Curbing a Mental Health Epidemic: How Origo Helped Create More Than A Bet

October 30, 2024

Origo has worked with our partners at Ohio for Responsible Gambling for close to a decade, helping launch multiple statewide campaigns to prevent and reduce gambling disorders by promoting responsible gambling and building awareness. This includes Pause Before You Play, Ohio’s responsible gambling campaign and Change the Game Ohio, Ohio’s youth gambling prevention campaign.

An Evolving Issue

Most recently, we teamed up with our partners to create More Than A Bet, a campaign designed to help end the alarming rise of sports bettors harassing student athletes when their bet goes wrong. As an unforeseen outcome of the legalization of sports betting, we took this work very seriously and with empathy, from conceptualization to the tactical development and online experience. 

Crafting a Human-Centered Campaign

Origo started the creative process by familiarizing ourselves with the issue facing young adults across our state. According to the NCAA, up to 25 percent of all harassment in sports is betting-related, and 30 percent of Division 1 athletes experience bullying due to sports betting. This harassment can range from hurtful insults to racial slurs and death threats. 

We came away from the research and insights provided by ORG with multiple conceptual approaches to address the issue head-on. The ORG team selected More Than A Bet, a campaign that emphasized the human side of college athletes and served as a stark reminder to protect their already vulnerable mental health. 

Tactics and Outreach

Once that concept was selected, Origo got to work on tactical deployment, including executing posters, social media posts, and digital ads to clearly and effectively communicate to those who sports bet. Each piece drove home the message of not taking your anger over a bad bet out on a student athlete. Assets directed individuals to the website to learn more about the campaign and take action in their own way. 

A Digital Hub for Awareness and Action

As a next step of the campaign launch, we designed and developed a microsite as the home base for the campaign. With cutting-edge UX/UI, the website’s content and design strategy intentionally guided visitors through a narrative that explores the growing issue and its impact on young adults.

As viewers continue through the site, they can access tips and resources if they’re struggling with controlling their emotions over a bet. They can even take a gambling disorder quiz, as sports betting harassment can be a sign of a gambling disorder for the one sending the threats.

Enhancing the Message Through Visual and Audio Storytelling

As the creative continued to develop, we also started planning for video and radio spots. One of the most in-depth creative processes to date, our copywriting and design teams had to create a cohesive long-form narrative video for the website that could also be broken out into shorter 30- and 15-second spots for radio and TV advertisements. 

Creating Urgency and Engagement

The process took many rounds of script writing and storyboard development. Our efforts resulted in shooting and producing a moving testimonial-style video that brings viewers into the lives of athletes dealing with the harmful impacts of sports betting harassment. Origo also worked to create a custom soundtrack that set the tone for the video and built in intensity as the students got honest about their experiences. 

A Comprehensive Campaign With Potential for Positive Impact

Our strategic approach, from the concept creation to final execution, demonstrates a highly effective and successful campaign. Through innovative, creative processes, seamless multi-platform integration, and an expertly designed microsite, Origo and ORG tackled the issue of sports betting harassment head-on. By focusing on both the athletes’ experiences and providing resources to bettors who might be at risk of a gambling disorder, More Than A Bet continues to grow as a meaningful and impactful campaign that will leave a lasting impression across the state.

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