The first participation on the panel was by Jennifer Innes, Managing Director of bettingjobs.com, who stated that the core of a business is to have the customer base at heart, and that it is extremely important for companies looking for the Brazilian market to understand the correct strategy and suitable products. "Entering a market is not only making a financial assessment of the investment, which can be easy, but understanding the whole process, and this also involves the question of personnel and the products to be offered," she said.
José Colagrossi brought to the panel a demographic analysis of the Brazilian player. For him, eSports is currently the vertical that has grown the most in the last two years in Brazil and that there is a lot of energy in it, with a large number of sponsors such as banks and insurance companies, that were not previously involved in this market segment. " The profile of fans and players is very diverse with more than 50% over 35 years old. And they do that because that's how they decided to use their free time.” According to him, between 25% and 30% of the public is composed of women.
“These people have a high income and education, which is ideal for sponsors, who have already highlighted their interest in this segment because they are composed of people who do not watch TV (open or closed) or consume traditional media. The sponsors understand that the best way to reach this share is through support for electronic sports,” he explained.
Asked by Carvalhaes why this segment of society involved with electronic sports and eSports betting has grown so much compared to traditional sports, Colagrossi said that the reason is because society is moving towards the digital world. “This trend gained momentum after 2014, when society became more digital. These people who are always connected we call onliners. They have three main characteristics that make betting and electronic games so fascinating for them. First, because they like to be in the action, and when you participate in a betting game or when you are playing an electronic sport, you are in the action and are no longer a passive spectator,” he said.
According to him, the second feature is to do what you like when and how you want. “Digital people, the digital society, like to be in control. For them, being in control is the key. They don't want to hear what to do or when to do it. Electronic sport is something you can do when you feel like it, as opposed to watching a game that has a specific scheduled time and day. This thirst for control makes electronic sport very attractive because you control what you do, when you do it and how you are doing it,” he defined.
The third characteristic is to be connected at all times. "When you bet, you don't do it to win money, but to be connected with other people who are also betting," he explained.
Carvalhaes asked Stuart Hunter about how to achieve challenges and grow in a pandemic moment, considering that the gambling market was impacted by COVID-19. The Clarion Gaming executive said that the events world had to think quickly about a new way to offer quality meetings, and one example is the BgC Digital Experience.
“We have a large volume of face-to-face events around the world, and obviously ICE London is the most important one. With COVID-19 we had to think about how to reach customers and how to reach the public in the absence of face-to-face events. Here, at this meeting, we have the opportunity to offer learning and networking and it was a good temporary solution until we have face-to-face meetings again. At Clarion Gaming we have numerous platforms and brands that cover the entire gaming industry, and this source of information comes from a live scenario and I don't think there are many ways to replicate this face-to-face opportunity. Thus, we are preparing for the next ICE London, which has a large presence of professionals from Latin America to resume part of this opportunity for contacts, visits to stands and interaction. But in the meantime, we want to focus on our digital options and offer online content to our customers. All of this will support and reinforce our face-to-face actions,” Hunter commented.
Returning to Jennifer, Carvalhaes asked her about how to make a business strategy relevant, considering the issue of the tropicalization of a sector, assessing local talent and culture and how firms should hire to retain or even fire professionals.
The executive said it is a multifaceted issue and has witnessed companies setting up in different places. “We have recently seen companies stepping back and turning to the fact that they wanted people based in Brazil. So, I think it is important, when we recruit, not only to consider that you can have the best brand in the world, but it is necessary to take the human aspect into account. In other words, going through a recruitment process ensuring that you are taking care of the individual is something that we have to capture with each client,” she evaluated. According to her, with the regulation, there will be more need for local talent.
“In addition, regulations have expanded across Europe, with companies eyeing the American market. So how to find a talent? Through companies like ours, attentive to brand visibility and good networking. Through emerging panels, access to the market and access to talent is the secret to success,” she said.
According to her, to enter a new market, such as the Brazilian one, it is not enough to translate a website. “I have seen a lot of rush in some cases, by actions of investors rushing. Our goal is to help in the appropriate recruitment of a talent based on the way the client is positioned in the market. That way we can articulate a correct opportunity for the candidates,” she said.
Colagrossi went back to talking about business location issues, stating that “if you don't customize your business plan, considering taxes, regulations and culture, your business will fail. I see some eSports or betting companies entering Brazil with the vision of ‘sellers’: how can we generate sales? The current lack of regulation means that they have this approach, but this is temporary. If they do not understand the issue of regulation, taxes and culture, in addition to the business environment, their chances of failure will be greater than those of success,” Colagrossi concluded.
Source: Exclusive GMB
