19 minute read
Marketing
by SBC Global
Gloria Cereda, Catena Media's Director of Commercial
SBC: And how excited are you about the upgrades to the platform?
GC: I am very excited to see that bet365 has finally developed a media gallery. I have always found it quite interesting that bet365, a pioneer in the online world and the most successful sport operator, had not given its affiliate partners some of the basic tools to create tailored and exciting campaigns. The media gallery will allow affiliates to make sure that their messaging has more impact.
over future plans - is "no longer an igaming taboo" but the driving force for global partnerships.
SBC: What can you tell us about your history working with bet365?
GC: Catena Media and bet365 have been working together for a long time, the relationship has grown from being UK focused into a multi geo approach. Today, Catena and bet365 work together on a global scale and support each other's growth in key markets.
Catena Media has high ambitions to continue its expansion in Europe, the US and LatAm territories and I strongly believe that bet365 and its team will be one of our key partners wherever we decide to go.
Across the years, the amount of data and information shared between the two companies has increased and I think this has been a key part of the relationship. Sharing information, data and discussing future plans is no longer an igaming taboo but the driving force behind global partnerships such as this one. JP: Better Collective has a strong historic partnership with bet365 based on mutual trust and an open dialogue. At Better Collective we have always valued the partnership with bet365 and look forward to a continued strong collaboration in the years to come.
The new backend also has a more dynamic, younger look - what a fantastic face lift! I cannot wait to continue to explore its functions and see what further developments this great team will make to bet365's approach towards affiliate marketing. JP: We are of course super excited about the upgrades to the bet365 platform.
The live stats feature is probably the most anticipated upgrade for Better Collective, as this feature will enable us to optimise new campaigns and channels far more efficiently and will be instrumental to the continued growth of our paid media division.
Live stats will also enable us to follow performance and optimise in real-time in conjunction with key events such as the upcoming European Championships.
We’re also looking forward to the new compliance section which will be a great resource to ensure that
Better Collective’s ever-developing internal guidelines continue to be fully aligned with those of one of our most important partners.
SBC: Traditionally, how has their programme compared with other brands?
GC: I think the bet365 programme, compared to other brands, has always lacked essential data in the backend to properly track and understand performance. It required extra manual work from an affiliate perspective to evaluate campaigns and was limited in terms of landing pages and marketing material.
I am very excited to see that they have now improved their platform
THE PROGRAMME HAD PREVIOUSLY LACKED ESSENTIAL DATA IN THE BACKEND TO PROPERLY TRACK AND UNDERSTAND PERFORMANCE TODAY THERE IS A NEW IMPORTANT METRIC: THE LIFETIME VALUE
and are definitely heading in the right direction. The best strength of bet365 has always been their amazing ability to retain customers which incentivises affiliates and media partners to work with them on long term projects and campaigns. JP: bet365, historically, has been a provider of consistent and reliable data, which creates a transparent partnership where both parties can express their opinions about the areas where operations can be strengthened. It’s this honest dialogue that ensures long-term value for both parties.
SBC: How has your demand to see the most granular data evolved?
GC: Online marketing is all about data. Clicks, sign ups and first deposits can all be affected by utilising data. The more information that operators and affiliates gather, and most importantly share, the more effective their acquisition and retention campaigns will be.
The marketing cycle between operators and affiliates has traditionally been a “broken” one with affiliates owning the player intent data (being the first point of landing for the players) and the operator owning data related to their behaviour after depositing.
Between 2017 and 2018, we have seen a big shift in terms of how operators measure affiliate success. In 2017, delivering thousands of NDCs would have been considered a successful campaign, but today there is a new important metric: the lifetime value.
In order for an affiliate to respond to that request successfully, it meant that operators and affiliates had to fix that broken cycle – it took the industry a few years and there is still room for improvement today.
Merging the initial intent of the player with the behaviour after
THE FUTURE FOR AFFILIATE TRACKING IS TO PULL INSIGHTS INSTANTLY, IN REAL-TIME AND ACROSS ANY COMBINATION OF PARAMETERS
deposit allows us to fully optimise campaigns, acquire high quality players and have an impact on retention numbers. JP: Better Collective has grown considerably in recent years, with continued M&A activity increasing our global footprint in regulated markets. With this growth and scale, there is an ever-growing need for more data to guide Better Collective’s internal optimisations and growth strategy.
SBC: What is the future for affiliate tracking with the biggest operators?
