Level 5, the PR company born out of the need to convince Newco fans to back one specific camp, have been given the Ladbrokes SPFL contract. Promotion of the SPFL is the responsibility of sponsor, Ladbrokes, who also pay for PR, this was not a decision by the league or member clubs.
Their brief is to manage the news and keep the words Ladbrokes SPFL in the news. Recent coverage has been a case in point.
Yesterday’s newspapers gave an excellent example of how this is operating. Ladbrokes wanted their app promoted for free in the newspapers. Their Level 5 performed to task, the Evening Times ran with:
“Murdo was promoting a new Ladbrokes ’Track Your Acca’ app which allows punters to track their bets and cash out on the go – for full details log on to thegrid.ladbrokes.com”
While the Daily Record ran with:
“MacLeod was promoting a new Ladbrokes ‘Track Your Acca’ app that allows punters to track bets on the go – for full details log on to thegrid.ladbrokes.com”
Both a copy and paste from the press release.
Here’s the rub, though. The bait for both Ladbrokes adverts was Murdo having a go at two different Celtic players. The League’s sponsor is employing a PR company, who could have chosen any subject at 42 clubs, but they chose to have a dig at Celtic players. Digging at Celtic players is one of the most reliable ways to ensure your comment runs in the newspapers.
That PR company just happens to be staffed by a former employee of a club who can hardly make a public comment without proclaiming their desire to bring down Celtic.
Ladbrokes got their promotion and two Celtic players were used as fuel, this is unacceptable. The League sponsor cannot employ a PR company who have enjoyed such a close relationship with a PR-dependent club, while undermining Celtic.
It is a fundamental conflict of interest and has to stop, Celtic cannot be cannon-fodder for the SPFL sponsor. Ladbrokes are representing the League on PR matters and cannot undermine the Celtic in this way. The SPFL cannot allow their competition to be undermined by partisan promotion.
Let @Ladbrokes know your thoughts.
656 Comments- Pages:
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Freddy Demuth
Why does login take so long on the new version. Blew my top spot,
Weeminger,
I know! This is me trying to get a podium on the live post updates!
As far as I can see, Griffiths has 9 goals from 12 League games, 4 from 8 in Europe and last night’s rather splendid strike, his only game in the League Cup.
That’s 14 goals from 21 games, and the sense is that he’s getting better.
Not to get too far ahead, but a target of 25 goals for the season seems a little soft, given we’ve got 26 league matches to play, at least 3 more in Europe, plus whatever we do in the two cups.
If he stays fit, +30 seems to be achievable.
It’s absolutely no coincidence that his scoring touch has returned as his hair has grown in. If he manages to grow a quiff, he could be world class.
Imagine what Dion Dublin could have done for us if only we’d forked out on a hair transplant for the big chap.
KLM adverts is a bummer !!!!!
Re the Adverts – I’m feeling left out, don’t seem to get them. Paul67 can I apply for some pop-up ads please.
And there was me just writing a blog about Level5 PR, Ladbrokes and coverage of the Scottish game!
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/willie-miller-levels-with-us/
Happy valley birthday to our very own Swiss correspondent Starry Plough
Murdo MacLeod will do anything,if there is money at the end of it.
Delighted to get through last night. Leigh Griffiths brilliant!
Good result last night…..brilliant from Leigh Grif…..Tom Rogic is improving greatly.
Always good to beat the wee huns on their own patch.
We were solid until the last minute…. their goal should have been prevented.
Aberdeen and Molde now.
C,mon
HH
BT
Morning BT, thank you, the weather in the Valley is sunny, Autumn Gold and after putting the Hearts to the sword you will always find Starry in fine fettle:)
The years may be moving on but beating Hearts never gets old:))
Hope yer well Mate..
I never go into Ladbrokes anyway….so feck them.
How desperate are these huns?
Petty nonsense from bigots….nothing new there.
Boycott Ladbrokes….simple as that.
HH
Stewart Regan showing some heroic levels of hypocrisy on SSN!
Lets just give Ladbrokes a miss both inside the stadium and their outlets outside and let them know why we are doing it. Nothing concentrates the mind like getting hit in the pocket. Lennons Passion I’d be interested in two tickets for Ross County. H H Hebcelt
The whole Football setup in this Country is disgusting ……… I fully expect Seb Blatter to be appointed soon …….
boycott the bookies
The Battered Bunnet (9:29am), if Henke had scored the goals that Griffiths did against DU and Hearts in the last week, we’d have put them up there in his “best of” compilation. That says a lot about where Leigh Griffiths is at right now.
Paul67 –
Ladbrokes are a commercial enterprise. The only way to hurt them is in the pocket. The demographic of Scotland is such that bad Celtic news always plays well – so it will continue no matter what email objections are made. I will write an email to Ladbrokes of course expressing my disappointment with this particular story but it will have no impact. The Celtic PLC board need to take this up with Ladbrokes and make clear that if this continues then there will be no access for L5 to Celtic and that anything published will be closely scrutinised for possible legal implications. It’s time for th ePLC to protect fans, shareholders and reputation – they do not do nearly enough in this respect.
