Who can resist pushing a Big Red Button?
Adventures in commercial branding with RIZK
When working on a global brand, the challenge is finding ways to be relevant to the local market. A clever turn of phrase might get a laugh in Sweden, but be very confusing to a Croatian customer. Also, there are so many campaigns that focus on showing the same symbology – slot characters, chips, coins and poker symbols – and investing in that visual structure would just get drowned in the sea of competition. The time was ripe to work on a new TVC campaign for RIZK – the first original project since the brand was bought by Betsson Group in 2020.
In the interim RIZK had been recycling an ambassador based commercial featuring actor Michael Madsen of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill fame. We quickly found that the actor did not resonate with a younger audience and dubbing the voice in various markets diluted the cool, suave effect the commercial was trying to project. We knew that for our next campaign we needed to bear all these factors in mind – we needed a concept that worked wherever, without needing language or explanation. We wanted something odd and unusual – something that would stand out in the noise of casino advertising.
"The Car"
Enter the RIZK BUTTON.
Who can resist pushing a Big Red Button? Our concept stemmed around this core idea. We wanted to tap into a universal feeling: curiosity. What happens when a red button invites you to press it? Will it make a noise? Will it reward you with a prize? Will it transport you to another reality?
Our core premise was “You can play on RIZK anywhere, at any time. Fun is always a push of a button away. Press and things will happen.” We did not want language to be used anywhere in the advert, both to void the voice over problem and for social media where people tend to interact on mute.
This is where working with experts pays off – people who understand our industry, work with the best brands in the world and have the right sense of humor to capture our brief.
The process was quite rapid. Experienced directors pitched ideas through storytelling and sketched mockups, while Kay and I curated the feedback and course corrected the pitches until we finally settled on a winning agency: Camp David.
"The Studio"
The result: a set of four commercials centering around a RIZK Red Button. In a music studio a troubled producer struggles to find skill in a terrible folk band – he presses the RIZK button, and his problem is solved in the form of a classic soul band oozing with talent. In dark Roman times a peasant is facing a huge gladiator in a fight – one button push away and he’s the noble lord being served delicious grapes on his divan.
We did not want obvious casino symbology – we inserted it carefully (when the button is pushed a slot jackpot sound is heard), and no one speaks in any of the commercials, so that it can be used in any market without any exorbitant post-production costs. Chopping the advert down to a brief 6 seconds for social media is still effective – there is a problem at the start, a button push and a positive result manifesting moments later.
We are certain the humor of the commercials will be memorable and fresh – and at the end of the day, that’s what good branding is all about.
"The Gladiator"
"The Prisoners"