GC: In my view, affiliate tracking is becoming more sophisticated every day, with affiliates and operators having to optimise each click and campaign. It is no surprise that link structures used a few years ago only for paid marketing are now becoming of common use even for all other marketing activities.
With a crowded online offering and very savvy users, it is no surprise the conversion war requires sophisticated tools. Companies who stay behind will definitely see their brand awareness decreasing and their customer base slimming. JP: The future of affiliate tracking, which would result in growth to both volume and value, would see affiliates able to pull insights instantly, in realtime and across any combination of parameters.
It’s this combination of speed and granularity of data that all operators should focus on to better equip their partners with the insights needed to effectively optimise campaigns and maximise results. •
HOW WILL THE BGC’S FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA CODE OF CONDUCT AFFECT OPERATORS?
THE BETTING AND GAMING COUNCIL’S code of conduct recently shone a spotlight on football’s promotion of gambling brands via social media - so will operators now have to get creative when it comes to activations?
While much of the focus surrounding the gambling industry and football clubs has been placed on shirt sponsorship, the presence of social media betting advertisements has largely fallen under the radar.
In the information age, football and social media are inexorably intertwined - as exemplified by the recent boycott by global sporting authorities, leagues and clubs around the world to take a stance against online abuse - putting betting brands at the public’s fingertips.
However, in the case of the gambling
industry, while clubs haven’t fallen silent, they have been requested to review their marketing strategies when it comes to partnering with operators.
In February, a handful of Premier League, English Football League and Scottish Premiership clubs received a letter from a group of 50 former gambling addicts warning of the ‘unimaginable harm’ that football teams can cause by promoting betting operators via official social media accounts.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Celtic, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Burnley, Watford, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Coventry City were among the clubs accused of giving the sport ‘a bad name’ for advertising gambling promotions via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by Labour MP Carolyn Harris.
Subsequently, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) introduced a new code of conduct aimed at football clubs promoting gambling offers and operator websites through official social media accounts. And although the directives cannot be enforced, it is likely that the majority of operators and companies will expect clubs to abide by the BGC’s advice.
Stephen Pearson, Former Premier League Commercial Director and current CEO of Sports Media Gaming, highlighted how clubs are ‘already getting more creative’ to navigate the BGC’s latest set of guidelines to protect users of social media applications.
“Clubs will continue to fight for betting sponsorship revenue and work closely with betting brands to find the most creative solutions,” Pearson explained. “Fans will listen more to their clubs, maybe more so than bookmakers or the gambling support groups.”
Nonetheless, Pearson pointed out
some of the obstacles within the directives: “I think it’s a code of conduct that has a number of challenges,” he added. “Not least because the members list of the BGC does not include most of the brands that are sponsoring football clubs in the UK.
“Most of the Premier League sponsors are Asian bookies who have been white labelled in the UK and operate UK-facing websites. Unless it’s a regulation put in place by the UK Gambling Commission, I don’t see that the BGC code of conduct can be
Joe McCallum,
Director of Sportsbook at the Coingaming Group
implemented effectively across the industry.
“In markets like Italy, and now Spain, it is prohibited completely to advertise betting in sports, and this includes teams, events and brand ambassadors. But again, here the brands have got creative.
“Look at 10Bet’s sponsorship of Juventus. Juventus is a top club in Italy’s Serie A and should not be permitted to have a betting sponsor so the brand has announced a ‘global sponsorship’ of Juventus and in small print ‘excluding Italy’.
“For all intents and purposes, that is seen in Italy as anywhere else in the world and effectively negates the regulation impact. Many clubs now have digital billboard replacement technology so brands can still be seen advertising at the grounds in markets outside of the prohibited territory. It shows brands and clubs will adapt accordingly.”
Coingaming Group-owned Sportsbet.io, which agreed a recordbreaking sponsorship renewal with Southampton, also came under fire after Arsenal encouraged its 17 million Twitter followers to gamble with its official betting partner.
Less than a month later, newly-
promoted Watford inked an agreement with gambling support addiction application RecoverMe, endorsed by Sportsbet.io, after the club which was targeted by the group that ‘recognised the need to support those with a gambling addiction’.
The operator also recently launched its ‘Club Talk’ hub - described as a ‘game changing’ chat function where Sportsbet.io's community, featured guests and celebrities can discuss all things sports and sports betting.
