The fate of Frank Ilet’s hair rests on the outcome of Tuesday night’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and West Ham, and Bet365 has capitalised on the social media personality’s current fame with a creative promotion.
A banner ad on the operator’s site reads: “Hair today, gone tomorrow,” referencing Ilet’s nearly 500-day-old pledge not to get a haircut until Manchester United wins five games in a row.
Having experienced a return to form since the appointment of Interim Manager Michael Carrick, the club is now one victory away from achieving that feat.
In recent days, as the five-win target has moved within reach, Ilet's social media campaign has gathered momentum, with Carrick even fielding questions about it in his pre-match press conference.
Bet365’s nod to the phenomenon shows that it is plugged in to online football discourse, and many users of the operator’s online sports betting platform will know exactly what the image of a large frizzy mop of hair next to Manchester United’s odds means.
Bet365's ‘super boost’ promotion has been applied to the odds, with Carrick’s team now 6/4 to win rather than 7/10.
Tapping into meme culture and social media has been a tactic long-practiced by many of the UK’s biggest bookmakers, with Paddy Power particularly well known for its ability to whip up engagement with irreverent posts and publicity stunts.
Before Manchester City’s trip to Anfield on Sunday, Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table had stretched to nine points, leading Paddy Power to pay out early on the club winning the league title.
Two late goals meant City overcame Liverpool in the final moments of that game, and with Arsenal’s cushion down to six points, the Flutter-owned operator employed a Michael van Gerwen meme in which the darts player looks as though he may be regretting a decision he’s made.
City winning that match was always a distinct possibility, and it can't have taken the operator too much by surprise, but in speaking the language of the internet and fuelling the online debate, Paddy Power will feel any additional losses incurred if Arsenal's title tilt does go on to crumble will be more than worth the publicity gained.
Ilet has stated that if his beloved Manchester United does win, he'd like to have the ceremonial cutting of the hair done outside the club's home ground, Old Trafford – he has also promised to donate the hair to the Little Princess Trust.
West Ham performances have also picked up of late, with the East London club winning four of its last five matches
