Your client at the
World Series of Poker
Baseball too pricy? Here's a far less expensive alternative.
By Diego Vasquez
Dec 5, 2011
High-profile sporting events are a great place to target those hard-to-reach young males 18-34, but they can also be expensive.
Here's a much cheaper option: The World Series of Poker and its related events.
Coverage of the WSOP on ESPN brings in ratings comparable to other mid-range sports such as MLS soccer, yet sponsors pay a fraction of the cost they would for higher-profile events.
The poker audience is attractive. More than 40 percent of casino table game players are under 40, and more than half make at least $75,000 a year.
Advertising options range from logos on the poker table that can be seen during a TV telecast to signage at regional events where players attempt to qualify for the main event in Las Vegas.
To find out how to get your client at World Series of Poker events, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising and sponsorship at World Series of Poker events.
Who
The World Series of Poker and Caesars Entertainment handle advertising and sponsorship at WSOP events.
How it works
Poker has been around since the 1800s, but only in the past decade has the game become a mainstream spectator sport.
The highest-profile piece of inventory is becoming a presenting sponsor of the World Series of Poker main event, a position held this year by Jack Link's beef jerky.
The brand is mentioned in any coverage of the event and can use official WSOP logos and marks in its own marketing.
Brands can also place a logo on the playing table itself, which will be seen by TV viewers at home during every hand. It is comparable to placing ads on a playing field during a football game.
Brands can also place their name and logo on the inner rung of the playing table, which gets TV exposure comparable to placing ads on the boards at a hockey game.
There are also on-site options that allow brands to target the audience at the event.
This is similar to options at other sporting events, including 20-by-5-foot hanging banners, 8-by-3-foot standing signs, and areas where brands can set up tables and displays and interact with the crowd.
For example, an auto dealer or manufacturer may have a new car model on display, or an energy drink company may pass out samples to spectators.
These options are also available at the 20 WSOP qualifying events around the country throughout the year, where each regional winner receives an invitation to the main event.
Markets
The World Series of Poker main event takes place in Las Vegas.
Smaller-scale circuit events take place in casinos around the country in markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlantic City and New Orleans.
WSOP-sponsored play-in tournaments are held in most markets with a casino.
Numbers
ESPN coverage of the final three players at this year's World Series of Poker main event averaged 1.22 million total viewers on Nov. 8, according to Nielsen, airing for more than six-and-a-half hours (9 p.m. to 3:36 a.m.).
The telecast also averaged a 1.0 household rating. By comparison ESPN averaged a 0.8 household rating for the Major League Soccer championship game on Nov. 20.
Ten live main event telecasts in July averaged a 0.4 household rating on ESPN2.
Across all regional and final events, WSOP drew attendance of 150,000 people.
How it is measured
Event attendance is used to estimate impressions, and TV ratings are used for larger televised events.
What product categories work well
Recent or current World Series of Poker sponsors include consumer packaged goods, auto, snack foods, energy drinks, beer and jewelry.
Demographics
Among adults who have played poker and other casino table games in the past 12 months, 67 percent are male and 33 percent female, according to Scarborough Research.
Eighteen percent are between ages 21-29, with 24 percent between 30-39, 22 percent between 40-49, 18 percent between 50-59, 11 percent between 60-69 and 7 percent 70 or older.
Also, 69 percent have an annual household income of $50,000 or more, with 52 percent at $75,000 or more and 33 percent at $100,000 or more.
In terms of TV viewership, World Series of Poker viewers are 73 percent male, according to ESPN.
Making the buy
Campaigns at smaller World Series of Poker circuit events can be implemented with a few weeks' notice, while high-profile sponsorships for the main events are negotiated months in advance.
Pricing varies widely depending on the size of the campaign, ranging from five figures into the millions.
Who’s already been at the World Series of Poker
Recent brands that have sponsored World Series of Poker events include Jack Link's beef jerky, Sheets Energy Strips, Klipsch, GoDaddy, Mercedes Benz, Dearfoams slippers, Sentry Safe, Bicycle, Planters and Milwaukee's Best.
What they’re saying
"I think young male audiences are the most elusive and expensive to reach, but we're about as targeted as you can get--our audience is 90-plus percent male. And we're still in the infant stages, so it's a very uncluttered landscape." –
Ty Stewart, executive director at the World Series of Poker and vice president at Caesars Interactive Entertainment
LInks:
World Series of Poker
http://www.wsop.com
World Series of Poker Circuit Tour
http://www.wsop.com/schedule/wsopcircuit.asp
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