As the news about the gambling business informs, creating a successful marketing campaign in the iGaming sector is a challenging task and requires a deep understanding of the internal processes.
GBC Time team has conducted an interview with the Chief Marketing Officer of Ellmount Group, Mery Blomqvist, and found out key insights about advertising and branding of casino products.
Mery, what are the main peculiarities of marketing in the iGaming sector?
There are a few factors that one needs to keep in mind when it comes to Marketing. Primarily, branding – which steps to take to position the brand where it should be. I would say the gaming industry is, in particular, amongst the best at utilizing affiliate marketing and managing CRM. I would point out a couple of CRM strategies used in order to gain a deeper knowledge of your customer by utilizing gamification and the ability to almost if not instantly personalize communication, including offerings to the particular individual, including methodologies to predict & minimize churn as well as using attribution modeling and ability to optimize marketing mix to mention a few very important disciplines.
In your opinion, what are the most important components of a successful promotional campaign for gambling products?
Building it like a pyramid with a solid base of responsible gambling and compliance, followed by the layers of customer-centricity (promo, creative design, tone of voice with the right marketing mix) but most importantly, finding the stickiness tailored to the customers. An offer of entertainment, exclusivity, and energy – and does not necessarily the most expensive one. For instance, we did a campaign for both new & existing players combining an event IRL and online, the premiere of the first and only one of its kind across all verticals (except bingo).
How difficult is it to maintain compliance with strict regulations on advertising, which are imposed in many European jurisdictions?
It´s not hard to maintain compliance with the advertising, I would say that´s the easier part. It is more difficult when regulators start capping deposits or manipulating game rounds, commercial models, etc. Like we see in Sweden & Germany, to name two. I hope that one day the industry will find a way of impacting the authorities and have an authentic dialogue that will actually start taking care of all the players.
What is your opinion on signing live streamers as casino affiliates?
So far, the collaborations we have had with our streamers have been very successful. Most of our streamers have built a solid and faithful pool of players. The latter has a passion for following the streamers on their channels and testing out the casinos they suggest. It becomes a game of trust – “that famous Twitcher deposited at this casino, then so shall I” kind of reasoning.
How can casino affiliates establish effective communication with gambling operators? Could you give some tips for efficient cooperation?
I always appreciate coops with people that are business-minded and strive to benefit both parties. I have a few favorite affiliates who will go the extra mile to deliver quality results for both of us. This is not only the most important ingredient for long-term collaboration but also our general approach – to create a win for everyone. Other than that, I believe that continuous communication is crucial! A friendly, open dialogue leads to a positive business dialogue as well. And adding that personal touch always helps. A Skype call, a quick coffee, a personal meeting at an exhibition… all these little things make the difference!
Do you believe that tight caps on advertising games of chance can enhance player protections? Or will it just channel players to the black market?
Black market gaming simply gets easier and more entertaining than white can with the current restrictions. Instead of protecting the players and providing entertainment for the masses, regulators are sending them directly to the darker scene. Compliance and restrictions are essential – but they need to be in the correct dose. Otherwise, players will always look for another option.
In your opinion, how the proposal of the Swedish Gaming Inspectorate to “especially moderate” gambling ads will influence the marketing branch of iGaming in the country?
In my opinion, it is not going in the right direction. The channelization is already showing a negative trend and it will become even more negatively impacted if this goes through. It will not only cause more difficulty for the licensed Swedish operators to market ourselves but also a negative effect on sports (income loss for sponsorship opportunities) and the media industry (gaming ad revenue of several hundred million SEK and consequences of < SEK1bn) to name a few.
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