Our team was in Amsterdam last month for the inaugural iGB Live! conference, which was held at the RAI Amsterdam from July 17th to 20th. Among those attending the event on behalf of Income Access was VP of Strategy Sarafina Wolde Gabriel, Director of Marketing Erica Anderson, Global Head of Sales Jonathan Vintner and Head of Business Development Sarah Robertson.
Based on our team’s meetings and discussions with other industry leaders, below are several of the key takeaways from our trip to the Dutch capital.
Product Innovation
Brands are continuing to improve their mobile offerings and some affiliates that our team met with earn commissions exclusively on install-based advertising models. Operators are keeping this in mind and working on either launching new mobile apps or improving their existing ones.
Going forward, campaigns also need to target millennials as this demographic will account for an ever-growing chunk of target audiences within gaming. As studies show that said generation has a short attention span, it is increasingly important for products to be interactive and tailored for each user.
Many millennials tend to use ad blockers, so from a marketing perspective affiliates will be important for engaging them with strong content. Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) will also be key to attracting high-value players from this demographic.
Regulation and Compliance
Following the repeal of PASPA, affiliates were keen to discover how they could promote iLottery, sports betting and other verticals in US markets. The impact of changes and potential changes to regulation in India, Colombia, Mexico and Sub-Saharan Africa were also mentioned.
In the context of Sweden’s new ‘one-off bonus’ rule, affiliates expressed both pros and cons. Many believe that the change will attract more genuine players, while others feel that it will push users to create multiple accounts.
Compliance was another popular talking point, with it becoming an even greater priority and source of inspiration for more tools entering the market to provide support. Given the emphasis on customer protection, the expectation is that more operators will both adapt and make positive contributions to forthcoming changes. Other prominent insights from Amsterdam included the need of the industry to work together for consistency, as well as the potential benefits of a centralised data centre for know-your-customer (KYC) checks.
Affiliate Marketing Trends
Despite the ever-changing digital world, affiliate marketing remains a robust and popular acquisition channel with more of the top affiliates being given the freedom to choose an advertising model which suits them. One outcome from this development is that affiliates are either embracing the flat fee structure or moving away from it. This is the result of a structure that guarantees affiliate revenue but cannot always ensure corresponding player acquisitions.
Some affiliates are moving towards a ‘best-converting brand’ structure, where the relevant brand is featured most prominently in return for placement on a revenue share model, regardless of competing flat fee offers. They believe this is the best ‘win-win’ scenario and builds a stronger relationship.
Traditional methods of communication are still popular, too. Meeting face-to-face and holding in-person conversations continue to have a larger business and relationship impact than alternate digital methods of communication.
Were you at iGB Live! last month? What were your key takeaways from the event? Let us know in the comments section below.
At Income Access, we offer sophisticated software and a range of affiliate marketing services to grow your brand in the digital world. To find out more, please reach out.
