PROFILE / MFORTUNE
2003
2007
2008
2009
InTouch Games
formed as supplier
to land-based
gambling sector
InTouch launches
first mFortune
mobile casino
products for WAP
and JAVA phones
mFortune launches
affiliate programme
mFortune begins TV mFortune poker
advertising for its
launched on mobile
mobile bingo site
platforms
2012
2013
2014
mFortune mobile
bingo launched on
desktop and iOS
apps launched
mFORTUNE
THE STORY
SO FAR
SEO teams brought Casino games
in-house and bingo, launched on the
poker and casino
desktop platforms
brands split out
Instead the firm tends to switch game availability
on and off depending on seasonality and player
preferences, with the full portfolio of games never
always available. It's part of the attempt to create a
unique and distinct player proposition that mFortune
views as crucial in the fight for UK customers.
2011
Simple graphics,
a basic layout and
micropayments
suits the C1/D1
demographic
WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?
Part of mFortune’s success is down to looking and
feeling different to the rest of the market. Even on the
desktop, the games feel like mobile games, with simpler
graphics than some of their peers and a more basic
layout. Emails are optional in the sign-up process, while
micropayments are encouraged. Users can deposit
directly from their phones using the types of payment
options mostly shunned by an industry obsessed with
high-value players. Even the genuinely free £5 sign-up
bonus suggests a softer, lower-stakes style entry into
the notoriously hard world of online gaming.
“We would rather have someone depositing £3
every day than depositing £50, blowing it all in one
day and never coming back,” Llanos says. “That C1D1
demographic suits us well because we can retain them
in the business for quite some time and we can serve
them very well. They get a good experience from us.”
Simon Llanos, head of
marketing and business
development
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Wilson adds that it's clear why the firm has
succeeded in mobile where many other major brands
with big budgets have so far failed. “We know the
market very well. We know the players and we focus
on our attention to detail from the owners down to our
customer support.”
The firm also takes a different approach to marketing,
with less TV exposure than some of its peers and a
focus on key partnerships to get the mFortune games
out to as wide an audience as possible. Part of this is
achieved by the firm's innovative approach to affiliate
deals, which was partly of necessity and partly one of
design. Initially most affiliates were not keen to work
with a mobile-only operator and so mFortune sought
out deals with major media owners.
A long-standing deal to provide a white-label to
mobile operator Orange's (now EE) mobile games
portal has lead to a similar deal with regional newspaper
publisher Local World and more media deals are said
to be coming soon. "I’m interested in media companies
with huge online traffic where we can offer something
of value to their customers and piggy back off their
traffic," Llanos says. "That differentiates us and helps us
stand out in the market."
But in the crowded UK market he admits it’s not
always easy to get heard. And another major change
on the horizon will be a move from pure ROI-driven
advertising to more of a brand-driven approach. “Brand
W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M