As summer winds down, many sports stars will be reflecting on their performances, whether they’re athletes returning home with Olympic gold or footballers replaying missed opportunities in their minds.
This summer has been packed with sporting action. Most recently, attention has shifted to the Premier League’s return and the remarkable moments from the Paris Olympic Games. But it all started with the excitement of the UEFA Euros and Copa America tournaments, setting the stage for a truly memorable season of sport.
Argentina and Spain emerged victorious in their respective competitions, and while the UEFA Euros and Copa America had their differences, one common thread was the presence of sports betting brand Betano.
Betano, owned by Kaizen Gaming, made history even before the first match, becoming the first gambling company to sponsor both the UEFA Euros and, simultaneously, the Americas tournament.
Much like the athletes who are reflecting on their performances – with both highs and lows – Betano is doing the same. Tomasz Majewski, Head of Sponsorships at Kaizen Gaming, discussed the brand’s achievements during the two tournaments with Insider Sport.
The Euros kicked off on June 14 and wrapped up on July 14, while the Copa America ran from June 20 to July 14. Majewski refers to this time as the ‘Orange Summer,’ a whole month of intense, unprecedented visibility for the brand.
Talking about the ‘Orange Summer’, Majewski said: “It gives us the possibility to position ourselves as a premium brand, we are in the middle of the attention of the whole continent. This is one month where it has been just us. We’ve been at the Euros, we’ve been at the Copa America. It is just us.
“Let’s say from our industry, we had the exclusivity. There were almost no competing tournaments or events taking place. So it gives us a very strong visibility and also emotional engagement.”
While the ‘Orange Summer’ was brief compared to football’s regular season, Betano’s efforts began long before July. The brand started preparing after announcing its UEFA partnership last November, which added its own set of pressures.
“You cannot be allowed to make any mistakes during that tournament, but basically during these tournaments, we have to focus on the three E’s.
“It’s called Energy, Emotion and Exposure. We have short concentrated activities where we connect people emotionally. We’re full of excitement and energy and of course with the objective to build and have brand exposure.”
While having exclusivity is valuable, a brand still needs a strong strategy to fully capitalise on it. Betano achieved this by bringing all its departments together to coordinate the many “moving parts”, turning a complex puzzle into a cohesive plan.
“For the Copa America and the Euros we had a tailored TV spot. We had one for the Euros and we had one for the Copa America adjusted a little bit for each country,” Majewski added.
“So it is many things that come from the headquarters and also from the markets, but also the direct interaction. We had a creative, comprehensive programme for our customers and our partners where we invited them to the stadiums and also CSR activities.
“On the CSR front, recognising the role of sports to bring all people together, we worked with the UEFA Foundation for Children, and gifted a large number of our complimentary tickets to kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, who would not have the chance to experience a match otherwise.
“It’s a very comprehensive approach to each sponsorship that we have and every department of the company is part of it.”
Balancing club partnerships with global ambitions
While these tournaments delivered a “short-term explosion” of exposure, as Majewski described, Betano’s strategy also extends to club-level football, ensuring continued visibility beyond the summer events.
The betting brand has a wide-ranging sponsorship portfolio, supporting numerous clubs in Europe, including ,FC Porto, Sporting CP, Benfica, Aston Villa, Atletico Mineiro, Sparta Prague and FC Steaua București, to name a few. Betano has also made several significant partnerships in South America, with a heavy focus on Brazil.
This work put in before the Copa America at club level enhanced its tournament outcome, with only the Brazilian league continuing to play during the competition, which Betano holds the title rights to.
Majewski said: “The continent’s eye was on us for one month. We’re really proud of everything our team achieved. The Orange Summer was successful, and Betano was the most relevant betting brand in Latin America at the period.”
In addition to enhancing its international strategy and serving as an extension of its existing plan, partnering with clubs presents its own set of opportunities and challenges.
Majewski emphasised that these types of deals require a 360-degree approach to “build a bond and connection with the community around the club.” He explained that sponsoring clubs is quite different from sponsoring a tournament, even though the goal of increasing brand exposure remains the same.
He also noted that each club is unique, and it’s crucial for a partner to understand the club’s culture and fan base before joining its journey. Betano uses general activations across all clubs to build connections, all aimed at engaging fans.
“With club sponsorships, you’re trying to establish a long-term and emotional connection. You have a selected audience, the fans of the club. We want to integrate our brand into the club’s identity. So we’re trying to merge together, being an emotional partner,” Majewski continued.
“This requires constant visibility, constant activation, constant activity with the fans.”
However, there are always unpredictable moments in football that you can’t plan for. For example, Stoiximan, the brand Kaizen Gaming operates in Greece and Cyprus, sponsors the Greek club Olympiacos, which unexpectedly won the UEFA Conference League last season.
He said: “We will always be associated with this milestone for Greek football. We will always be there in every replay.”
This marked the first time that a Greek club had won that competition, allowing for not only unplanned activations but also a stronger connection between it and its supporters.
And for all of Kaizen Gaming’s partnerships, Majewski highlights that responsible gaming is always a top priority for the company: “We are committed to be a responsible partner and operator and to place a responsible gaming experience for our customers at the forefront. So, we work hard with our partners to ensure this happens throughout our collaborations”.
Building on the buzz
After an intense period during the ‘Orange Summer,’ Betano has no time to rest with club football already back in action. However, the brand has gained valuable insights from this busy time.
Majewski said: “Every market is different. Every fan base is different. Every continent is different. We have to always be flexible in every market that we work in.
“Key learnings are we are a global company. We have to think globally, but we always have to have local ownership and execution. Another key learning is that we can rely on the team, we can rely on our employees and we have a strong team and the spirit is unbelievable.”
Majewski also emphasised how important it is for the company to capitalise on its hard work by maintaining the momentum they’ve built.
The betting brand has done this almost instantly by becoming the title sponsor of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League last week.
“We knew that after both tournaments the perception of our brand would be different. We were also prepared in all of our markets to keep going, to keep this momentum that we have built during the tournament pushing further our brand and turning the Orange Summer into an Orange Season,” Majewski concluded.
“We have a lot of initiatives and campaigns already lined up. We want to maintain our visibility and we want to maintain our connection with the audience. There are things to come and we are preparing even more innovative and impactful activations.”
