André Machado, Head of Publisher Relations & Affiliation – Sportradar, explains how ad:s Publisher Products provides sportsbooks with an opportunity to gain a vital competitive edge in target markets.
What is ad:s Publisher Products?
AM: “Publisher Products is a marketing toolkit, made up of two pillars – the publisher network and the bespoke proprietary adtech – combining to make a powerful problem-solving proposition.
This allows sportsbooks to gain visibility on premium publishers in specific markets with automated, contextually relevant ads, and subsequently delivering a strong performance.”
What challenge does Publisher Products solve for sportsbooks?
AM: “Cost and ROI are always under the spotlight for operators when it comes to marketing, and most channels require upfront investment. So, this is the first challenge that Publisher Products looks to solve. Publisher Products are run on an affiliate style rev-share model, with no up-front costs for an operator, offering a low-risk channel to add to a marketing mix.”
“Next, our publisher network guarantees sportsbooks ad exposure on premium publishers, including those that might not be plugged in to an SSP (supply-side platform), and therefore not accessible by programmatic advertising. We’ve handpicked key publishers, such as high-profile sports news websites, based on their quality and relevance.
“Finally, the proprietary adtech ensures that ads are contextually relevant for the audience. Removing the resource-heavy work required to ensure the ad content is continually up-to-date and relevant to the individual.”
How do the ads work and what does it mean in reality for the end customer?
AM: “The Publisher Products adtech is built with a focus on relevance, automation and optimisation, and driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“The relevance aspect defines what ad should be shown in a particular moment, in a certain slot, on a given platform, while automation creates customised ads at a speed that cannot be matched by a human. Optimisation refines the content and delivery to maximise performance.”
“The end result is adtech that creates near-native and contextually relevant content that improves conversion and enhances the fan experience.”
“For example, someone reading an article about an upcoming England football match could see an ad with the odds of Harry Kane scoring in the game and England winning. For someone checking an update about Novak Djokovic, an ad could show the odds on his next match with insights on how he’s performed against that opponent in previous meetings.”
What is unique about an ad served by Publisher Products?
AM: “Through an intuitive ‘card’ system, prime slots on publisher websites host interchangeable carousel style ads that can cover everything from main-market odds, parlay and outright bets to dynamic offers. Market insights can also be shown on a card such as, for example, a statistic about how many times Harry Kane has scored previously against England’s upcoming opposition, or Djokovic’s recent record against his next opponent.
“These insights not only offer up interesting content that will enhance the reader’s experience but can also empower them to make informed betting decisions.
“Flexibility is also at the heart of the offering. Publisher Products is available in 25 languages, covers 23 sports, offers hundreds of betting markets, and creates ads in various sizes to ensure they can slot seamlessly into prominent ad positions on premium publishers.
“It would be impossible for an operator to create such a range of timely and engaging ads manually and simultaneously across multiple sporting events.”
What performance has Publisher Products driven?
AM: “We work with a single operator in each geographic market on a revenue-share basis, which minimises up-front cost and risk. This exclusive affiliate-type relationship delivers clear results.
“Click-through rates across our Publisher Network are usually between 0.16% and 0.20% for Publisher Products-driven content in comparison with the historic global average across all industries of 0.05% for these types of ads.[i]
“Last year, our Publisher Network delivered 77,000 FTDs (first-time deposits) for our clients at an average of one FTD per roughly 50,000 impressions. There were also six million clicks and 141,000 sign-ups.
“This year, we anticipate generating three times as many impressions due to the growth of Publisher Products.”
How does Publisher Products fit into broader sportsbook marketing strategies?
AM: “Publisher Products is an outstanding toolkit for a sportsbook seeking to gain a competitive edge in a specific market by securing brand exposure on premium platforms.
“Operators often use Publisher Products alongside other marketing channels such as paid social or programmatic advertising to acquire and retarget customers, even in the same market. This is possible as the different channels complement rather than cannibalise each other.
“For example, programmatic advertising is an effective tool for generating traffic and driving conversions based on user behaviour across the internet. However, Publisher Products guarantees ad slots via carefully selected publishers – and some of these might not be connected to an SSP. Therefore, in our experience, the maximum overlap between the two different channels will only be about 5%.”
Aside from sportsbooks, how do others benefit from Publisher Products?
AM: “Publisher Products is used by leading publishers like ESPN, News UK and the Toronto Star in a SaaS model to improve the quality and relevance of their ads, boost the user experience and ultimately increase revenue.
“Additionally, Publisher Products is used by sports rights-holders in a similar manner to activate sponsorships with sportsbooks on their digital platforms, delivering more relevant content to their fans and improved ad performance for their sponsor. Demonstrating vital added value to commercial partnerships in a competitive landscape.”
For more information about Publisher Products, contact us today.
