ONLINE MARKETING
Marketing: Land- based vs online
T
he land-based gambling industry is rich in history having played an important role in the lives of its customers for decades. The online gambling sector only came into being around the mid-to-late nineties, and
to land based gambling operators - where casinos date back to hundreds of years - the online industry is just a mere drop in the ocean. So where do the similarities lie with these two very diverse sectors with different levels of maturity and experience, and do they have more in common from a marketing and CRM perspective than is currently recognised? As both are
present in the same industry the two seem relatively similar. Both offer the same variety of games such as slots, table games, poker and multi player games, and both use independent agents to help with customer acquisition, run loyalty schemes and provide bonuses. Also, from a player perspective both industries strive to deliver the best player experience as each sector has a strategic focus on customer loyalty and churn rates. But by taking a slightly closer look at how both sectors are managed reveals some differences. For example, land-based operations are far more complex compared to online and therefore require a greater investment in manpower and infrastructure. However, what both sectors strongly depend upon is purpose-built software that should never limit the support of the operator. This is especially important in
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marketing and customer service where focus on player acquisition and retention is key. Promotions and
how a land-based casino attracts its player versus online hold very different principles, but the most widely used by both sectors are welcome bonuses in order to build relationships. Land-based operators have more options as resorts can offer a variety of services and therefore attract players with package deals that include discounted rooms, playable promotional credits and free tickets; these can also add up to loyalty bonus points for regular use. Additionally junkets are used to increase visits and are very similar to the online affiliate model. Both sectors also create special promotions specifically for the affiliate or junkets for easier player acquisition.
Technology & Redemption From a technological standpoint tracking of spend
is much simpler online as the affiliate is mapped to the player account. In the case of junkets land-based
Online and offline casinos: two worlds colliding or two giants standing hand-in-hand? ComTrade’s Ales Gornjec discusses.
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