Opinion: Mobile acquisition post-PoC
James Goode, head of marketing at mFortune, looks into how mobile operators will need to acquire players after the Point of Consumption Tax regime is in play
What will the reaction be from the industry with the forthcoming point of consumption tax (POCT) with regards to marketing expenditure? Will budgets be slashed or bolstered? Will marketers wade in with certain favourite tactics that’s worked well before? Or will there simply be a spending frenzy prior to the POCT enforcement? The truth is that no-one really knows, with insiders keeping their cards close to their chest.
The future is mobile. These four words have echoed loudly through the industry for several years, sending most marketers into frenzies of anticipation, and with some justification: the potential is enormous. For some, however, these same four words have sent shivers down the spine, marketers aware that the battle to remain a leader within the mobile space has never been so intense.
Players evidently love mobile devices while smartphones present the most accessible opportunity for gambling products we have ever seen. Unprecedented gambling TV advertisements, particularly on sportsbook, have also softened public attitudes even further towards gambling.
Outside all the hype and good news however, the acquisition of mobile RMG casino/mobile players has become one of the fiercest battles the industry has seen. Bids of over £100 bids to advertise on Google are not uncommon, affiliate schemes are offering every available incentive imaginable, players are increasingly prone to switching, TV advertising is a leap of faith and SEO is an ever complex art. It’s a tough old game! Which areas will survive? Which areas will blossom? One thing is for sure: there has never been a more heated time in gambling acquisition and things may be about to get a whole lot tougher.