INSIGHT
10 TIPS FOR A
SUMMER OF SPORT
With no major betting event last summer, both operators and affiliates are raring to go for what promises
to be a bumper acquisition season, with Euro 2016 and the Olympics to boot. Mike Dodgson of Digital
Fuel provides 10 tips for sports betting affiliates to help them make the most of summer 2016.
IT’S THE TIME OF THE YEAR that
most people involved within sports betting
usually dread - the end of the football
season and the prospect of a summer
sitting around whiling away the hours
waiting for another season to come around.
But not this summer. It’s one of those
glorious years where not only is there an
international football tournament, it’s also
an Olympic year. So, not only do we get
to watch top class sporting entertainment
around-the-clock, there’s also the possibility
for acquiring new customers at doubles or
even trebles if you play your cards right.
Throw the Copa America and Wimbledon
into the mix, and we’ve got ourselves a
feast fit for a king. So, as long as England
don’t leave the party early then everyone
should be a winner.
To help you push out and capitalise on a
bumper 2016 summer, we’ve provided ten
top tips to help you succeed:
1. Back the Home Nations – In normal
circumstances, you would consider this
to be an obvious and almost lazy tactic to
employ in terms of ‘Backing England All
The Way’. However, this Euro 2016 is a
little bit different, as there are four teams
from the Home Nations battling it out in
France, with England, Wales, the Republic
of Ireland and Northern Ireland. So, if
you’re a UK-facing affiliate, this should be
your go-to strategy, and planning for every
eventuality is your key. What we know for
certain from previous tournaments is that
the further England progress, the bigger
the spike in traffic, and it is safe to think
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iGB Affiliate Issue 57 JUN/JUL 2016
this would be the case for the other Home
Nation teams too (albeit to maybe a slightly
lesser extent).
2. Be different – You might think this
stands in contradiction to the previous
point, but it’s important to try and stand
out with your offers, markets and creative.
Don’t be afraid to try different things to
get noticed, and if you’re advertising early
enough to get some significant data, you
should be in good shape after the first few
games of the tournament to make solid
decisions. Whilst your key strategy should
be in place, also look to go against the grain
with mobile, video, and even some cheeky
messaging for cut-through.
3. Don’t underestimate the Olympics –
According to The Telegraph in 2012,
Ladbrokes turned over close to £80m in
the two-week period during the London
Olympics four years ago, compared
to just £4m during the 2008 Games in
Beijing. While that may prove somewhat
of a red herring due to the absolutely
unprecedented buzz around London
and the UK at that time, one event you
can always bank on being popular is the
100-metre final, especially if Usain Bolt is
expected to be present.
4. Look out for the underdogs – If this
season in the English Premier League has
taught us anything, it’s that the favourites
aren’t always the bankers to take home the
title. Never has this been more the case in
international football. Take a look around
the group stages and figure out where the
value is for your customer. Who would
have thought Costa Rica would have made
the quarter-finals in Brazil 2014? There’s
bound to be a surprise in the offing this
year, so use the Leicester City approach
and test your value-for-money offers.
5. Copa America – the Copa America
runs from June 3–26, and will be held in
the United States. There’s sure to be some
mouthwatering ties, and with the action
starting a full seven days before Euro
2016, it’s a great time to test out some new
material for those ‘hung-over’ from the end
of the domestic league season, and just days
after the Champions League Final. As with
the previous point, look for where the value
is for your customer, and be committed.
Make sure you’re up to date with the scores
and scenarios, and if nothing else, it’s an
excuse to stay up late to watch football!
6. Be prepared – This is probably the most
important point of them all - get prepared
for a tidal wave of sport with your creative
and ad copy. Map out scenarios in your
head and where possible, get ready for
every eventuality. If you’re doing paid
search, then setting up ad copy on the fly
is relatively straightforward. However, for
display media you’re going to have to map
out what you need well in advance. So,
make a list of the events or sports you are
going to target and start to check them off.
One of the best ways to quickly change
display creative is to use dynamic text
insertion in HTML5 banners. This way