Amidst the fierce competition amongst betting and gaming operators to acquire new customers, success often relies on a brand being known. Yet, establishing a strong brand presence with a target audience can be a daunting task with traditional awareness channels requiring significant budgets and having limited targeting.

Programmatic Digital Out of Home (DOOH) and Audio are two channels where awareness can be achieved with greater precision and more reasonable investment.

With ad:s, Sportradar’s acquisition focused marketing service, having recently launched its own programmatic DOOH and Audio solutions, we sat down with Ralf Ollig, Sportradar’s VP Product, Marketing and Advertising Services, to discuss the role of these channels as effective top-of-funnel marketing tools.

Q: Betting and gaming audiences are saturated with marketing messages, especially in a big sports year like 2024. How can companies stand out?

Ralf Ollig: Companies in an industry as competitive as betting and gaming need to employ smart brand strategies to cut through the noise. According to our ad:s data, strong brand awareness correlates with better acquisition performance, especially during big football tournaments¹. That’s where our two new programmatic advertising channels come into play: Digital Out of Home (DOOH) and Audio. These channels are in a prime position to reach a huge number of potential customers at the top-of-funnel. Greater awareness leads to increased brand recall, which in turn increases the chances for conversions from your performance marketing.

Q: What are the key benefits of integrating DOOH into a betting and gaming brand’s marketing strategy?

RO:  Digital Out of Home advertising places your brand in an environment where is it likely to be seen by your target audience when they are out and about, grabbing their attention in a non-intrusive way, which increases brand-trust and consideration. With digital screens becoming more commonplace and more cost-effective compared to traditional OOH advertising, the potential for impact is enormous. This is also reflected in the constantly rising ad spend¹ on DOOH throughout the marketing industry.

Q: Can you explain how ad:s’ DOOH solution helps brands capture attention in a crowded marketplace?

RO: To maximize impact, ad:s programmatic DOOH allows adverts to be shown at key locations and in key moments, such as sports venues and entertainment hubs. Imagine having a billboard at the final of a major football tournament – that’s the level of visibility DOOH offers. By using our ad:s Demand Side Platform (DSP), adverts can be updated in real-time, which allows for dynamic messaging that aligns with the environment and the result of any sports event at a particular point in time. For example, a DOOH advert could congratulate the home team after a win and show the odds for their next game.

Q: How can betting and gaming operators make sure their DOOH adverts are shown in the right places?

RO: Our inventory and our targeting algorithms allow betting and gaming operators to choose ad screen locations that are relevant to sportsbook and casino customers, e.g. sports venues, pubs, entertainment facilities and more. Additionally, our ad:s DSP data allows us to analyse all the locations where conversions take place, creating a heatmap of geographic areas with the highest likelihood of finding potential customers. This can be as granular as areas around addresses or neighbourhoods in a city to localize your campaigns as much as possible.

Example map of London, based on deposit and login location data collected by ad:s in March 2024 vs. DOOH screen locations and a selection sports venues

Q: Where do Audio Ads fit into the picture and why should they be added into the marketing mix of operators?

RO: Audio Ads offer a unique way of engaging with betting and gaming audiences by creating deeper connections with them. When customers tune into podcasts or internet radio stations there is a significant opportunity to reach them and deliver your brand message in moments that are meaningful to them. Marketing research supports this by showing that audio advertising significantly boosts both brand recall and purchase intent. With the rising popularity of digital audio platforms, the reach of Audio Ads is expanding rapidly.

Q: How does ad:s enhance audio campaigns for the betting and gaming operators?

RO: With ad:s, audio advertising campaigns are run programmatically from one single platform, which means that you reach the right listener regardless of the audio channel, across audio streaming, podcasts, and digital radio stations. Our curated supply is tailored to audiences that show strong interest in betting and gaming, ensuring high relevance and effectiveness. To increase the impact even further, audio ads can be scheduled around relevant sports events with an integrated sports calendar targeting.

Q: With these new channels available, how would you summarize the best approach of using them for an optimized marketing campaign?

RO: By incorporating these channels into an omni-channel approach that aligns brand awareness with digital performance marketing campaigns, brands can expect increased brand recall, higher engagement levels, and greater likelihood of conversion. Instead of getting lost in the crowd, brands that leverage DOOH and Audio Ads stand out and maintain the attention of potential customers.