In a market filled with similar names and strategies that often blend together, Betano has been working to carve out its own path to stand out. With major sponsorships in Brazilian football (including the Brasileirão, the Copa do Brasil, and Flamengo), the brand aims to balance creativity, massive media presence, and attention to regulatory rules.
In this interview, Arthur Niggemann, its Senior Marketing Manager, explains how the company views the current moment in the market, the challenges of differentiation, and discusses regulation in the country.
UOL - The sports betting market is still new in Brazil, and many platforms have similar names and communication styles. What is today the main challenge in standing out?
Arthur Niggemann - I think this is a challenge for any new industry, but in our case it’s even more evident. The names are similar, many use “bet” as the root, the communications look alike, and that ends up creating a sense of uniformity. That’s why differentiation is key — and it touches everything: platform, features, offers, CRM, customer service, and communication.
We see differentiation as experience. It’s what we can deliver to the user that they won’t find on another platform. And today I’d say three things are fundamental: product, service, and creativity. In day-to-day operations, this makes all the difference in becoming a memorable, top-of-mind brand when the user decides to open an account.
And where does media investment fit into this process? Without creativity, does money go to waste?
Absolutely. Media investment is essential to reinforce the message, build scale, and strengthen the brand platform. But if the idea isn’t good, it’s worthless. The market is still in the awareness phase, so TV remains crucial in Brazil. But differentiation also depends on media planning.
That’s why, in addition to investing, you need to repeat and reinforce the name — even more so in a new segment where consumers are still forming their references. But it’s not just about volume: it’s about channel mix, diversification, and the relevance of the message at each touchpoint.
How does the partnership with Wieden+Kennedy work? How do you balance creativity with the need to constantly reinforce the brand name?
Wieden plays a central role. The “Confia” platform isn’t just a tagline: it’s an umbrella that guides all actions — a concept rooted in trust and reliability. It opened a huge space for us to work with humor, lightness, and contemporary conversations without losing consistency.
And there’s another important point: it’s a two-way street. The agency is eager to create, but it depends on the brand’s openness. And we provide that openness. Betano was already coming from a consolidation phase with major properties (Fluminense, Atlético Mineiro, the World Cup, the Euros), and that allowed us to be bold.
The Brasileirão campaign, for example, with several short films, was possible because the brand and agency were aligned and because we knew the audience was already familiar with Betano. Now, in 2025, we’re even playing with the previous year’s campaign — and few brands can do that.
Speaking of regulation: there’s still a lot of debate about possible restrictions on advertising. How do you deal with this scenario?
First, it’s important to stress that the rules of the game already exist. Since the beginning of the regulatory discussions, we’ve followed everything: legal requirements, +18 warnings, Ministry of Finance guidelines. In fact, many of these practices were already followed before formal regulation.
What comes next? We don’t know. No one knows. Things may change or not. So we follow what is already established and wait to understand whether new restrictions will emerge.
Betano has three major assets: the Brasileirão, the Copa do Brasil, and Flamengo. What is their importance, especially at the end of a year packed with major matches — with Flamengo in the Libertadores final, the last rounds of the Brasileirão, and the Copa do Brasil finals?
They are fundamental and part of our global strategy. In every market where we operate, we seek out major assets — just as we do in Portugal and other countries. Brazil is no different.
On top of that, we’ve had a very positive sequence in recent years: Fluminense in 2023, Atlético Mineiro in 2024, and now Flamengo in 2025, all in the Libertadores final. That’s enormous exposure.
The Copa do Brasil and the Brasileirão are also essential because they speak to fan bases across the country. The Copa do Brasil, in particular, is the most democratic competition in the country — it places clubs from completely different divisions side by side, impacts local economies, and energizes cities.
And now, at the end of the year, we’ll have this powerful combination. It will be a period of extremely high concentration of exposure, activations, and engagement with fans.
Source: UOL
