Mr. Gamble Interview With Diana Larina, Head of Growth Marketing at Evoplay

Today, we are sitting down to talk to Diana Larina, Head of Growth Marketing at Evoplay. We hope you are as excited as we were to learn more about marketing in new markets.

Thanks for joining us, Diana! Let's start In what ways have technological innovations influenced your marketing approaches in new and emerging markets?

Technologies have always been pivotal in shaping Evoplay’s marketing strategies. They let us leverage data-driven insights for targeted campaigns, and use AR and VR for immersive advertising experiences at conferences.

Also, implementing AI allows us to create personalised customer engagements and build products for new casinos more successfully. I personally believe that adapting your marketing strategies is a must. Customers’ needs change, and so should we.

How do cultural and regulatory differences in new markets shape your marketing strategies? How do you ensure cultural sensitivity?

First of all, we make sure to conduct thorough market research to understand cultural nuances and regulatory requirements. We want our marketing content to be culturally sensitive and welcoming to new players. This means adapting our messaging and visuals to local customs and legal frameworks, for example.

This could even affect our game portfolio. For example, players in a specific country may be more predisposed to online slots and, by extension, free spins. That’s the proper way to connect with local audiences, by speaking in their language and on equal terms.

How do you balance the need for aggressive marketing with the responsibility to promote responsible gambling?

I’ll start with the obvious: while we aim for market penetration, we ensure our promotional materials do not encourage irresponsible gambling behaviours. We achieve this by clearly communicating the risks of gambling, promoting limit-setting tools, and incorporating responsible gambling messages in our campaigns. Gambling is all about risk management, and we want our players to be on top of it at all times.

What role does data analytics play in tailoring marketing strategies for iGaming products in new markets?

By analysing user data, market trends, and engagement metrics, we can identify specific preferences, behaviours, and potential opportunities in current and new markets. These insights let us tailor our campaigns, influence product development, optimise user experiences, and improve engagement tools. In short, we get to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time.

Can you describe a specific campaign that successfully introduced an innovative iGaming product to a new market? What were the key elements that contributed to its success?

One of the recent campaigns I was passionate about the most is the one devoted to the launch of Adrenaline Rush, a 3D racing game. We went all out on the marketing campaign that leveraged targeted market research, strategic influencer partnerships, an immersive launch event in Malta in November, and teaser campaigns.

We made sure to highlight the game's innovative features, such as immersive gameplay, advanced graphics, game-changing bonuses, and the ability to choose maps, cars, and a character. I feel like we’ve managed to communicate all of that clearly, since the response was nothing short of staggering. People could really tell that there was nothing like that in the iGaming space.

Once the marketing campaign ends, it’s all about post-launch engagement and responding to feedback. That’s what successful communities are built on.

In marketing, failure is almost always a part of the recipe for success. What lessons have you learned from failed marketing attempts, if you had any?

You put it into the right words – marketing is always about testing, testing and even more testing. And, obviously, in our journey, not every campaign has met expectations or KPIs. But from these experiences, we could learn the importance of flexibility and continuous adaptation.

For instance, I can tell from experience that a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works across different markets due to varying consumer behaviours and preferences in different parts of the world. These lessons have taught us to be more agile, to better segment our markets, and to always test and refine our strategies based on real-world feedback.

Players can be great teachers, apparently. Who knew!

We always want to be closer to our users and we will do everything possible to make sure their voices are heard. This is the reason, by the way, why we are launching our new product, Evoplay City, soon.

Looking forward, what emerging trends do you believe will have the most significant impact on the marketing, in both new and existing markets?

It’s definitely personalisation enhanced by AI. This combo will significantly impact marketing in this and the next decades. Right now, AI is used sparsely to automate and optimise many marketing tasks, providing insights for scaling. Soon, the ability to use tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and whatever comes after them will be a prerequisite for working in this industry.