Creating Responsible Marketing
When creating contents for marketing campaign, there is need to integrate safer gambling messaging, by operators/brands, as well as affiliates.
Marketing is at the core of gambling activities, especially online gambling; whether it’s encouraging new players to sign up or offering bonuses to entice existing ones, to continue depositing and playing; therefore responsible marketing is needed and required at every interval.
Those who create marketing content for operators need to adhere strictly to safer gambling rules and ensure that the contents of their marketing campaigns, do not target unintended demographics. Marketing campaign should continually stay within the guidelines, to avoid putting the vulnerable at risk.
Generating Tailored Responsible gambling campaigns
Both brands and their affiliates, need to make it a responsibility to have measures in place, that will promote safer gambling through their marketing campaigns. When creating campaigns, their teams need to understand the goals and the targets, to ensure that promotional materials contain safer gambling messages, and is compliant with the extant safer gambling regulations in play. Example of brands integrating responsible gambling in their marketing is, UK’s William Hill, who allocates 20% of its TV marketing coverage to promoting safer gambling.
There are creative (s) promoting responsible gambling on the social media space now, that could be incorporated by brands in their marketing materials, like the “Take Time To Think” slogan, “When The Fun Stops, Stop” slogan, “Play Responsibly and don’t play if you can’t afford to lose” etc. Brands could also create their own slogans as long as the message is communicated.
Operators also need to create a clear path between problem gamblers and help resources, this could be done, by creating safer gambling pivots to direct players who might have a problem, to these resources for help. They could also work with organisations that provide information, training and help to those categorized as at-risk gamblers; like GambleAlert and GamSafe Initiatives in Nigeria.
Media Restriction
Marketing contents, especially those advertised online, should be age appropriate to avoid targeting those under the minimum age threshold, and campaigns should be tailored in a way that it encourages people to play and at the same time, discourages them from playing outside their means.
There should be restrictions on gambling ads on channels, like youtube that has a lot of underage viewers. Operators should ensure that any videos uploaded on these channels, are age-restricted to the appropriate demographics (those aged 18 and above). By doing this, the age restrictions will still stay in place – even if the videos are put on other sites.
Even after ads have met the requisite criteria, there should still be a reduction in the number of gambling ads and the time it’s shown on television. For example, the ads could be set, to air from a certain time during the day; like from 10pm.
Conclusion
Responsible marketing campaigns, should be a must for every operator/brand as well as their affiliates in the gambling industry, more particularly those in the igaming/online sector. It is the responsibility of the operators to ensure that the materials they have, is not just about promoting the brand’s business, but also to help potential problem gamblers, to minimize harm.
Once more, the content, intensity, focus of gambling marketing campaigns, as a matter of priority, should embrace the promotion of safer gambling at all times, in order to ensure that products are promoted safely and responsibly.
