INSIGHT
We have already witnessed iGaming
operators becoming accomplished in
particular at SEO, partly due to the everchanging Google updates in relation to
organic ranking, but in the main it’s the
commercial driver to own 100% of the
revenue generated by that customer as
against sharing it with the affiliate. Also,
with iGaming operators being the proverbial
gatekeepers of the identifiable customer
share element with the affiliate partner, but
the overheads associated with the affiliate
personnel within the iGaming marketing
team and general administration.
What should affiliates be doing? The
operative word is ‘platform’. In order
to evolve and transform, affiliates need
to increasingly think of themselves
as platforms, as technology advances
and as the gaming operators’ in-house
“Customer data is why Facebook is so popular with
brands, and one of the reasons Amaya bought PokerStars
with 89 million customers.”
information or registered account holder,
they can therefore create a custom audience
of look-a-like users and run campaigns
on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
Liveintent, if gambling ads are allowed. This
means many affiliates could be missing out
on this opportunity. Therefore, it’s within
the realms of possibility that a gaming
operator’s digital marketing spend could
become more focused on this form of
behavioral and data driven marketing, with
affiliate marketing become marginalised
as a percentage of the whole digital spend.
As after all, affiliate marketing is a big
cost centre, not only in terms of the profit
marketers become more accustomed to
and sophisticated with custom audience
and programmatic marketing process. By
‘platform’, I mean they need to consider
their infrastructure as a data capture touch
point that builds and captures personal
identifiable information. In using this
technology, which can either be developed
in-house or licensed, it will help affiliates
better understand their customers and
extract more value. When I mean value,
the affiliate can create their own customer
audience or programmatic campaigns to
acquire more customers to their business,
and become more selective of which
profitable customer they wish to pass
or push to the gaming operator brand.
They can also offer more targeted on-site
advertising as their user information
becomes more valuable for the iGaming
operator brand looking to run ad
campaigns on their platform.
To conclude, many super affiliates
already know one of their biggest assets
is their customer data. Custom audience
and programmatic advertising are just
further layers of technology that can be
used for further monetisation. After all
that’s why Facebook is so popular with
brands - it’s the customer data - and one
of the reasons Amaya bought PokerStars
with 89 million customers. Just think
what else you could sell them!
MARK MCGUINNESS
BSC BA has more than
14 years experience in
digital marketing director
roles with both private and
public iGaming operators. He
is the resident iGaming Futurologist
for Isle of Man-based Mainstream
Marketing & Communications, a digital
marketing agency offering business
and marketing advice on social gaming,
iGaming and land-based gambling.
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