I NSI GH T
thinking going on; it’s all H2H (human to human). Secondly,
they’re all about multichannel marketing, using all the channels
such as retail stores, online stores, mobile, apps, telephone
methods, or any other means that a customer uses to transact or
research or find information.
The key to why movie theatres, Disney and the NFL have
flourished in the digital economy when they all operate capital-
intensive, physical land-based operations, is the customer
experience they offer. It’s pivotal to their brands’ survival. Like
many things in our lives most events are ephemeral. However, in
our three examples, the businesses have been able to extend the
experience, capture it, and allow the customer to share it through
social networks to such a degree that they can’t wait to have their
next physical experience at the event. Hence the cycle continues
over and over again.
IT’S ALL ABOUT AFFILIATE MARKETING
Of course, land-based gaming operators and their marketing
agencies need to keep abreast of more than just emerging markets
and the post-PASPA regulato ry changes in mature market
conditions. They also need to monitor the ever-changing landscape
of technology platforms and the sometimes very contrary
consumer trends towards desirable tech gadgetry which drives
gambling participation and gambling consumption. Furthermore,
marketing will also have to operate in a highly regulated
environment, one that may impinge how land-based businesses
reach these new or existing gambling customers.
Post PASPA, land-based gaming venues can flourish alongside
the online world by using digital channels to adapt and change
the behaviour of their customers – and more importantly future
customers – to make the ephemeral gambling moment a genuinely
connected experience. This will create a deeper desirability to visit
the casino, racetrack, riverboat or sports betting parlour.
“Post PASPA, land-based gaming venues
can flourish alongside the online world
by using digital channels to adapt and
change the behaviour of their customers”
The threshold question is how will land-based gaming businesses
prosper with the opportunity of sports betting and navigate the
sea-changing digital landscape? Affiliates, yes, affiliates! For me,
the most significant chance for a land-based gaming business in the
USA isn’t about the sports betting technology, important though
it is. It’s all about the marketing and more specifically the content
marketing. Affiliates drive change; they drive consumer behaviour,
adoption and engagement with betting and gaming operator
brands. They’re already doing this in Europe in controlled and
regulated environments. They have demonstrable expertise by the
proverbial bucketload.
Affiliates are therefore fundamental, if not critical, to the success
of any US land-based gaming entity that might be looking to add
sports betting products to its offer in the months ahead. Hence, I
foresee heightened interest in the many listed European affiliate
marketing giants, which are uniquely positioned given all their
digital marketing expertise to align themselves with US land-based
gaming businesses. They will be the winners in this gold rush to
capitalise on the sports betting paradigm that is unfolding before
our very eyes in the USA.
iGB Affiliate Issue 69 JUN/JUL 2018
51