London agency clinches GBP 5 million Gala Bingo account

London based creative advertising agency Isobel has won the GBP 5 million Gala gambling group advertising account following a four-way competitive pitch against BMB, Fold7 and George & Dragon.

Our readers may recall that Gala Leisure was bought for GBP 241 million by private equity company Caledonia Investments from Ladbrokes Coral in 2015, and the company is gearing up for a relaunch later this year, which could reportedly entail a re-brand to Buzz Bingo.

The current brand has been impacted adversely by consumers’ move to online gambling, and because galabingo.com and galacasino.com are still owned by Ladbrokes Coral, Gala Leisure could rebrand the Gala Bingo name for its clubs as part of an online push, according to the marketing publication Campaign Live.

Newcastle-based agency Cravens won the firm’s Gala Bingo online account in 2014, and continue to hold this element.

Isobel will be responsible for all creative communications, including advertising, content and social media, as well as contributing to internal communications at the gambling company..

Nottingham-headquartered Gala Leisure reported a profit of GBP 18.1 million in its latest financial accounts from 27 September 2015 to 4 January 2017, compared to a GBP 10.2 million loss during the 12 months to 26 September 2016.

Mecca Bingo, Gala’s high-street rival, appointed Pablo as its creative agency in 2016.