DraftKings: Sportsbook

DraftKings came to Deutsch in 2017 with an interesting project. The Supreme Court was hearing a case that could potentially make sports betting legal in the United States. The decision was expected to come in the spring of 2018, and DraftKings wanted to have their sportsbook offering and supporting communications ready to go.

To inform the communications and the product, we conducted multi-layered research. First, we started by looking at other markets where sports betting is legal, namely, the UK and Australia. After conducting secondary research on these markets, we also conducted one-on-one interviews with sports bettors in the U.K. in order to dig into the culture surrounding it, what styles of play were the most popular and why. This research informed how we looked at our U.S.-based research, which started with one-on-one interviews with sports bettors. We dug into their motivations, how they were currently betting, and what they would look for in a product to remedy the issues they were having with their current betting experience. These interviews subsequently informed message testing, which was conducted alongside product testing. Ultimately, our research efforts influenced the product development, and of course, the communications.

In May 2018 the Supreme Court voted to overturn regulations prohibiting sports betting in New Jersey (and thus paving the way for it to be legal elsewhere). The brand launched their Sportsbook app in New Jersey in August. To support the launch, we released a series of TV and digital ads featuring basketball great Charles Barkley, alongside Dr. Aftkings, a character we had launched for the brand in 2017.