Writing for SBC News, Joe McCallum, Director of Sportsbook at the Coingaming Group, explained that taking a ‘sustainable approach has never been more important’ but understands that fans can be ‘guarded’ when welcoming a new sponsor to the fold.
He said: “When Sportsbet.io made its first moves into football sponsorship back in 2019, we wanted to find innovative ways to support the sport, the teams, the players and the fans. And it needed to be done in a fashion which was both fun but also responsible.”
McCallum continued: “Our first major partnership was as the main sponsor of Watford FC. From the outset, we wanted to connect with the fans and we knew we needed to do something more than plaster our logo across the shirt and stadium to do that.
“This is why we choose to make education a central part of the sponsorship, launching several initiatives designed to raise awareness around the benefits of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
“For many brands only interested in the global reach of Premier League matches, this would be where the story ended. But we see value in building something longer term.” Some clubs and their respective betting partners have begun to take a different approach to engaging fans in both the sport and the pastime of gambling. In particular, Southampton’s virtual reality, behind-the-scenes
UNLESS IT’S A REGULATION PUT IN PLACE BY THE UKGC, I DON’T SEE THAT THE BGC CODE OF CONDUCT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED EFFECTIVELY
stadium tour of St Mary’s – launched in conjunction with Sportsbet.io – has really caught the eye.
The video clip provided a look around the vacant venue, while fans are not permitted to attend games, allowing viewers to interact by moving their mobile devices to get a 360-degree view of the players’ tunnel, the changing rooms and the pitch.
Burnley, on the other hand, released a series of ‘fun’ videos featuring Clarets players to keep supporters entertained. In the latest edition of its Dafabet-sponsored featurettes, Ben Mee answered fans’ burning questions on social media using the ‘#AskMee’ hashtag.
Meanwhile, Russell Yershon, Director of Connecting Brands - which collaborates with a number of betting operators - urged operators to remain vigilant when taking into consideration the code of conduct.
“Gambling brands need to be smart with their partner clubs and use engaging content with players to maximise their reach in connecting with fans,” he reaffirmed.
“Should this ban on shirt sponsorship come into place in the near future, then brands will likely use this spend to invest digitally and partner with big digital media channels that can regularly reach football fans and sports betting enthusiasts.
“It might restrict clubs and betting brands by taking social out of the equation, but the new code of conduct is there to protect those under 18 and also manage the type of content shared by betting partners.
He added: “Social media is still available for betting brands with football clubs, but both the club and partner must be innovative and creative in producing smart and engaging content which can be shown on these channels which connect with fans 18+.” In the wake of the announcement, EFL Championship side Coventry City reaffirmed that any marketing conducted with Irish bookmaker BoyleSports is ‘in line with English Football League guidance’, while Arsenal stated its partnership with Sportsbet.io was ‘founded on a joint commitment to promote safe and responsible gambling’.
Upon the introduction of the BGC
rules, Chairman of the organisation, Brigid Simmonds OBE, stressed that whilst clubs are ‘an important part of the sporting fabric of this country’ there are ‘millions of all ages’ exposed to the content published by teams on a daily basis on social media. “Our members rightly have a zero tolerance approach to gambling by under-18s, so as an industry we are understandably concerned that children may be exposed to betting adverts on social media platforms,” Simmonds noted.
“Our new guidelines make clear the standards expected of football clubs when they post gambling promotions on social media, and I look forward to them being put into practice as soon as possible.” •
Russell Yershon, Director of Connecting Brands
DEAN AKINJOBI, CEO AND OWNER OF FOOTBALL
MEDIA, on why marketing is at the forefront of the development of women’s football
The popularity and exposure of women’s football has skyrocketed in recent years, with both viewing figures and pre-pandemic stadium attendances increasing rapidly.
In recognition of this growth, which clearly demonstrates the rise of women’s football as a lucrative attraction for fans and viewers, in March 2021 the BBC and Sky struck a deal with the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL).
The landmark three-year, £8 million per-season agreement will significantly boost the FA WSL’s exposure to a new generation of football fans, with Sky providing coverage of 44 league matches per year, a minimum 35 of which will be broadcast via its Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier
Dean Akinjobi, CEO and Owner of Football Media
League and Sky Sports Football channels.
This agreement has undoubtedly opened the door to a range of marketing and sponsorship opportunities for betting and gaming operators due to both the increased TV visibility of the teams and players, and perhaps most significantly, the extensive advertising space available on Sky’s channels.
