- Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, Mecca Bingo has teamed up with leading body language expert Judi James to delve into our ‘competitive spirit’, and reveal what the most common winning reactions say about athletes and players alike
- It comes as new research reveals that 39% of Brits prefer to celebrate modestly, while over a third (38%) opt for expressive gestures like the fist pump
- Sporting icons also have their influence, with over a quarter of the nation (28%)‘glory-sharing’by adopting the iconic ‘Mo-bot’
- Fancy flaunting your winning reaction this summer? For your chance to win, find a Mecca Bingo near you at https://www.meccabingo.com/
26th JULY 2024: Mecca Bingo, the UK’s original bingo brand, today (Thursday 25 July) launches “Legends of Play”, a new integrated campaign by The MISSION Group, to increase brand consideration and grow market share in the competitive UK bingo sector.
Are you a ‘Floor-dropper’, a ‘Selfie-sharer’, or a ‘Boaster’? With just a few days to go before the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening on Friday (26 July), Mecca Bingo has teamed up with leading communication and body language expert Judi James to reveal what different reactions to winning mean.
It comes as new research shows that nearly a quarter (22%) of Britssay their biggest winning celebrations come from watching their favourite athlete or team clinch a victory, rather than winning something themselves, while 15% admit their most enthusiastic reactions come from playing games like bingo, where cash prizes are up for grabs.
The nine most common ‘winning reactions’ and their personality profiles, according to body language expert Judi James are:
- ‘Selfie-sharers’ – celebrate by snapping a selfie of their win. They may struggle to stay focused on the present, but through winning they choose to reveal their inner ‘actor’ and want to share their moment of euphoria with everyone they know.
- ‘Secret Smilers’ – favoured by 39% of Brits, this reaction is a subtle nod or smirk. These people are typically a humble type, who always try to look like a good sport, with no desire to make others feel small.
- ‘Future Gazers’ – often mime prayers or look to the heavens. Thanking whatever form of fate or luck they believe prompted the win, this reaction indicates they are always looking one step ahead, anticipating future successes.
- ‘Weepers’ – are modest and emotional personalities. Their response to winning reveals that they simply can’t believe something so good is happening to them. It signals that, although they feel on top in that moment, they may still have a desire to be hugged and comforted.
- ‘Victory air-punchers’ – celebrate with an enthusiastic punch in the air. Over a third of Brits (38%) favour this expressive winning move, according to Mecca’s research. People who gesture in this way when they win have likely faced critics or setbacks in the past, making their win a “sweet moment of validation” against the odds.
- ‘Power Posers’ – react by striking a pose, such as a signature move like the iconic ‘To Di World’ victory poise, famed by Usain Bolt and used by almost a third (29%) of Brits or the ‘Mo-bot’, coined by British athlete Mo Farah, and favoured by 28% of those surveyed. They are commonly modest and self-effacing types, who allow themselves to enjoy one brief moment of personal superiority.
- ‘Disbelievers’ – those who display wide-eyed astonishment upon winning. This reaction suggests they are not one of life’s frequent winners. However, once the penny drops, they’re capable of switching to celebratory mode.
- ‘Boasters’ – may be seen boogying, doing a victory lap, or flaunting to opponents. This reaction can be linked to individuals with a fiercely competitive nature, indicating they are willing to do whatever it takes to claim their prize.
- ‘Floor-droppers’ – often react to a win by lying flat on their back with their eyes closed. Floor-droppers are sophisticated types, who like to savour and intensify their wins by shutting out external stimuli and dropping down into their emotions.
Judi James, body language expert, explains: ‘’Whether watching your favourite Olympian receive a gold medal or hitting the jackpot at bingo, our ‘reward’ for a win is a burst of euphoria and triumph that triggers our primal ‘warrior’ responses. The sudden burst of serotonin makes us feel like a champion and the surge of emotions can make us lose our social inhibitions momentarily.
“These instinctive reactions vary from person to person and can reveal a lot about you. Non-verbal posturing and peacocking is also fun, because it’s often so contradictory to our own normal behaviour. A win might make us hug strangers; roar and scream or even dance about in a way that would normally embarrass us to even think about.”
Which victory celebrations can you spot at this year’s Olympics? Play along and dab them off on our specially created bingo ticket.
Cheryl Gifford, marketing director at Mecca Bingo added, “At Mecca Bingo, watching our players celebrate a jackpot win is one of our greatest joys! Whether you’re a ‘’Disbeliever’’ or a ‘’Victory air-puncher’, we’ve seen them all…which is no wonder, as our research shows 1 in 7 Brits say their most enthusiastic reactions come from playing games where they can win cash prizes, such as bingo.”
Fancy flaunting your winning reaction this summer? Find a Mecca Bingo near you at https://www.meccabingo.com/ where there’s big cash prizes up for grabs.
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Consumer research conducted by OnePoll with 2,000 UK adults nationwide between 8th and 11th July 2024.
About Mecca Bingo
Owned by the Rank Group Plc, Mecca Bingo is one of the largest Bingo and Slots operators in the UK.
Mecca provides entertainment across its UK wide venues as well as its award-winning online site and app, which includes free to play and paid games and chat rooms. Both online and retail venues raise money for Mecca’s charity partner Carers Trust.
Mecca Bingo has a firm commitment to safer gambling with a range of tools and support services to ensure that customers can always keep it fun. These include deposit limits, reality checks and take a break as well as direct support from the customer care team.
For further information on retail venues and online play go to: www.meccabingo.com
Rank’s operations principally comprise:
Grosvenor Casinos – The UK’s largest multi-channel casino operator. 51 casinos in Great Britain;
Mecca – Rank’s multi-channel community-based gaming brand for the British market. 52 bingo clubs in Great Britain;
Enracha – Rank’s community-based gaming business for the Spanish market. Nine bingo clubs in Spain;
Rank Interactive – Rank’s UK digital business operates a multi-branded strategy, using a combination of its proprietary and non-proprietary licensed software to provide online bingo, casino and slot gaming;
YoBingo – A leading online bingo operator in Spain.
For more information about The Rank Group Plc, visit www.rank.com.
