‘Operators who fail to invest in brand and user experience may fall behind’ – Yogonet International

A

head of his appearance at the SBC Summit Barcelona - Digital virtual conference and exhibition, Marathonbets Head of Brand Dan Towse spoke to Yogonet about the importance of football sponsorships for sports betting operators, how the pandemic affected partnerships, and working within tightening regulatory regimes in Europe.

Betting companies have a huge range of promotional tools at their disposal these days - from social media and content marketing to more traditional channels such as print and TV advertising. Why does football sponsorship remain such a popular choice for operators seeking to differentiate their brands in highly-competitive markets?

Football still remains the most watched sport globally and partnering with sport brands not only contributes to amplifying awareness, but also trust. Consumers now have such a wide choice of brands to engage with and the crossover between football fans and bets placed make it a natural fit for operators to promote themselves. Trust is such an important component to decision making, especially online. The ability to partner with established clubs such as Manchester City and Sevilla provides Marathonbet with a platform to help with these objectives.

Marathonbets sponsorship of Manchester Citys training kit is an unusual arrangement. What advantages does it have over more common options, such as shirt sponsorships or conventional official betting partner deals?

The Marathonbet brand has had both betting partnerships and Front of Shirt deals with various clubs across various sports. The training kit deal provided us an opportunity to further enhance our partnership with Manchester City (from Global Betting Partner) and provide us with a greater brand exposure throughout the week - and not limit ourselves just to matchday.The clubs global reach across their own social platforms is in excess of 80 million. Add that to other publisher content and the Marathonbet brand now has a greater exposure than it has ever had before. The challenge with every partnership is how we use our rights and activate. We dont just want to be a logo on a shirt.

The Coronavirus shutdown of football leagues must have made it difficult for betting brands to maximise value from their sponsorships. How did Marathonbet approach that challenge, and has the no-fans environment posed any further problems?

Naturally, it impacted all brand sponsorships across a variety of sectors. The absence of sport meant that not only were there no markets to promote, but shareable content for social media also became limited. It wasnt just us, clubs also found it a challenge and the archives were dug into to maintain engagement.Value from primary assets (Training Kit, LEDs) were able to be displayed post lockdown, but matchday tickets etc obviously became non-existent very quickly and it is difficult to know when normality will return. When it does, we will be working with our partners to re-introduce as soon as we can.

Many football clubs in major leagues around the world now have multiple betting partners. How does that influence the success of a sponsorship? Does it limit the opportunities for activation and fan engagement?

There are some brands which dont have exclusivity within a sector, or the rights holders opt to split partnerships regionally. This may not be such a bad thing for businesses with localised strategies, which enable them to utilise club IP and technology such as DBR to promote their messages. Naturally, where there is a crossover, your success in standing out from your competitors will ultimately boil down to your contractual assets and how you activate these. Brands which choose to do more than a badging exercise and actually be seen as a partner will succeed in the longer term.

The Spanish and Italian governments have restricted football shirt sponsorships as part of tougher gambling advertising regulations, and there are now calls for the UK authorities to follow suit. How can betting brands continue to develop effective partnerships with football clubs in light of these sorts of regulatory changes?

Its a difficult one, as speculation regarding the future of UK advertising restrictions is a prominent topic and the industry will need to act accordingly - and this includes football partnerships. Naturally, Italian laws and the proposed Spanish decree due in October have already shown that other governments in Europe are restricting the promotion of products and services across all channels. The sector has taken the right steps and the introduction of the whistle to whistle [voluntary advertising ban by operators] in the UK is demonstrating a positive approach to responsible gambling, and this will continue. But, if anything, based on the current landscape, this is the most critical time for brands in the gaming sector. With the advertising landscape becoming tighter, the reliance on brand and user experience is critical to future success; operators who fail to invest in these areas may fall behind.

Which other sports offer the potential for effective partnerships for betting brands?

The obvious choice at the moment is esports. Growth in this area is significant and doesnt show any signs of slowing down. Given what we have all experienced in recent months globally, the esports area presents the perfect opportunity to plug any gaps in the sporting calendar and viewership figures are surpassing expectations.

Dan Towse will be speaking on the The Future of Sports Sponsorship panel on Thursday 10 September, the third day of the SBC Summit Barcelona - Digital virtual conference and exhibition. The full agenda for the event, which takes place on 8 - 11 September, features almost 300 high-level speakers sharing insights on 50 panels covering the sports betting, online casino, affiliate marketing and payments sectors. To access all the content, click here to register for your free pass.

See more here:

'Operators who fail to invest in brand and user experience may fall behind' - Yogonet International