FanDuel has enlisted NBA legend Charles Barkley to star in its latest advertising campaign ahead of the NBA Playoffs.
The official sports betting partner of the NBA has leveraged deep fake technology to digitally reimagine Barkley in his playing days alongside his present-day self.
Titled ‘Think Like a Player’, the campaign seeks to encourage players to think like an NBA star when betting on the playoffs, which begin this week.
Barkley will ‘recruit’ his younger self to help fans understand Same Game Parlay products as well as how to place bets on their favorite players.
“We’re excited to tap into the energy of the NBA playoffs as well as the fanhood for Charles,” said FanDuel’s EVP of Marketing, Andrew Sneyd.
“This campaign will not only cement FanDuel’s place in the conversation of brands that are adding to the sports experience, but continue to give us the opportunity to flex our creative muscle and demonstrate how we’re reaching our target audience in unique ways.”
Deep fake technology has increased in usage over the last few years and uses synthetic media that can replace one person’s likeness in a video or image with that of another.
FanDuel has leveraged this technology to recreate Barkley from the 90s, harnessing a nostalgia for his fans from the time. The adverts will begin during the play-in tournament and will continue until the finals.
Additionally, the operator is giving all new customers a sign-up offer for the play-offs. New users will be able to get $150 in free bets when they bet $5, with more offers to come throughout the postseason period.
