. Yes, they are both controversial, but because of that, they are always getting attention. For them, one little tweet and everyone is talking about them.
“So, they are able to divert people’s attention to themselves and nowadays, in a world where marketing spend is crazy, and the amount of ads and impressions that we are seeing is also crazy, to distinguish yourself you need partnerships with guys like that. So, we are really happy.”
Securing brand ambassador agreements with both of the athletes has allowed Parimatch to tap into the social media generation, while also ensuring that it caters to the audience that grew up during Tyson’s ‘reign’.
Portnov continued: “The two guys complement one another. Mike Tyson accommodates ‘older audiences’, those over the age of 30 to 35, who love Tyson and respect him much more than Conor.
“He is a true legend of boxing, and he has a great following. And once we announced a partnership with him, the reaction we received was crazy! But at the same time, younger audiences don’t seem to know who Tyson is. They wouldn’t be able to recognise him on the street. They may have only watched one of his fights, but they weren’t brought up during his reign. So for older audiences, Tyson is much better suited.
“For younger audiences though, the partnership with Conor has been amazing. Younger audiences know Conor, they play UFC games on their phones, and Conor is the face of the sport. Yes he is controversial, but he is active on Instagram, he is a modern guy and people seem to love him.
“The two ambassadors complement one another as they serve different audiences, and help us to reach that demographic.”
One of the main elements of the partnerships that Parimatch noted was that both athletes, despite their controversies, have displayed a degree of showmanship which has boosted their exposure in the media.
He concluded: “We need someone that is an athlete, but is also a showman and a true artist and those guys fit that description – especially Conor. What he does is crazy!”
