matt bennett - advertising

The brief
As a British company, William Hill has traditionally been viewed with scepticism in the lucrative Irish market. The company wanted to change this, in part through its sponsorship of the Dublin-based Shamrock Rovers, Ireland's most successful football club.

The execution
The ad copy could have delivered a shorter, punchier headline: "Two proud histories, one bright future. You can bet on it."

This, however, could have been misconstrued as a references to the often bitter history of relations between Britain and Ireland, and so the copy instead focused on "heritage" rather than "history".

The outcome
The finished copy evokes the idea that both Shamrock Rovers and William Hill both have, and value, proud heritages, making them ideal partners in an implicitly successful future. And the payoff line, "You can bet on it", brings the reader back to the idea of betting, while reinforcing William Hill's image as a dependable, trusted partner.