Tailoring Marketing For All Kinds of Digital Media
Digital media may be the new standard in entertainment for the vast majority of the world but people are still learning just how nuanced each area of it can be. The number of branches to be found in digital and online entertainment is high and growing all the time, each branch requiring its own specialty and approach from those working in it.
This applies strongly to the marketing in each of these areas as things like target audiences and mediums vary wildly between each. For this article, we’ve broken down the nuances and intricacies involved in marketing a range of different media types.
Online Casino and iGaming
The market for digital gambling, whether that’s in the form of casino games or sports betting; is one of the most competitive markets in the world when it comes to marketing. Depending on the region, there could be hundreds of different providers battling it out for the same space; and this has led to an incredibly detailed breakdown of target audiences. It’s common for newer casinos to focus on ever more specific niches, which has led to the rise of things like crypto casinos that will only accept cryptocurrencies or casinos that exclusively offer live games over anything else. There are also things like mobile-only casinos that only have a presence on mobile devices; and their advertising may only ever appear via mobile ads, often within other apps.
For the larger and more established brands which tend to offer all of it in one place; the marketing focus is instead all around special offers and promotions. Many online casinos have made the offer into something of an art form with their offers more; and more tailored to the exact group they are working towards. It’s why, if you look at the latest online casino promotions at larger sites like Betfair, their promotions are updated regularly to adapt and adjust what they can offer their players. It could be extra funds, extra spins, or just a refund on some bets; but each gets carefully chosen to match everything from new game releases to even the time of year of the promotion.
For both of these reasons, online casinos are a case study in marketing specialization. It’s likely that the other entries on this list will look to the industry as their own markets become inherently more crowded. You can already see similar practices in place outside of entertainment, especially in online retailers like Amazon.
Streaming Services
The common phrase that’s been around for the last five years or so is that ‘traditional TV is dead’. Whether that’s entirely true or not is up for serious debate; but what is true is that TV streaming has at least taken over a massive share of the entire market. It famously started all the way back in 2007 with Netflix, a company that has become synonymous with the service. Now, however, there are plenty of competitors in the market and the marketing has had to change quickly to match the new situation.
If you see any ads now for any of the major services like Hulu, Amazon Prime, or Netflix themselves, the big word to watch for is ‘exclusive’. A big part of the battle between the brands is which shows or movies they have in their lineup that no one else has. In the past, this used to be shows that were already showing on traditional TV and one service would have exclusive streaming rights, such as the situation with Netflix and Breaking Bad. Nowadays, the push is towards having original series created for the platform which are funded and owned by the company directly to remove the need for licensing. It’s why the vast majority of all ads for streaming services primarily just show off their originals.
For the remainder of the marketing, it comes down to prices and features. While prices are harder to differentiate, services have done a lot of work when it comes to features. For example, Netflix recently made an unpopular decision to clamp down on account sharing and competitors were quick to capitalize. Although not able to allow account sharing themselves, they all made major pushes towards customers willing to switch their service; banking on disgruntled Netflix subscribers looking to go somewhere else.
Independent Media
While not anywhere near as massive as the other two entries on this list; material from independent creators finds itself in an equally challenging market. By independent creators, we mean those creators using platforms like YouTube or even project support platforms like Kickstarter or Patreon to create works that either cannot or never would get picked up by a larger company for a range of reasons.
As an example. there has been a massive boom in home-made shows on YouTube targeted at mature audiences; and some creators have even managed to go for full-scale movies like the recent production of Iron Lung; helmed by famous YouTube personalities. Independent in this case no longer means small, but they still find themselves in a battle with much larger beasts when it comes to marketing. As soon as they enter the field of TV or movies; they have to deal with both the streaming services we mentioned earlier as well as the production companies themselves.
The solution is, thankfully, in-built: viral appeal. Many of these projects lean heavily into social media with teasers, fan interaction; and unique tie-ins with other projects to spread the word to their small but dedicated audiences. Instead of trying to directly compete with major companies, they leverage marketing channels; and a more personal approach that those companies simply can’t get. Naturally, these approaches have their limits but as long as they can reach a certain level of word-of-mouth; they are more than able to cover their costs.
With independent creators growing in scale and the streaming wars reaching something of a stalemate; we should be on the brink of the next new wave of marketing. What form that will take, however, is something that all are waiting to see.
