Can new Ladbrokes agency BBH bring some class to the grubby business of betting ads on TV?

Well this should be fun. BBH has won the £7m Ladbrokes account from SapientNitro and so will, presumably, try to introduce some class into the grubby business of betting in the UK. Which is quite a challenge.

Actually I’m amazed that Ladbrokes only spends £7m as the airwaves seem to be awash with ads from bookmakers – but maybe that’s because most of the live TV I watch is sport.

And a pretty miserable bunch they are. We’ve got Victor Chandler’s BetVictor featuring his friend Dennis (or whatever his name is) courtesy of VCCP, Ray Winstone inviting people to “Bet in play! Nah!” for Bet365, market leader William Hill (can’t remember much about theirs), Betfair, BetFred, SkyBet and, of course, Labrokes. It’s bloody relentless.

Actually Ladbrokes from SapientNitro wasn’t too bad, featuring mad Italian football commentator Tiziano Crudelli (as the ‘Oddsfather’) and Sky pundit Chris Kamara. But Ladbrokes is struggling with its online business, so the agency cops it.

BBH deputy chairman Jon Peppiatt told Campaign: “We are thrilled to work on an iconic British brand and help them in their ambition to be the number-one multiplatform gaming and betting destination.”

Which is posh for “Bet in play! Nah!”