I will be boycotting Ladbrokes….if it was down to me, id also throw their operation out of CP.
They want to get huns to dis Celtic….while they make money from Celtic fans.
Nah…don’t think so Mr Ladbrokes.
HH
Good Morning starry, I’ve already wished you Happy Birthday on Facebook but twice is better than once, so again Happy Birthday and keep the pics coming.
Happy birthday Starry Plough, what anniversary of your 21st birthday is this!!!! I’ll start giving Ladbrokes a miss after I collect my winnings from last Sunday where they ran out of money to pay several punters out!! H H Hebcelt
Boycott the lot of them, bookies, newspapers, radio phone in’s.
Dear God ( No that is not you Paul )
I wonder how a national company such as Ladbrokes ever got to hear of a relatively new and little known ( outside Scotland fitba circles ) PR company such as level 5?
The SFA possibly put them on to Jabba & Crew?
However, the appointment of a PR company by a marketing department is meant to signal positive images and messages, not alienate one of the biggest sections of your target market.
Marketing and PR strategies are meant to bring positive reactions from all sections of the public if possible.
They are meant to be memorable and even to make the neurtral or the non natural customer take an interest.
The blatant product placement fuelled by slating Celtic players has just lost Ladbrokes a lot of customers.
An own goal if ever there was one!
If you want to see football and a football club gain from positive PR, marketing, publicity and brand matching then look no further than this from last week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAF2hZxdFRE
Murdo is the perfect example of an Uncle Tom.
Constantly flaunting his credentials as an ex-Celtic player and coach to take money from anybody offering to put the boot in.
Pat Nevin, Andy Walker, Davie Provan….. It’s a well tread path,
Even the likes of Hartson and Sutton fall into the trap. Though to be fair, I think Sutton has more of a problem with Ronny than the club.
Herbcelt
Get them at weekend will sort something out with you.
NatKnow
Is there not Ladbrokes branches in CP?
Note that the petition for “Removal of Lord Livingston from Celtic FC Board” has so far accrued well over 5,000 signatories.
Background article in Mirror …
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/thousands-celtic-fans-call-director-6726475?
Big Joze will be a massive star for us in the coming years.There you are.
Man U beaten at Old Trafford,with a full team out costing Squillions,by a fairly moderate “Boro”team.
Cup ties eh.
Again last nights game should show everyone how hard it is to break down a team with everyone getting behind the ball.Hearts tired later in the game which allowed our goals and better performance.This was due to chasing the ball around for the previous 60 minutes.Rogic,great substitution,benefited from this wee bit extra space.Another bonus from last night,is no more midweek games in the LC.That was our 3rd game in 6 days,Saturday will be 4 in 9.Thats a hellish schedule for any team.
If we could get referees to referee like last night it would help our cause no end.Please dont go on about LGs booking.He did a lot more than “Thumbs up”.Good on him.
One down,two to go.
“I will be boycotting Ladbrokes”
Tgm,
If you never use them they’ll not notice your boycott.
Send them a mail.
HH
Griffiths 2 key moments were joyous. We’ve missed that. Not going to pretend I’ve always been a fan but from petulant ned to where he is now has been either a miraculous self awareness epiphany of wisdom, or he’s got a manager who he’ll thank for the rest of his days when his career is over.
Or maybe he was just handed the 120 word full length biography of Derek Riordan to read.
Many happy returns Starry lad.
HH
only last week Bonner was on the huddle promoting his book, talk about trojan horses, he can ram his book, his comments like Mcleod before are always tinged with a critical comment on the players or the club.
Last night Neilson was critical of his players at the first Celtic goal, saying it should have been cleared 3 times,he was not challenged by anyone on the BBC, this brilliant skill from Leigh became a criticism and demeaned what Leigh had did. Boy do they hate celtic.
J77 on 29TH OCTOBER 2015 9:49 AM
Stewart Regan showing some heroic levels of hypocrisy on SSN!
Never !!!!!.Who would have thought it?.
Good article.
Boycott Ladbrokes?
Good win last night.
H.H.
BRTH Great video, great PR
Picture in the metro of the Celtic bench. It looks as though we have 3 maybe 4 new faces in the back room staff – two ladies and a couple of chaps. What do they all do and why are they on the bench?
Paul,
Ladbrokes are a Celtic Club Partner and operate within the Club. Does this not give us leverage?
And would it not be immediately reported if their services were ‘avoided’ by supporters within the ground, particularly if they were informed why this course of action would be appropriate ?
Oooft
Just installed Mozilla Firefox after 20 years of Internet Explorer.
I am walking in the wild side today. Doob, de-doob, de-doob.
And, it seems the Firefox popup blocker does what it says on the tin.
What joy to be able to read CQN without clearing umpteen ads for gambling, snooker games, airlines and god knows what else.
Still takes an eternity to log in mind, which seems to be a bit of wheel spining at the server end.