GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 43 - February 2019

didn’t set up compliance shops just to keep the govern- ment off their backs (though that did play a role). They did it to advocate for their cus- tomers and provide a better user experience. I’ve been dealing a lot with digital advertising compli- ance recently. Here’s what they’ve told me they (and by proxy, our customers) are looking for: • A clean online reputation. • No negativity in ad creative. • Avoid personal attributes. Things like “If you were born before [date here]…” • No misleading copy. • No false sense of urgency. They don’t like seeing countdown timers or statements that this offer could be taken off the internet at any time. • No false sense of scarcity. “Only 250 people will get this...” • No sensational claims or false promises. “Win $1 million in just 5 minutes!” And one thing every site should have: Prominent navigation that includes About Us, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, and Contact Us. All of this means one thing: The nature of digital marketing is changing. Creating a sense of urgency (even if it’s false) is Marketing 101. So is creating a sense of scarcity. And sensational claims have been used since sales began. But new customers don’t want to see it – and they don’t respond to it. I know a lot of digital marketers who are ignoring these guidelines. They’ve made a ton of money marketing the old way, and they’re not about to change. In the near term, these digital marketers will continue to make a lot of money. Urgency, scarcity and big claims are proven, successful techniques. But this strategy won’t win in the long term. That’s why I’m leaning into a new approach to acquiring customers. I want to win customers with trust, reliability and honesty. I want to build relationships with these customers. And I don’t want my relationship with customers to begin with a lie — or the truth hidden in the fine print. So what does this mean in practice? TELL THE TRUTH. If you like a casino’s interface, say so. If you don’t like a casino’s interface, don’t say you like it. Call out a couple of the details you don’t like. But then share some of the de- tails you do like. This gives you credibility in the market, and your customers will reward you for it. OWNMISTAKES. If a gaming site you have a relationship with does something bad, don’t cover it up. The first rule of crisis management is to own the truth. So take ownership of whatever went wrong, and do it publicly. Your customers – or potential customers – will respond to that. STAY AWAY FROM FLASHY OF- FERS. If your player is going to lose so much money on play-through require- ments for a bonus that they stop playing online, what good does that do you? Sure, you made a small amount of money off the player one time. But you lost any recurring revenue. YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE SMART- ER THAN YOU THINK. Players know when an offer is too good to be true. If your only incentives to players are deals they don’t believe in, you’re not going to make much money. This new wave of customers won’t sign up through you just because they see big numbers. The demographics of online gaming customers are chang- ing. That means we need to think about changing the way we market. Evolve or perish. The choice is yours. Vin Narayanan has been involved in the gaming industry for over a decade and is the former editor-in-chief of the GPWA and Casino City Press. He is currently a gaming industry consultant that focus- es on Asian and North American operations and marketing, the publisher of the Blockchain Report – which focuses on blockchain technology – and the senior managing editor of Early Investing. He’s also the founder of a blockchain startup. 45 G P W A t i m e s . o r g A lot of digital marketers have made a ton of money marketing the old way , and they're not about to change . . . But this strategy won't win in the long term .