Brian Smillie Jr, Head of HoloAd at 2mee, says that holograms and influencers will create new levels of brand awareness for betting and casino operators
Regardless of the industry you’re in, consumers are saturated with content. They’re bombarded with anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 ads every day. This means they’re switching off due to advertising fatigue in pretty much every sector.
Combined with the fact that ad executives in most industries are burning money trying to deliver results, especially in sectors such as gambling, competition is incredibly fierce which unfortunately means advertising fatigue is here to stay.
Traditional means of advertising for affiliates and operators, particularly banner ads, are no longer cutting through, with CTRs in the low single digits.
Affiliates only have so much banner-ad space on their website to deploy, with a very specific technical scope for what you can and cannot do. It's a saturated landscape with ever-decreasing attention and levels of focus from the end user.
There’s only so much juice in the orange before it’s squeezed dry.
The content of the advertising itself
The traditional gambling audience is one that on the whole is driven by best prices and bonuses – which makes a lot of sense. Be it sports betting, casino or live games, price and bonus are generally king.
Catering to this taste has been historically successful and it’s why many betting brands look to affiliates to drive new players to their sportsbooks and casinos. Due to the performance-based model used for this, operators pay for what they get by either paying a one-off cost per acquisition fee and/or sharing the player’s revenue with the affiliate.
Most casino listings are stale and generic with the only point of difference being the free bets and sign-up bonuses offered.
This has previously made a lot of sense, but now in a market saturated with advertising, operators can only provide so many incentives before they hit a price floor. Otherwise, they’ll end up moving around bonus bets with little real money running through the business.
Additionally, no real connection is built into these listings pushed to directly target players to encourage them to sign up while making them feel truly valued. If all they’re offering is another bonus they can’t build brand loyalty – their customer base will be fleeting at best.
Building connections and preparing for the future
The importance of building a connection and an experience is especially important if you want to cater to the incoming generation of bettors. As bettors age, they generally bet less per capita, and the next generation don’t exhibit the same behaviours as the current crop.
Free bet and bonus hunting are much less frequent amongst younger bettors, with the act of betting itself becoming an addition or wrapper to the entertainment experience. Younger bettors often wager to add a bit more fun to an already existing experience, like a horse race or football match. It’s an experience enhancement.
Combined with the fact that the next generation of bettors is proven to be less responsive to traditional advertising, affiliates and operators need to explore new ways of driving brand awareness, conversions, and ultimately new player sign-ups.
Influencer marketing is a new frontier
Increasingly, the most effective marketing that cuts through in today’s saturated landscape comes from the people you know, in the places you frequently visit and the people you follow on social media.
The rapid rise and success of influencer marketing across the globe is something that’s somewhat passed over the affiliate space. This is largely due to the costs and technical challenges involved, as well as figuring out a way to create engagements that resonate through conventional digital marketing channels.
Affiliates can find value by leveraging tools that fit outside the box, including combining innovative technology like holograms with brand ambassadors and influencer marketing to deliver stronger connections with users.
Holograms can be deployed on virtually any space on a web page or within an app – offering affiliates a new channel and revenue stream that sidesteps the pitfalls of traditional banner ads.
The technology can serve as more than just a customer acquisition vehicle, it can promote the offers of the day, tips and special offers for existing customers, as well as KYC, retention and customer support. Early adopters of hologram tech have found them to be highly successful, with click-through rates in the 20 and 30 per cent marks.
In a market saturated with tons of similar content all delivered to the same customer group, differentiation is paramount.
By choosing brand ambassadors you know your customers love and allowing them to build more candid, face-to-face connections through hologram technology, affiliates can position themselves as innovators and leaders in the space – giving bettors fresh content, building loyalty and lasting relationships, and delivering strong results for operator partners.
Bio: Brian Smillie Jr is the Head of HoloAd at 2mee and is responsible for helping operators and affiliates unlock the power of hologram messaging to boost brand engagement.