The Pools has been part of British football culture for over 100 years. How do you balance that legacy with the need to stay relevant to modern, digital-first customers?
The Pools is such an iconic and well-loved brand, having held a place in British football fandom for over a century, but while we want to remain loyal to our traditional customer base, we also want to engage a new audience of more modern, digital-first customers. We launched our major rebrand earlier this year which struck the balance of staying true to that loyal customer base, while also looking towards the next generation of The Pools customers.
As part of this rebrand, our product has been significantly enhanced across web, mobile with an app to follow in 2026. We have also upgraded our online presence, having partnered with GiG to migrate onto their state-of-the-art SportX sportsbook and CoreX iGaming platform. As a result, for the first time our players are presented with the ability to play our pools games online, as well as advanced bet-builder capabilities, dynamic odds and fully localised UK content, including horse racing powered by BetMakers, ensuring a modern, user-friendly experience and a best-in class product offering.
What was the strategic thinking behind choosing “True Originals” as the creative theme for this campaign?
Across many generations of football fans, The Pools has been there throughout, and that is what True Originals celebrates. The Pools were the True Originals, but we also remain at the forefront of modern football betting culture. True Originals honours the very best of The Pools, both a nostalgic nod towards The Pools’ place in the rich history of football fandom, while also highlighting what is important to a modern football fan, where players expect a cutting-edge gaming platform and the joy and excitement that comes with that.
Essentially, the True Originals campaign leverages the brand’s nostalgic place in British cultural heritage, while also celebrating its commitment to reaching new audiences and the next generation of football fans.
You previously launched “The Parents” campaign with a regional focus. What insights led you to shift to a national TV and digital campaign?
At The Pools, we are proud of our heritage and roots in the North West of England, having first launched in Liverpool in 1923, while our much-loved coupons were first handed out that same year outside Manchester United’s Old Trafford football ground. The Parents was an Out-Of-Home, digital marketing, and radio campaign which emphasised the positive sentiment felt towards the brand in its heartland and made the link as so many of our customers do to the brand and their own family experiences.
With True Originals, we wanted to speak to a national audience, and our players new and old up and down the country, to either welcome them back to our new offering of products, or to offer an invitation to play for the first time. What both campaigns have in common is a celebration of the nostalgia of The Pools, the positive sentiment and familiarity of the brand, and the relevance to a modern audience. And in running both campaigns, we were able to appeal to all our players, no matter their age, or location.
Why did you choose non-linear TV, YouTube, and social platforms as the core channels for “True Originals”?
True Originals was targeted at a modern football audience, and to reach those players, we understood that non-linear TV, YouTube and social media platforms were the best places to be seen and heard. The Pools has always been attuned to the popular mood, and gone the extra mile for our players, often quite literally! Many decades ago, that meant our staff collecting coupons from our customers’ front door. Customers built a great affinity with their collector, giving The Pools an unrivalled level of trust and respectability. And in a modern setting, that same attitude towards giving our players – both new and old – the best possible service means connecting via social media, YouTube and streaming platforms. Once again, bringing The Pools into peoples homes in a convenient modern way.
What does success look like in terms of campaign KPIs, brand awareness, customer acquisition, engagement, or a mix?
As with The Parents campaign, True Originals can already be regarded as a success. In terms of engagement, brand awareness and positive reception towards the launch, we have been delighted with the results. Of the points you mention, awareness, engagement and acquisition all go hand in hand, and our major rebrand, The Parents and True Originals campaigns have all been a success in appealing to both those customers who may not have played with The Pools for some time, and those that may now be playing for the first time.
How does the campaign tie into your customer acquisition funnel, particularly in relation to your GiG-powered online platform?
As mentioned previously, the GiG-powered online platform has created a user-friendly customer experience which all modern players would expect. The Pools has always been a product customers have enjoyed playing, in part due its simplicity. Our online platform offers the same clarity of concept – and True Originals exemplifies this by highlighting the links between a traditional Pools coupon and the state-of-the-art web and mobile offering. Modernising our technical infrastructure was a key priority for us, and having moved to the new gaming platform earlier this year, we now have the perfect environment to welcome new customers to playing with The Pools.
The Pools recently digitised the “Classic Pools” and introduced subscription-style memberships. What uptake trends are you seeing so far, and how do these products perform compared to traditional play?
The digitisation of our Classic Pools games was fundamental to our transformation strategy. We knew we needed to give existing and new customers alike the opportunity to play the traditional Pools games in a digital environment whilst also enhancing and broadening the offering to include traditional sportsbook and gaming elements. Our digital Pools subscriptions now give our customers the opportunity to choose the level of play they are comfortable with whilst also giving them access to free bets and free spins across the GiG gaming platform.
We have seen really strong uptake on the digital subscriptions and we continue to develop and improve the offering that 4.45 members receive as loyal subscribers. We strongly believe that we are building a new niche in the traditional online gaming space that allows customers to play all the Pools and gaming products they love at a level that suits them and ensures maximum enjoyment.
How important is Free-to-Play content and membership perks in attracting younger demographics who might not have grown up with The Pools?
Our memberships are about making fans feel part of a wider community – no matter the team you support, or where your allegiances lie. With The Pools’ membership you can find a range of products and offers to enhance your experience as a football fan. For those customers who want more than the Classic Pools, our free-to-play content offers exactly that – a wide range of products for the diverse modern betting landscape. One of the key principles of The Pools has always been the joy of playing, and our free-to-play content gives all customers, new and old, that opportunity.
Many legacy brands in gaming are struggling to modernise, what lessons can the industry learn from The Pools’ rebranding journey?
The Pools has established a unique brand identity in the industry which has been built up over more than 100 years. Our recent innovative marketing campaigns, The Parents and True Originals, have shown that brand heritage can go hand-in-hand with brand relevance for a modern generation of bettors. With True Originals, we have leveraged our unique characteristics to position The Pools as a modern entertainment platform, for a digital-first player base, but founded on timeless principles – so the lesson would be about the importance of managing the balance of staying true to your loyal customer base, while also looking towards your next generation of customers.
Looking ahead, do you see The Pools evolving into a broader gaming and entertainment platform, or will you remain focused on your heritage football-based products?
Football will always be the heart and soul of The Pools, and we are incredibly proud of the continued success of Classic Pools, our traditional score draw game, and Goal Rush, our Both Teams To Score game. However, we also offer a full sportsbook and casino platform, Lucky Clover – a £1million jackpot lottery game – plus a range of popular slots and free-to-play games. Combined with the benefits offered to our 4:45 Club members, it is clear that our gaming and entertainment platform is already diverse, appealing to a range of different player preferences, and we will be continuing to develop our all-round offering as we head into 2026.
The post A Century of Heritage with a Digital-First Future appeared first on G3 Newswire.
The Pools has been part of British football culture for over 100 years. How do you balance that legacy with the need to stay relevant to modern, digital-first customers? The Pools is such an iconic and well-loved brand, having held a place in British football fandom for over a century, but while we want to…
The post A Century of Heritage with a Digital-First Future appeared first on G3 Newswire.