New Full Tilt Commercials Send a Message
I was having trouble sleeping last night and found myself watching Poker After Dark as it aired, not on Tivo as I usually enjoy it. PokerWorks’ own Tony G. was playing, with Chris Ferguson, Clonie Gowen, Sammy Farha, Ted Forrest and Gus Hansen rounding out the table. Without the ability to zip through the commercials with the touch of a button, I stumbled upon the debut of Full Tilt Poker’s three new 30-second TV spots.
Though they retain the same visual aesthetic as their previous ads (shot on black and white stock with a touch of film noir lighting) the tone of these three spots is decidedly different than the lighthearted Full Tilt commercials we’re all familiar with (i.e. “Miss Oklahoma Gooot,” Mike Matusow tearing up the hammer, and the one with John Juanda in an elevator with a bunch of guys farting that didn’t make the air). These ads are sending a three-pronged message to the viewing audience and, perhaps our government: that (1) America loves poker, (2) poker is a game of skill and (3) if you think about it, poker is a lot like investing.
Here’s the ad copy if you haven’t caught these spots on the air yet. They haven’t popped up on You Tube either, but I’m sure that’s only days away.
Ad #1:
A spare piano soundtrack underscores a series of images of different poker games. A home game around a small round table. One laden with Full Tilt pros. And yet another in the back of what appears to be a butcher shop based on the sides of raw beef hanging in the background.
“We play for big pots, small stakes, and the chance to say “read ‘em and weep.” For the weekends, the all-nighters, and the lunch hour. We play for the legends, and for the unknowns who dream of winning it all. For the bad beats. For the pocket kings we sometimes have the sense to fold. We play at Full Tilt Poker dot net. Come play for free.”
Ad #2:
Opens on chipstacks next to symbols of luck. A charm. A rabbit’s foot. Shots transition into close-ups of Full Tilt pros at the poker table– Gus Hansen, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman.
“We play because poker is not a scratch-off ticket, a half-court jumper, or a knock on wood. It’s no game of luck, poker. It’s a game of patience and well-timed aggression. We know when we play, a little luck helps. But luck can’t explain why final tables have so many familiar faces. We play at Full Tilt Poker dot net. Come play for free.”
Ad #3
An image of a long, shiny boardroom table cuts to images of poker games and chip stacks. A tight shot of a white-collar guy in glasses reading a spreadsheet transitions into image of Chris Ferguson’s sunglasses.
“The boardroom table and the poker table. The only difference between them is a layer of felt. At these tables, we go all-in. We’re fully leveraged. Reading risk and reward here isn’t much different than reading it on a spreadsheet. We play because poker is like business– without the conference calls. The office may close at six, but there’s a game that’s always open. We play at Full Tilt Poker dot net. Come play for free.”
What do you think of this new approach to online poker marketing? Sound off in the comments.
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February 22nd, 2007 at 9:58 am
I haven’t seen the commercials yet, but your descriptions make them sound pretty cool. I suspect that they are going after a slightly different audience with these spots, i.e. players who are reasonably serious about the game, rather than the party-hearty gamblers. I think that’s a good thing.
But I do have a quibble. These spots, like so many of the dot-net poker site commercials, use the pros to tout the fact that "This is where we play; you should come play there too, for free." This could easily give the viewer the impression that he or she can sign up with FT and play with Ivey or Lederer or any of the other big names, FOR FREE. Do any of the pros ever actually play at the play money tables, where the dot-net customers first get their feet wet? These tactics have the aroma of the old bait and switch to me: "Come play with the pros at our free site! Welcome! Oops, we forgot to tell you, the pros only play at the real money tables, for big stakes. Feel free to jump through a few dozen hoops to deposit some money with us, and then you can play with the big guns right away!" Just sayin’…..
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:07 am
Good stuff, Change. If nothing else, at least they are showing adaptability in response to the UIGAY.
February 22nd, 2007 at 2:47 pm
My husband and I were talking about this last night. We PVR Poker After Dark, and saw the commercials last night watching Tuesday’s episode. Normally we skip by the commericals, but stopped and watched each of these new ones.
I think that there’s obviously more to these ads than just getting people to come play on FullTilt, I think that like you said, they are trying to send a message to the general public - and I think it’s a good thing.
We’re heading into an era of prohibition (for reals, people) and Average Joe needs to get upset about it before it will change.
Poor Clonie Gowan though - took me 3 viewings to figure out how the long-haired brunette was!
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:49 am
You can see all of these commercials on the FullTilt site.
I had trouble watching Tony G. last week with Matusow. The chit chat from Matusow was so inane, I ended up deleting the episodes. Doesn’t he have a handler that can muzzle him?
February 24th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I think it’s great they’re trying to send the message that poker is a skill game and not gambling like the lottery, etc. I don’t think it will help a bit, but props to ‘em for it anyway.
To reply to Yestbay1, Who wants to play with the pro’s for free, anyway?? The whole point of playing a pro, IMO, is to tell everyone how you won $XXX off of Jesus, Jen, Matusow or whoever…while they do slum in the low limits occasionally to mingle with us po’ folks, I don’t care to see them at a play money table.
February 26th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Why don’t they come right out and state the message they’re trying to convey?
The mass public doesn’t know/care about the UIEGA, but it raise a stink if it was brought into light via TV versus some Youtube videos.