FEATURE
2016 THE PREDICTIONS
Hot on the heels of an eventful year for the iGaming search landscape, which saw
the rise of ad-blocking to Google ratcheting up the content quality dial and revealing
the use of AI in its algorithms, we asked our expert panel for their predictions on the
developments and trends set to shape the sector over the next 12 months.
ORY WEIHS, CEO, XLMEDIA
FINTAN COSTELLO, MANAGING
PARTNER, REVENUE ENGINEERS
The first major theme we predict for 2016 is that the
differences between websites and apps will become
blurred. We see two key developments driving this trend.
In-app indexing and deep-linking are probably the
biggest opportunity we see in digital marketing in 2016.
The ability to make your app accessible to the search
engines is a game changer, and will provide a step change
in growth to those who react the fastest.
The second major trend, and closely linked to the
first, is Google “hosting” content on your behalf. Be
it through Google App Streaming where a user can try
your app for 60 seconds before downloading it, to Google
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) where Google will host
your content and deliver it at blazing fast speed to mobile
users. Both of these speed up the mobile web experience
and will drive even further mobile growth.
Our wildcard long-shot prediction for 2016 is that
operators will start to offer cross-device conversion
attribution to affiliates. We feel there is now a huge
disconnect between players reading desktop reviews on
an affiliate website and then downloading an app directly
from the App Store, and feel it could be easily addressed
by operators.
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iGB Affiliate Issue 55 FEB/MAR 2016
I believe 2016 will continue to see the gambling affiliate
market focus on technological innovation, improving the
quality of publications, further M&A as well as regulatory and
platform changes.
1. Technology is shifting from something performance
marketers can benefit from to something they must have.
These systems include demand side and optimization tools
for media, yield management and supply side tools, tracking
systems, segmentation tools and much more. We have
invested and continue to invest heavily in technology and
are seeing tangible results in the form of improved scale and
higher margins.
2. Quality. This seems obvious, but the publishers of
websites, apps and even media buyers really cannot get
away with low quality work. Users and publishers, including
search engines, have become more savvy and specific with
their needs. We must offer real value and have a great user
interface /user experience. Media campaigns have to be
tested and constantly updated to optimize engagement.
3. M&A. Given the fast changing landscape I believe we
will see further consolidation and acquisitions of affiliates by
both by their peers as well as by operators. I also expect more
strategic partnerships and joint ventures across the sector.
4. Regulatory. We are likely to see more countries in
Europe introducing gaming regulation allowing for increased
advertising across more channels. The winners will be
those that already have the technology available and
are able to work at high margins across many platforms.
Once regulation is introduced, more platforms like Google
AdWords in the UK, Facebook and so on, will become
available, each one with its own technical demands.