Sky Bet’s latest ad is celebrating the upcoming Cheltenham Festival, a flagship fixture in the horseracing calendar, arguing that sport’s real GOAT (greatest of all time) is in fact a horse.
Crafted by London agency Anomaly, the work is centred around a 30-second spot that vaunts the sporting prowess of elite racehorses, which the film claims can run 100mph in five seconds with a jockey on their back.
Directed by Leigh Powis through ProdCo, the film ultimately aims to argue the common conception that the sporting GOAT must be a human by default, when horses often exhibit even more impressive athletic performances.
“In a category so used to shouting about price and promos in order to grab attention, it has been a real pleasure instead to focus on the amazing athletes that make sports so entertaining for our fans,” said Coral Cranmer, Sky Bet marketing director.
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“We were so delighted with the bold vision of the ‘GOAT’ presented by the team at Anomaly and how they have truly understood the assignment to bring a huge dose of Sky cinematic magic to our Cheltenham campaign.”
The betting firm’s campaign will run across TV, digital, social media, and out-of-home, in a bid to position Sky Bet as the go-to site for horse racing fans all year round. Media planning and buying was handled by EssenceMediacom.
Anomaly CEO and partner, Camila Harrisson added: “This first campaign [with Sky Bet] is a testament to our shared creative ambition: ‘The GOAT. is a horse’ is charged with attitude and swagger, intended to catapult horse-racing from the sidelines of sports culture, straight into the heart of the fan conversation.”
