The doors to online sports betting were about to open in one of the most sport-centric states in the US — Ohio. Tipico, the virtually unknown sportsbook with European roots, had its sights set on breaking into the top 5. The "Bet Like You’re From Ohio" campaign harnessed AI to create Ohioan personas, effectively tapping into authentic Ohio traditions, rivalries, and personality.
On a budget nowhere near its legacy competitors, Tipico ultimately met an impossible ambition — securing this newcomer as a fierce challenger to the legacy American sportsbooks.
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+40KRegistrations
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57%2023 annual target registrations achieved in one month
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+30KFirst time deposits
More than a flyover state
Ohio has a chip on its shoulder. On a good day, it’s viewed by the rest of the country as average; on a bad day, as a flyover state that’s the butt of the joke. And as a sporting mecca, the sports industry just views it as ‘a market’.
But its residents know there’s more to their home state than meets the eye. It’s the birthplace of the most US presidents, the NFL, modern aviation, Neil Armstrong, Superman.
So when sportsbooks descended on the state with a universal attempt to sanitize sports betting, making it feel like it’s ‘for everyone’, Tipico wanted to take a different approach. We dove deep into the Ohio sports mindset. We needed to eat, breathe, sleep and live Ohio sports to gain trust.
Harnessing AI for audience personas
To break into the mainstream US sports betting industry, Tipico needed to speak authentically to Ohioans. In the past, this would mean spending weeks or months on persona exercises.
Not this time.
We leveraged ChatGPT to created living AI personas — like Jay “The VIP Bettor”, Eric “The Ambitious Amateur”, Josh “The Social Bettor”. These synthetic humans answered our questions, and we leveraged real-time data to inform everything we did. These outputs proved so effective in producing what we call '4th party data', that we’ve implemented this system for all of our campaign work.
Tradition. Sports. Social.
We paired our AI persona generation scouring Reddit forums, Ohio meme Instagram accounts, Facebook posts, Twitter threads, giving us a pulse for the rhythm, language, dreams, and nemeses of the Ohio sports bettor.
We launched the “Bet Like You’re From Ohio” campaign to speak to Ohioans the same way they speak to each other, tapping into hyperlocal art and relatable messaging that positioned Tipico as an authentic partner to bettors across the state.
Meeting fans across their ecosystem
Bet Like You're From Ohio activated across our audience’s entire connected ecosystem, with custom, vivid creative through digital, social, and traditional media along with the app itself.
Beyond the media plan, we also tapped Tipico’s partnership with MLS’s Columbus Crew. Deploying OOH and in-stadium screens during key season games at home, we firmly rooted the brand in the landmarks that mean the most to local fans. Finally, we extended the campaign through league-specific fandom moments, like the MLB season opening and the Super Bowl.
Impact the Ohio way
Bet Like You’re From Ohio highlighted deep-seeded motivations, cultural nods, and inside jokes that color the vast and complex tapestry of fandom that defines the state.
Most of all, it reflected the culture of Ohio sports fans and bettors, empowering fans across the spectrum.