Making the most of digital transformation

Mads Birch is currently Head of Media Managed Services at GiG, having been in the industry since 2009. Mads has been self-employed and worked on the affiliate and operator side, and in turn, gained an in-depth understanding of igaming across different areas.

The Covid-19 pandemic has supercharged the popularity of igaming, providing new and much-needed revenue opportunities for land-based operators despite the risk of delving into the unknown. For those that were already in the online casino business, it means dealing with even more competition on the digital front.

This uncertain new landscape means that many land-based operators are actively seeking new opportunities to expand their offering. However, moving into the online casino business is not without challenge – this is why managed media services are transformative. So, even for land-based operators with no experience, managed services present a unique opportunity to make this transition.

Online casinos have become integral to the offering of more land-based operators during the pandemic. According to a figure released to iGB by the European Casino Association for a forthcoming iGB report, 63% of its members now have an online presence. 

So faced with this increasingly competitive landscape, how can operators give themselves the best chance of success by maximising engagement levels with their digital offering?

Mads Birch Jespersen, Head of GiG’s Media Managed Services which supports operators with their digital campaigns, argues that to really hit the ground running, operators need a digital strategy in place that is conducive to long-term growth..

“GiG’s MMS is defined by our broad knowledge from every aspect of the online casino business – acquiring affordable players, but also making sure that the players acquired are well-converted and have a good lifetime value.”

“Media Managed Services address the two most important values when running an online casino – which are acquisition and retention.”

Creating player value

With constantly changing regulatory requirements and ever-evolving customer habits, even the most talented in-house marketing teams can struggle to keep up and align their marketing campaign accordingly.

With its rich industry knowledge, GiG’s Managed Services have the infrastructure to swiftly respond to key market trends: “We respond to any changes going on, whether it’s to do with regulation or a change in a specific market, it’s something that we can adapt to quickly. With an in-house team it’s much harder to adapt to the changes that are going on as you’re locked to that existing structure.”

“We work back and forth on both sides of the table over the years, meaning MMS has experienced both being a traditional affiliate, but also from the operator side of things, which leaves us with a huge amount of knowledge about player acquisition and also how to create amazing player value.”

Creating player value starts with targeting the right traffic. With GiG’s Media Managed Services, four main channels are targeted to provide the biggest reach including PPC, SEO, Social Media and Affiliation.

The proven acquisition model tracks player journeys, providing real-time insights to operators. This not only enhances acquisition, but provides a robust strategy for retention as operators can better understand the needs of their customer base. This has the added benefit of supporting companies’ overall brand strategy, providing the insights and the tools necessary to better understand their customer base.

“We follow these players through with our other managed services to make sure that they are some of the most valuable players on the market.”

Using the data provided, operators can make more informed decisions around their digital marketing and campaigns more widely, achieving a truly seamless experience.

Birch highlighted that it’s much faster to implement changes to your online casino than it is for a land-based site, and the data provided gives a swift and accurate overview of player behaviour. This also allows a closer relationship with casino users, as operators can engage with users more easily, with a better understanding of their needs. With improved brand recognition and a better understanding of the customer journey, these insights can then help to drive decisions on the land-based side.

Stay in control

Being able to rely on managed services to drive acquisition and retention saves operators and their marketing teams valuable time. This doesn’t mean eliminating their input though, as the process is very much a collaborative one.

Flexibility also remains focal to MMS, reflective of the huge variety of scale, needs and creativity of the businesses that make up today’s igaming space. There is certainly not one solution that fits all.

For land-based operators with little to no igaming experience, this gives them the opportunity to have as much or as little support as they need.

“Every service that we deliver is 100% transparent. We have operators that we speak to once a month and some that we speak to daily, depending on the type of approach they want – some prefer a hands-on approach, we also have some that have their own media teams and we function just as some added support to that, but combine our knowledge with the strength of the people that they have hired,” he says.

While some operators opt for more involvement than others in their digital campaigns, MMS empowers online casinos to increase their online presence effectively and efficiently.

“One of the main advantages for operators using managed services in general is that there’s an established team right there, who are ready to start up your project from day one. You have the tools, you have the strategies, you have the industry knowledge.”

Mads concluded by highlighting the power of MMS used in conjunction with GiG’s operations and CRM services. “ To make the most of their services, we do recommend that they have the right combination between the managed services to support their online casino. With the combination of managed services, they work together to make a full manageable and trackable player experience.”