Betfair wins big with Victoria Pendleton’s switching saddles

Betfair, the online betting exchange and bookmaker, has scored a massive PR win backing Victoria Pendleton’s journey from Olympic cyclist to champion jockey. In a period of just 12 months Pendleton has gone from complete novice (having never even sat on a horse) to entering the world famous Cheltenham Festival where she will ride in the St. James’ Place Foxhunters Chase.

While media reports suggest that Pendleton has been paid handsomely for her commitment to swap cycling for horse racing, her genuine enthusiasm for the sport demonstrates that this is so much more than just a financial agreement. Switching Saddles has a special ingredient that so many other celebrity endorsements lack, a very real passion.

Pendleton has scored acres of coverage across all sections of media, taking horse racing off the back pages and out of the racing press and into the consciousness of millions of people who would not normally associate themselves with the sport. While not all the coverage has been favourable, with some pundits suggesting that Pendleton’s lack of experience may put herself and others at risk, it is hard not to find admiration for an elite athlete who has so “easily” and successfully transferred her skills to another sport.

In the run-up to Cheltenham, Betfair will no doubt be hoping that Pendleton will help draw a new audience towards their websites and perhaps persuade them to take a flutter for the first time. For many people tuning into horse racing for the first time, Pendleton’s name will be the only one they recognise. The campaign is so good, Betfair hardly need mention the fact they can offer odds on Pendleton’s chance of winning and because she is so enthusiastic and genuinely likeable makes it difficult to be cynical about the arrangement. If only all celebrity endorsements were so well executed.

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