How gambling marketers should manage business unusual

It’s business unusual as lockdown continues and we all observe social distancing measures. Yes, this has interrupted brands’ activities the world over, but we’re quickly learning and adapting to keep business going in the ‘new normal’.

While everything is in flux and changing each day, here are a few areas where egaming marketers should shift their focus.

Your heroes

First things first, it looks like we’re in this for the long haul and it’s possible that waves of infection could keep this new reality in place for many months. Expect periods where your workforce can get sick, so plan ahead to operate at 60-70% capacity, and keep your staff up-to-date with fluctuating workloads.

Most importantly, for those who catch the virus, a basket of fruit isn’t too much to show you care. We’re all in this together.

Advertising

The way you advertise online to players has shifted balance, and your 2020 strategy is in the trash, so review your ad banners and content themes to echo the current situation. Be careful not to play on lockdown themes, as your brand may come across as opportunistic and lacking empathy.

More importantly, compliance with shifting regulatory environments will keep you busy, both with your advertising teams, and your affiliates.

In Spain, new laws prohibit advertising during the lockdown to prevent problem gambling. Be prepared for similar proactive requirements from other regulatory jurisdictions and develop clear, consistent messaging for affiliates and promotional content on traffic-driving sites.

Affiliate marketing

In unaffected markets, keeping in touch with your affiliates will pay dividends right now. Brands that add more juice to their affiliate activities will stand out from the crowd while the world is in lockdown, so your affiliate network is crucial at the moment.

Cut through the noise. Create more unique content for affiliates, giving them better assets to drive traffic. The players will be drawn to it, and the affiliates will thank you.

B2B communications

B2B communications also require an alternative approach. Don’t add yet another coronavirus update to your audience’s inbox. Everybody on the planet knows what’s going on right now.

But it’s wise to have a page available on your website that gives more information about any changes to your services during the pandemic.

Moreover, your comms activities need to go into overdrive while all global events are postponed for the foreseeable future. Get your teams together and be creative, innovative, original. Keep the conversation going.

New verticals

One vertical that has undeniably suffered in this crisis is sports betting – there’s just no sporting events! But advances in esports and virtual sports give these innovative egaming sectors an opportunity to shine.

Virtual sports, from brands like Magellan Robotech, offer an out of the box solution, but as with any new vertical, it requires trust and buy-in from the players, so keep them informed with details that deliver transparency.

The esports vertical is currently reliant on human participants competing online in self-isolation protocols, so pay attention to regulatory issues and ensure provably fair oversight with third parties. If your players get burned, then so do you.

Finally…

Consider how everything might change in the future. The way we interact with each other will have been substantially transformed, maybe forever.

There will be new patterns in our lives. New forms of online pastimes with friends and connections – video groups, virtual gatherings, board games played countries apart over Zoom, and so on.

Brands should think smart, paying attention to emerging trends and new cultures, understanding audience needs and evolving with the times.

Innovate. Adapt. Learn. Don’t just survive, improve.

Embrace the new normal, and everything will be okay.

Jools Moore is a comms and content professional with 20 years experience, working with egaming brands since 2004.  He recently founded Arrow&Square to provide B2B comms and marketing across egaming, blockchain, fintech and emerging tech verticals.