The Pools launches ‘True Originals’ ad campaign across TV and social media

The Pools has launched ‘True Originals’, a 30-second video advertising campaign marking the latest stage of its rebrand from The Football Pools. The advert began airing on Tuesday 12th August 2025 across non-linear TV, YouTube and social media platforms in the UK.

The advert follows a modern-day football fan who discovers his father’s old memorabilia, including a Football Pools slip, before cutting to footage of the brand’s current smartphone app. The concept plays on The Pools’ long-standing place in British football culture while aiming to appeal to younger audiences.

Follows earlier out-of-home push

‘True Originals’ builds on an earlier campaign, ‘The Parents’, which launched in February and ran across out-of-home advertising and radio in a more localised push focused on the Liverpool and Manchester areas. The new campaign extends that nostalgic messaging to a UK-wide, digital-first audience.

The move to online advertising comes after The Pools upgraded its digital platform with technology from Gaming Innovation Group (GiG Software Plc). The company says this reflects efforts to modernise the user experience while retaining its long-established identity in UK betting.

As part of the digital overhaul, the traditional ‘Classic Pools’ game and other pools products have been converted into a membership model, letting customers select a game and set a monthly spend of £10, £15 or £20. Members also get access to benefits including free-to-play games and free bets.

Executive comment

James Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of The Pools, said the campaign repositions the brand as a modern entertainment platform while retaining ties to its history, and that it extends the approach used in ‘The Parents’ to a national audience.

The campaign was produced in partnership with London-based creative agency Amigo Partnership. Hugh Johnson, Director of Global Client Partnerships at Amigo Partnership, said the campaign aims to introduce The Pools’ heritage to a new generation of football fans by tapping into current interest in retro branding.

The digital media strategy for the campaign was handled by Tomorrow. Jack Wyllie, Client Services Director at Tomorrow, said the agency worked on both the brand relaunch and the digital acquisition elements of the campaign.

The Pools marked its 100th anniversary in 2023 and describes itself as a forerunner to the National Lottery and the first UK business to offer a multimillion-pound jackpot. Alongside its pools betting products, the brand also offers lotto, sports betting, casino games and free-to-play games.