Digital marketing for gambling brands faces a multitude of difficulties due to the ever-changing rules and regulations around gambling advertisements, as well as due to the constant backlash from gamblers and non-gamblers alike.
Amongst all of these issues and complications, a few online casinos have managed to come out on top after launching highly successful campaigns. Let’s have a look at what makes it so hard and which casinos did it right.
Why Marketing For Online Casinos And Sportsbooks Is Challenging
There are several reasons why marketing for online casinos and sportsbooks is challenging. Firstly, Internet casinos have developed a bad reputation for causing people to develop gambling addictions and other harmful problems. Online casinos are constantly under scrutiny for this even though they offer plenty of tools to help customers; this immediately presents a challenge as customers already have a prejudice against online casinos before they’re advertised to them.
Following this, the rules and regulations surrounding gambling advertisements are continually changing, making it hard to follow. The rules are also incredibly strict, especially in regulated markets such as the United Kingdom, as ads promoting online casinos must not appeal to minors, must support responsible gambling, and must always state that the casino or item promoted is only for adults aged “18+”.
Another issue gambling brands have when it comes to digital marketing is social media. Due to the bad reputation that surrounds them, most people on social media do not want friends, family members and followers to know that they gamble. It means that most users on social channels are unlikely to follow casino brands or like their posts.
On the other side of the spectrum, users are more than happy to vent their frustration and anger at online casino brands, sometimes with fake accounts. This generally happens if withdrawals take a long time, accounts get closed due to misunderstandings or miscommunication, or if players lose their money; all of which can be incredibly frustrating situations.
These negative comments, however, can add to the bad reputation surrounding a casino brand, particularly if a new customer spots a series of complaints regarding a brand and ultimately decides not to register with them. It eventually harms an online casino.
Digital Marketing Done Right
Despite all of these complications, many online casinos have managed to get it right and create a memorable and responsible campaign that draws in new customers. One such brand is PlayOJO, a SkillOnNet brand with plenty of sister sites, which launched its £10 million Thumbs Up advert in May 2019. The advert followed a man named Tom as he walked around town with a giant thumbs up to represent his feelings of happiness for playing at PlayOJO Casino.
Another advertisement for PlayOJO involved the site’s Alpaca mascot, who is depicted dancing in happiness over PlayOJO’s fair terms and wagering conditions. Both ads have been praised for their peculiarity and for promoting the casino brand while not pushing for customers to register and deposit.
A series of advertisements for Virgin Games have also been well received. The ads all follow Vlad the vampire as he struggles to adapt to life among humans, whether that’s brushing his teeth without a reflection, appearing on a game show, or his general day-to-day (or is that night-to-night?) life. Again, these adverts were praised for promoting the brand but not urging customers to register. Both brands use memorable ads to promote themselves, and it seems to be working.
Bottom Line
There are many complications and issues when it comes to the digital marketing of a gambling brand, but it is possible to create great, long-lasting campaigns that promote your brand and catch people’s interest. Through our observations, these tend to be advertisements which are entertaining and ads that do not make viewers feel like they’re being forced into registering at the website.
As long as the advertisements follow the current regulations surrounding the promotion of gambling brands, and you happen to make a fun and memorable advert, you can safely join the likes of PlayOJO and Virgin Games who have mastered the art of marketing a gambling brand.
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