INSIGHT
used to make an instant emotional
connection with consumers. This
is particularly important in the
online gambling space, where
consumer trust can be low and player
promiscuity high – loyalty is an
area where most affiliates could do
more to retain custom. It is common
knowledge that consumers buy based
on emotion, so affiliates should
consider ways they can use VR and
AR to strengthen their bond with
players and drive conversions.
Another upside is that virtual and
augmented reality is highly targeted.
In most cases, users will have to
download an app and provide personal
data in order to access the technology.
This has two key benefits: first, data
can be analysed and segmented at
a granular level and used to target
potential players with the right content
at the right time. Being able to target
specific markets, demographics and
interests means marketing spend
can be streamlined and margins for
earnings increased. Second, VR and
AR can also be used to drive more
targeted in-app purchases.
These factors come together to
allow marketers to deliver more
engaging, valuable and authentic
messaging to consumers, which in
turn boosts conversion and retention.
This is good news for online gambling
affiliates, but in order to unlock the
full potential of VR and AR they will
need to keep pushing the boundaries
when it comes to content as well as
platform development.
Virtual and augmented reality
technologies are just another platform
from which affiliates can communicate
with users, so the quality and
relevancy of the content must remain
high. Savvy affiliates will already be
considering ways of creating virtual
and augmented reality content and
34
iGB Affiliate Issue 72 DEC 2018 / JAN 2019
looking at how it fits in with their
wider acquisition and retention
strategies. Right now, video is still a
powerful content distribution medium
and so long as affiliates continue to
produce content that engages, educates
and entertains, success will be found.
Affiliates will also have to master
the art of cross-device traffic and
tracking, monitoring the flow of
readers across all their channels. The
evolution of affiliate tracking is still
taking place as technology develops.
VR may turn out to be a powerful
acquisition and retention tool, one
that can be used to funnel players to
desktop sites and mobile apps where
they can be converted to multiple
brands again and again. AR, on the
other hand, may be more effective
at retaining players through new
gamification tools and features. The
only way of knowing this is to track
player movements, gather the data and
analyse it regularly and methodically.
While neither technology is
mainstream when it comes to online
gambling, their breakthrough moment
is surely not that far away. The fact
that game developers and operators
are investing heavily in AR and VR
suggests that they are as confident as
Facebook and other global giants in
the technologies’ significance.
VR and AR might blur the lines
between the virtual and real worlds,
then, but they also provide an exciting
opportunity for affiliates to build
brand equity, add value and grow
communities of highly engaged
audiences. The world is changing,
and it is important for affiliates to
keep up with these digital changes.
Early adoption is always the best
strategy as it allows time for learning
and experimentation and, crucially,
to stand out from your rivals in a
crowded market such as ours.
“The first and
perhaps most
significant benefit
for online gambling
affiliates is that VR
and AR can be
used to make an
instant emotional
connection with
consumers”
LEE-ANN
JOHNSTONE
With two decades of
digital marketing and
affiliate experience in retail,
payments and blue-chip igaming
brands, Lee-Ann Johnstone
has a wealth of expertise as an
award-winning digital marketing
and affiliate expert. She is an
affiliate business mentor and
founder of Affiliate Insider, which
launched in 2017 offering Affiliate
Bootcamp Training (AffiliateFEST +
AIBootcamp), Affiliate Programme
Management and Affiliate Manager
Training services. affiliateinsider.com