Social Media Tracker: Are brand ambassadors used enough in egaming?
In the first of a series of monthly articles, Crystal Content delves into some of the sector’s most successful social media campaigns
Brand ambassadors have been used for many years by some of the biggest companies in the world to engage customers and increase brand visibility. In 2019, influencer marketing has become one of the most popular forms of marketing for many businesses making it something to take note of. According to Tech Jury, the influencer marketing industry could be worth $10bn by 2020.
While there are some differences between influencer marketing and the use of brand ambassadors, the basic principle is the same. A brand uses someone of note and heavy influence to promote their product and encourage others to get involved. It is interesting to note that the Google search for influencer marketing grew 1500% over three years to around 61,000 in 2018.
The online gaming industry has always been a little slow in picking up new and innovative social media approaches – but there are some big operators such as Jackpotjoy and bet365 leading the way when it comes to this avenue.
Leading the way
JPJ Group is an industry leading company which has a few different casino brands under its belt. These include Starspins, Vera&John, InterCasino, Botemania and its most popular offering, Jackpotjoy. It has over 259,664 monthly active customers and is the world-leading number one UK online bingo-led operator.
When comparing Jackpotjoy and Vera&John, you’ll find that in the latest annual report from this group Jackpotjoy had revenue of £216m in comparison to £103.6m for Vera&John. This led it to hold 68% of the divisional revenue for this company in comparison to Vera&John with 32%. Could its use of brand ambassadors in its social media strategy be a key to its success?
Jackpotjoy brand ambassador Paddy McGuinness
Jackpotjoy has been using brand ambassadors for many years with the previous face of the brand being EastEnders actress Barbara Windsor. In 2018, Take Me Out star Paddy McGuinness took over as the main brand ambassador for Jackpotjoy. This was a great choice for this brand as Paddy appeals to a younger demographic that Jackpotjoy was hoping to get on board. Jackpotjoy created an advert to celebrate this featuring both Windsor and McGuinness as she passed on the crown. This video reached over 8,000 people on YouTube and over 29,000 views on Facebook.
As a result of signing Paddy up, Jackpotjoy saw an increase in monthly active customers and first time depositors, leading the firm to meet its acquisition and retention goals.
Paddy McGuinness
Jackpotjoy started its partnership with brand ambassador Paddy McGuinness with a large focus on TV adverts. The operator knew his familiar face would catch the attention of potential customers and this has now gone from strength to strength when using content featuring him across its social channels. This has encouraged engagement and has seen it grow to over 125,801 likes on Facebook and 914 subscribers on YouTube.
The team at Jackpotjoy post engaging content that features its brand ambassador with its latest poll getting close to 1,000 votes.
#MaxineMisunderstands
Paddy McGuinness may be the main brand ambassador for Jackpotjoy, but he has had some competition in the last six months from a home assistant called Maxine. This interesting and engaging marketing strategy has taken the growing popularity of home assistants like Amazon Alexa and turned it into a relatable marketing strategy for Jackpotjoy.
The Maxine Misunderstands content is very popular across social channels with the first instalment of ‘Meet Maxine’ having 6,557 views since December 2018 on YouTube. The same video was also posted on the Jackpotjoy Facebook page and it currently has 10K views. The content is funny and Paddy appeals to a large demographic of people.
The clever use of Paddy McGuinness and the Maxine Misunderstands series has seen its social media channels grow exponentially. There are, of course, other operators making use of brand ambassadors well on social media – but Jackpotjoy certainly stands out.
Sharon McFarlane is the managing director of Crystal Content – a digital marketing agency that specialises in egaming. She has eight years’ experience in the industry and has contributed to industry magazines and conferences sharing her expertise on all things digital marketing.