FanDuel Casino Lists Hundreds of Feelings That Aren’t as Good as Winning

FanDuel Casino’s campaign by agency of record Mischief @ No Fixed Address is based on the simple insight that consumers get really excited about winning, regardless of the prize. The latest phase of “Winning Is Undefeated” posits it’s actually the best feeling in the world.

The Mischief team came up with a list of 500 feelings that aren’t as satisfying as winning and then picked their favorites to highlight in a series of films. Each opens with a shot of FanDuel’s app spotlighting the digital casino’s welcome offer of 50 bonus spins.

The ads explain that FanDuel Casino offers a chance at the “No. 1 feeling, winning,” before launching into a demonstration of other satisfying—if inferior—feelings. They blend mundane scenarios with the absurd, such as one spot depicting a woman looking satisfied with herself after saying, “I told you so,” while her friend clings to a tree limb. Another video captures the feeling of rescuing a child who fell down a well—59 years later.

“The whole juxtaposition of somebody being stuck down a well for 59 years and catching car keys in one hand is just so beautiful,” FanDuel Casino vp of brand strategy Daniele Phillips told Adweek. “We really liked the realism of the day-to-day ones mixed in with one or two of those crazy ones. Let the creatives go a little bit wild with those.”

Further executions running over the next six to seven months will draw on the same list. The spots will air in key markets, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, with the goal of driving brand awareness and ensuring consumers know that FanDuel has a full digital casino rather than just offering sports betting.

Mischief executive creative director and partner Kevin Mulroy said the inspiration for the ads came from a family vacation to the Jersey Shore.

“My kids have never been more proud of me than when I won them this crappy, $6 lice-infested bear,” he recalled. “People are surrounding you and watching you trying to hit this three-point shot, and that sense of excitement around the potential to win something is really fun.”

The first iteration of FanDuel Casino’s campaign last year was more heavily invested in TV, but it has now expanded to more channels, including OTT, social, YouTube and programmatic video. There will also be placements across Uber’s network and the Match Group websites and dating apps, including Tinder.

FanDuel advertising will appear on screen whenever there’s a home run at a New York Yankees game, with lines from Mischief based on which team hit it. The goal is to help FanDuel stand out from other casinos.

“The category is sort of littered with celebrities yelling at you against a green screen and big flashing graphics talking about the different bets you can make,” Mulroy said. “This is a more insight-driven approach to advertising that connects with the people who are actually playing and is just a sharper way to cut through some of the messaging that’s out there.”