This year we are celebrating 25 years of our flagship brand Unibet. We've been on an amazing journey with ever-evolving technology and improved user experience. We have several milestones to celebrate, functionalities developed for our players, reinforcing why they should be proud to belong to our brand. Parallel to our customers, our talented employees have made this journey possible, constantly staying inspired and motivated to create the best player experience out there.
We interviewed Magdalena Einarsson, Head of Brand Management at Kindred Group.
Magdalena, you've been on this journey with Unibet for quite a while. Could you tell us about your career at Kindred?
Sure, I joined Kindred's Customer Service team in Malta in 2004, where I worked for a couple of years. With a passion for marketing, I knew I eventually wanted to move towards a marketing-focused role. When Kindred (Unibet at the time) acquired Mr Bookmaker in 2006, new openings arose within the Digital Marketing team in Belgium, and I took on the position of Marketing Executive. I progressed, moved to London, and headed up the Acquisition Strategy team. After a few years within this function, I decided to make a vertical move towards Brand Marketing and held a position as Senior Brand Development Manager. This role involved looking at new brand opportunities, and I was fortunate to be part of launching our Unibet brand in Canada, and our in-house developed Finnish OttoKasino brand. Since 2020 I've been heading up the Global Brand Management team. This team looks after our 9 commercial brands from a strategic and brand governance perspective.
At the core of Unibet, the brand is belonging; you call it zero-effort belonging. What do we mean by that?
At Unibet, we strive to provide a brand experience that is simpler, safer, smarter, and more exciting, and belonging is at the heart of Unibet. Players feel belonging based on what Unibet says, does and offers, not something extra they need to do – this is zero-effort belonging. Introverts and extroverts are all social animals and want to feel like part of a tribe. Although players rarely talk about their betting or meet others like them, we believe the desire to belong is there.
You've decided to stay with Unibet/Kindred for 18 years; what makes you 'belong'?
I belong because the company has trusted and invested in me as an employee. Being able to progress and take on new career opportunities within the company is important, and it is motivating to know that hard work is paying off. In addition, I also identify with the Kindred values, which is an important aspect for me.
As part of Unibet's 25th anniversary, you've celebrated some of the brand's major milestones since it was founded in 1997. Could you give us a brief insight into the significance of the chosen ones?
2003 Cash out
Unibet was the first ever company to launch the Cash out functionality. At the time of launch, we called it "Cash In". In 2005 we re-branded it to Cash out.
Cash-out allows players to settle a bet early at any time, allowing them to take a profit or reduce their losses, depending on how their bet(s) are progressing and the respective Cash out price offered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM0EC1omn7U&list=PLFt_s2qyIVkTWaYJ8JR5LqzNF37sE0J2D&index=1
2004 Mobile betting
With the many new mobile devices and functionalities, Unibet saw an opportunity to innovate and offer its players the ability to place sports betting, playing games of chance or skilled games for money by using a remote device such as a tablet computer, smartphone or a mobile phone with a wireless internet connection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnlBiOwNyiE&list=PLFt_s2qyIVkTWaYJ8JR5LqzNF37sE0J2D&index=2
2007 Unibet Open
The boom of online poker between 2003-2006 led us to explore how we could enhance the poker experience for our players. As a result, we decided to launch The Unibet Open, a series of live poker tournaments held worldwide. This four-day event will delight you with a unique and exciting experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBADXRjSmd8&list=PLFt_s2qyIVkTWaYJ8JR5LqzNF37sE0J2D&index=3
2014 Action betting
Players had expressed importance in offering a wide range of bet types with quick resolutions. One of Unibet's answers to this was Action betting. This feature offers players bet types with quick resolutions, so from bet placement to bet settlement, the result will be known within minutes or seconds. Next Point in tennis, Next Throw In in football and Next Pitch Outcome in baseball are just some of the Action Betting types available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMLHEzHRv7U&list=PLFt_s2qyIVkTWaYJ8JR5LqzNF37sE0J2D&index=4
2020 Bet stream
Knowing how important user experience is for our players, Unibet launched the exciting new mobile live streaming feature where players can place their bets from an overlay within the live stream itself, so they can bet in-play without ever needing to look away from the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7BzsfYq-b0&list=PLFt_s2qyIVkTWaYJ8JR5LqzNF37sE0J2D&index=5
2021 Bet Proud
Bet proud is a campaign concept linked to our long-term strategy to keep players safe and ensure gambling is always entertaining. When our players are safe and happy, we're happy. We've always been a leader in player safety and feel this is setting a new benchmark for the industry in an initiative we call 'Bet Proud'.
'Bet Proud' isn't a soundbite; it's a way of thinking and an attitude. And those two little words underpin what we stand for as a brand - Bet Proud. Yes, we're in the gambling industry, and it's viewed in a certain light, but we are not ashamed of what we do; quite the opposite. Instead, we're proud of what we do because of how we do it, and we believe gambling, when done responsibly, should be an acceptable and trusted form of entertainment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1xYsxa6Quw&list=PLFt_s2qyIVkTWaYJ8JR5LqzNF37sE0J2D&index=6
What's next for Unibet? Anything exciting you can share with us?
We have the World Cup around the corner, which is always a huge event for Unibet. In true Kindred style, we will celebrate this event internally and with our customers. Next year is also exciting, and we will continue focusing on how Unibet can innovate and lead the way in player safety.
Thank you, Magdalena and Congratulations, Team Unibet!
