In March 2012 we worked with Betfair to help save cash strapped Football Conference club Kettering Town FC from financial oblivion.

To celebrate Kettering Town’s status as the first English club to adopt a football shirt sponsor in 1976, Betfair threw ‘The Poppies’ a lifeline by agreeing a one-off shirt sponsorship deal and cash injection, just days ahead of the club’s visit to the Royal Courts of Justice to face an HMRC winding-up petition.

At the home fixture with Stockport County on Saturday 31st March, the struggling club agreed to wear a specially made retro playing strip, faithful to the original 1976 design and featuring vintage ‘short’ shorts. Betfair also offered season-ticket holders unbeatable value with a rebate to attend the match for just £1 – the cost of entry in 1976 – with fans able to pocket the difference or donate it back to the club. All in keeping with Betfair’s ‘don’t settle for less’ mantra.

To get the Kettering squad in the mood for the fixture, we visited the club to undertake a transformation back to the spirit of the decade with a ‘70s inspired photo shoot, as well as creating a nostalgic match preview video called “Betfair’s Big Match”, following hapless ‘sports reporter’ Dave Mandelson as he visited the team in preparation for the upcoming match.

The campaign caught the imagination of the national and online media resulting in significant cut-through in football and lifestyle press, with the video itself achieving acclaim from trade media and more than 10,000 views on YouTube alone.

In a dramatic twist to the story Blue Square Bet, a rival betting brand and title sponsor of the Football Conference, launched a fierce objection to the campaign under the grounds of alleged ambush marketing.  Upon the threat of expulsion from the league if Kettering wore the shirts, Betfair agreed to waive their agreed rights on the eve of the match itself, whilst honouring their commitment to inject the much needed funds. All of which served to heap yet more publicity on Betfair’s good deeds.