The Pools
A Century of Heritage with a Digital-First Future With over 100 years of history in British football culture, The Pools is evolving to meet the
expectations of today’s digital-first customers. CEO James Arnold discusses the brand’s rebrand, its True Originals campaign, and how modernisation through GiG’s platform, digital subscriptions, and free-to-play content is attracting both loyal players and a new generation of fans.
Te 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?
Te 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 Te 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, Te Pools has been there throughout, and that is what True Originals celebrates. Te Pools were the True Originals, but we also remain at the forefront of modern football betting culture. True Originals honours the very best of Te Pools, both a nostalgic nod towards Te 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
90
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 “Te Parents” campaign with a regional focus. What insights led you to shift to a national TV and digital campaign?
At Te 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. Te 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 Te 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
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180
