Toronto’s Mint Agency has won an AOR assignment with one of the key competitors in the newly-regulated – and very competitive – sports betting industry in Ontario.

The agency has been tapped as PR agency of record by FanDuel, and will look to help FanDuel build brand awareness and carve out a leading share in the early days of a fiercely competitive sports betting market that opened with new regulations on April 4.

“Because it’s a newly regulated industry, awareness is key, especially with so many competitors entering the market at the same time,” explains Jaime Eisen, senior account manager for PR at Mint. “They really want to stand out.”

To kickstart the brand’s awareness efforts in Ontario, the sportsbook dedicated its advertising from April 1 to 5 – the final few days leading up to its launch in Ontario, as well as the day following – to running responsible gaming ads, which helped it stand out amid a sea of competitors that were primarily focused on other things.

“Watching a Leafs or a Raptors game lately, you just see betting ad after betting ad. While those do an amazing job of articulating product functions and the excitement surrounding the product very well, FanDuel wanted to assure Canadians that it is entering the market with their safety and responsibility in mind,” says Eisen. “That’s what makes them such a formidable competitor in this space: they are all about leading in consumer protections. So we’re not just building awareness of the brand and product offering, but also how it’s making sports betting safer.”

Among FanDuel’s other efforts to reach sports fans is establishing relationships as the official sportsbook for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment – which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argonauts and FC – and TSN, as well as one of two official sports betting partners of the NHL in North America.

Now that the initial marketing blitz for sportsbooks is over, FanDuel is pivoting to leverage its relationships and deliver more engaging content. Through its partnerships, FanDuel and Mint will be exploring “what integrations look like on a more organic level,” Eisen notes. The sportsbook endeavours to deliver “content Canadians want to see” and “tell a more compelling narrative with its partners.”

“FanDuel is looking to stand out from the crowd and make sure the narratives it is telling are not only true to the brand but also true to Canadians’ interests,” she adds.