DraftKings is dusting off its NFL playbook with a new ad and tagline

Just in time for the upcoming NFL season, DraftKings is betting on a familiar face and a new tagline to promote its sportsbook.

The sports-betting company is airing a new ad starting Aug. 21 that stars Kevin Hart—who’s been a DraftKings pitchman before, including in its Super Bowl campaign—and retired NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

In addition to some banter between the stars, the ad features DraftKings’s new tagline, “the crown is yours,” which the brand plans to use for years to come, according to CMO Stephanie Sherman.

Hart eyes: DraftKings put its money on Hart as a spokesperson because his “comedic tone [and] ability to talk in a really simple way about our offerings” helps explain the product and promotions DraftKings runs, Sherman said.

“We had an outstanding [NFL] season last year, and we know that having a consistent brand voice is important,” Sherman told Marketing Brew. “His humor really helps bring our brand message and our offering to life.”

She declined to comment on the specifics of Hart’s contract, but said he’ll continue to appear in the brand’s marketing materials at least through the upcoming season.

As for Fitzpatrick, Sherman said DraftKings chose him because of his analyst work on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, of which DraftKings is a sponsor. He’s also appeared in ads for the company in the past.

Heavy is the head: The ad and the tagline, which were developed by DraftKings’s in-house creative team, will run on national TV and on digital and social.

DraftKings has used different taglines in the past, but decided to implement “the crown is yours” in an effort to create more consumer-centric messaging while still working to “leverage the equity” of its existing brand assets, Sherman said. And while DraftKings plans to use the tagline for several years, certain audio elements—like the voice that reads it and the music behind it—might change as DraftKings tests it in the market, she said.

Speaking of DraftKings’s marketing plans for the future, Sherman said it’s too soon to say whether the brand will run another Super Bowl spot, but that it has “an approach for the fall season laid out” and is eager to continue its work with Hart.

“We’re just really excited, as we look toward this season, to continue to build off of the things that we know are driving engagement with our fans,” she said.

Big picture: Several states have legalized sports betting in recent years, driving ad spend from major players like DraftKings. Gambling advertisers spent close to $866 million in 2022, a 40% increase year over year, according to MediaRadar.

In 2021, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars inked deals with the NFL to use certain league imagery for retail and online sports betting as the league’s official sports betting partners. The NFL allows up to six sportsbook ads per game—one for the pregame, each quarter, and halftime.

Despite the surge in popularity, sports-betting companies have run into a fair amount of roadblocks and scrutiny: Recently, state regulators have started cracking down on sports-betting advertising, particularly when it comes to marketing to minors.