To discuss the significance of this agreement, we spoke to Dean Akinjobi, CEO and Owner of Football Media, who outlined the potential opportunities for operators to be found in the professional women’s game.
SBC: How significant will the agreement with Sky and the BBC be in enhancing the branding and audience reach of the WSL?
DA: The agreement with Sky and the BBC will be highly significant in enhancing the branding and audience reach of the WSL in ways never seen before. Consider that the UK public chooses the BBC around 250 million times a day and when it comes to sport, the BBC shows around 1% of the hours of sport broadcast on broadcast TV in the UK but delivers around 30% of all TV sport viewing.
Now include Sky's reach and circa 23.9 million subscribers, with on occasion 14 million of those subscribers watching Sky Sports and consuming over 95 minutes of programming through a day.
When these two figures are combined, the WSL branding awareness and audience reach is set to completely change and grow exponentially due to the new broadcast deal with Sky and the BBC.
THE AGREEMENT WITH SKY AND THE BBC WILL ENHANCE THE BRANDING AND AUDIENCE REACH OF THE WSL IN WAYS NEVER SEEN BEFORE
SBC: Can the partnership with Sky further help elevate the star power of female players and boost their individual sponsorship value?
DA: Yes, definitely! When you look at the sheer audience reach and exposure that the WSL and players will receive as a result of the partnership with Sky, it is going to provide female players with a huge platform to elevate themselves at the scale that they deserve.
This will naturally provide huge boosts around individual sponsorship values and subsequently create a platform for female players to raise awareness of causes that are personally close to them such as equality, diversity, health etc.
In addition, this will also result in the formation of multiple brand sponsorships and collaborations between players, clubs and brands that share the same collective goals.
SBC: Will this present the WSL as a lucrative marketing opportunity for private companies e.g. with regards to TV advertising space?
DA: The WSL reach, as a result of this deal, will have a commercial domino effect. Existing sponsors will see their brand exposure increase at multiples that they could have never imagined, the value of sponsorship will increase and TV advertising space around WSL will see huge demands from more brands.
That said, when you consider the reach and exposure available on the BBC, which will have no TV advertising, the most lucrative marketing opportunity for brands will be around WSL club sponsorships, that deliver brand exposure on kits and in-stadia branding, as their brand will have the opportunity to be see by millions of viewers each week across the BBC and Sky.
SBC: How important has marketing been and how important will it continue to be for enhancing women’s football?
DA: The marketing of women's football is highly important and will continue to be at the forefront of the games overall development. But what is important to consider, and a point that can often be overlooked, is that each women's football league has its own challenges, opportunities and unique selling points.
Women's football in the UK has different challenges from Europe, the US, Australia, Africa and Asia. So a unified women's football marketing message is only usually available at the Women's Euros and World Cups. It's what happens after these tournaments around women's football's growth that is highly important for the game's overall development.
A plan whereby support is provided through a combination of FIFA, private companies and brands at a domestic level on how to market women's football in each country will be a great initiative for the collective growth of women's football as a whole. THE MARKETING OF WOMEN'S FOOTBALL IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE GAME'S OVERALL DEVELOPMENT
SBC: Is social media marketing becoming more prominent than sponsorship agreements and television advertising?
DA: I would say that social media marketing is naturally becoming a prominent key channel. However, it can be even more highly effective when it forms part of an overall marketing channel mix, including sponsorship.
The sponsorship deals will enable a brand to have assets from clubs and or players that can be used within their social media marketing, which will enable a brands communication messaging to be uniquely positioned with an association with a club and or players, setting the brand apart from potential competitor brands that have no available sponsorship assets to leverage across social media and or television.
Therefore it is important for brands to fully understand and / or work with agencies that can help to create such synergised marketing strategies to achieve a multi channel communication plan that involves social media, display advertising, sponsorship and television.
SBC: Will player activations be crucial in boosting the presence of the WSL teams?
DA: I think that players will become more prominent ambassadors for the WSL due to the exposure that the league is going to receive. The key here is that women's football players have such diverse stories and personal journeys that they have had to go through in order to play in the WSL.
Highlighting this side of the game will enable the wider public to see, appreciate and understand more about women's football - they’ll understand more about where it comes from and where it is going.
This type of player activation strategy will be crucial in boosting the presence of WSL teams, as it will highlight the uniqueness of the game and show fans a real insight into women's football players. That will in turn attract a wider section of brands into women's football and help to inspire the next generation of players coming into the game. •
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