Overview

As online trading entered mainstream conversation in 2017, SportQuake worked with eToro to capitalise on this increased popularity in a unique, attention-grabbing way, using Premier League sponsorship to generate worldwide awareness and align the brand with their key bitcoin vertical.


The Challenge

2017’s crypto boom had brought mainstream global attention to the online trading space. Now, eToro wanted a high-profile, global marketing platform to sustain heightened interest levels and position themselves as a global leader in bitcoin trading.

 

The Solution

Following a detailed report on competitor strategies, SportQuake highlighted how the online trading sector was reaching a tipping point in football (with 7 brands already active in the Premier League), in a similar way to online betting a decade earlier, leading us to look to that sector for proven growth strategies.

Our cross-industry insight identified that no online trading brand had used the multi-club Aggregation strategy that Bet365 had deployed as part of their ascent of the online sports betting industry. This strategy would work for four key reasons:

  • Global Brand Realignment – By partnering with seven clubs, eToro received a global platform to publicly align their brand with their desired bitcoin vertical.
  • High-Density Marketing Platform – A multi-club approach would provide eToro with an ‘always on’, high-density marketing platform, incl. TV branding at 35% of Premier League games, enabling the brand to promote their services to fans in 200+ markets.
  • Global PR Coverage – As the first Premier League sponsorships paid for in bitcoin, eToro would generate global press coverage from the world’s leading financial media outlets, positioning the brand as a global bitcoin leader.
  • Market Leading Brand Positioning – Becoming the league’s biggest sponsor by number of clubs would elevate eToro alongside the Premier League’s other leading global, blue-chip financial sponsors, including Barclays and Standard Chartered.

The Result

eToro’s seven-club partnership kicked off at the beginning of the 2018/2019 season and immediately garnered global attention from football and non-football audiences alike.

As news of the partnership broke, Forbes recognised eToro as industry pioneers and the deal as a ‘watershed moment’ in football’s fintech revolution.

The brand built on this acclaim throughout the season, driving awareness in 200+ markets via branding at 35% of all Premier League games, with the sponsorship strategy becoming their #1 most cost-effective UK marketing channel.

Emboldened by success, eToro have continued to expand their football sponsorship strategy over the following three years, replicating the aggregation strategy in the Bundesliga and other leading European leagues.

 

Iqbal Gandham, Managing Director, eToro on Working With SportQuake

Find Out More

To find out more about eToro’s football sponsorship strategy and the online trading sector’s sponsorship activity in football, contact us at [email protected]