GIGSE PETER LAVERICK, IGT Interactive IGT’s Director of
Player Marketing is speaking at GiGse under the heading: “Online marketing – acquiring and retaining online players”. Casino International Online caught up with Peter for a sneak peek at what he’ll be covering at the summit.
CIO: So, where do new players come from? Peter: There’s an almost never-ending list of
marketing opportunities out there today, and each region obviously has its own individual characteristics. Such a long list of opportunities has the potential to become very expensive in the long-run. We advise our operators to focus on tried and tested methods and focus on refining them to be the most efficient and cost-effective they can be. Typically we are focusing on Google Pay-per- click and Search Engine Optimisation, backed up by a solid affiliates strategy and, if budgets allow, some wide-scale media brand promotion.
CIO: To what degree is acquisition about ‘stealing’ from competitors?
Peter: In established territories it is obviously an important part; if you look at the UK market I would say the majority of time is spent trying to take customers from competitors. In particular during high volume established sporting weeks like Cheltenham, all the major operators are constantly battling against each other. Newly regulating territories are different though, and it is here where I see the most growth in the immediate future.
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CIO: How has social media changed acquisition and retention?
Peter: The definition of social media here is
important. If you are asking me do I think that creating fan pages and multiple twitter feeds give you an important and sizeable source of new player acquisition, then no I don’t. I do think they will become more important retention tools in the future, as the newer generation of players expect to be communicated to in that fashion, but I don’t see them ever being significant acquisition channels. There are two ways in which social media is very important for acquisition, firstly for the organizations who have fully embedded gaming products within social media, and secondly optimizing a PPC strategy which can be much more targeted than Google. The ability to target specific demographics and other data within Facebook is something that will become of increasing importance.
CIO: What do you think companies are doing wrong?
Peter: I think on the whole this is a very
successful industry, and the marketing element to this industry has been integral to its success. I would say that historically “over- spending” has probably been the biggest issue, with some companies prepared to acquire customers at any cost without any thought for the long term economics of that player. I don’t see too many examples of that today though.
You can read the full interview with Peter
Laverick in next month’s Casino International Online.
Fisherman’s Whaft/Pier 39 Cable car ride Union Square The Golden Gate Park China Town California Academy of Sciences Baseball North Beach
SCHEDULE TASTER Just a selection of some of the sessions
taking place at GiGse:
Tuesday 24th 9:30 CEO panel: Learning from the pioneers – how to successfully operate an online gaming business. 11:45 Geo-location, security, age verification, anti-fraud: Identifying key requirements for a safe, secure and fully compliant gaming operation. 13:45 Player protection and responsible online gaming – key requirement in regulated markets. 15:15 Building liquidity – key for the success of online poker. 16:10 Your most important lesson to learn: Online marketing – acquiring and retaining online players.
Wednesday 25th
10:15 US State and Federal legislative update: Debating the impact of the DoJ opinion on the legality of non-sports gambling on the both intrastate and interstate legislative efforts. 12:00 Nevada experiences in setting up the first-ever regulatory framework for internet poker in the USA. 14:45 Strategy panel: Driving land-based business through online gaming – leveraging your brand online to drive more customers to your casinos. 17:10 Horse-racing and sportsbetting in North America – current opportunities and online future.
Thursday 26th
10:00 Assessing the social gaming phenomenon and its value for the gambling sector. 11:00 Panel discussion: Monetising social, casual, skill games and games of chance through social networks – insights from social game developers and operators. 13:15 Panel discussion: Strategies for Brick & Click. 14:15 Building loyalty across offline and online channels to increase your customer visits to both your online and retail operations – experiences from regulated markets.
APRIL 2012 49
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