GMB - Nowadays, you are managing director of Volta Pra Marca. What services does the company offer? Tell us a little about the history of the firm and its entry into the sports marketing market.
Matheus Antunes - Volta Pra Marca was created in 2018 and already in the first year traded the first assets placing 1XBET in the second division of the Brazilian Championship, inaugurating the exposure of betting brands as we are used today, without the .net domain. Since then, we have specialized in the intermediation of all types of sports assets, from sponsorship to pitch advertising, but also acting strongly in the area of TV, streaming and digital media.
In 2019, we negotiated more than R$20 million (US$3.6m) in media and, even with the stop due to the pandemic this year, we hope to reach, at least, the same level this year. This is due to the expertise of more than 15 years in 'gambling' that I bring with me. I worked in all parts of the business, whether as an affiliate, in the areas of marketing, product head and operator strategy, as a publisher and even sponsor. That is why, in addition to a sports marketing agency, we are also specialists in market consulting for betting in Brazil, having several companies that used our services during this period.
Currently, 14 of the 20 Serie A clubs of the Brasileirão Championship are sponsored by bookmakers. In your opinion, what would be the main benefits for the teams to have turned to partnerships with this industry?
Interestingly, before opening the agency, I was commercial director of a second division club and it is undoubtedly very clear that the possibility of a new source of revenue created by betting companies is vitally important to increase the financial breath of the Brazilian clubs.
However, on the part of the clubs, they must take a more emphatic role in activating their fans and turning them into customers for the bookmakers and prepare themselves as much as possible for the eventual regulation of betting in Brazil. In this way they will be able to guarantee long partnerships that benefit both sides to the maximum.
With the legalization of the betting sector, the market has seen many athletes become ambassadors for bookmakers. Is this effective marketing in Brazil? Why?
Yes and no. It is effective if the chosen athlete is, besides being a media player, prone to work for the brand and understand his role as a business developer. Here, in Brazil, an excellent example is Denilson, Sportsbet.io ambassador, who wears the shirt and incorporates the brand's DNA, taking part and helping to build the company's identity in the country.
On the other hand, there are countless examples of athletes and clubs who do not make the slightest effort to generate business and think that lending their image is more than enough. So that this hiring is not done in a wrong way it is necessary a thorough analysis of the market, its peculiarities and the candidates for ambassadors.
In your view, which marketing strategies may be of most interest to companies related to betting (be it betting sites as well as media sites of the sector, such as GMB)?
We are in a childhood phase of the market, so everything is related to positioning. I believe that the best marketing now is to have a product that works in the region and that provides an above average service. It sounds basic, but it isn't. And I can say with a lot of knowledge that 95% of the betting companies that are in the Brazilian market today are not with an acceptable level in the two questions I mentioned above.
After this basic care, it is a matter of strategy. Football assets are like cannonballs, creating the desired 'brand awareness', especially important because the vast majority of firms are unknown. And as we have seen with our business here at VPM, this type of investment brings interesting returns. In addition, companies should think about the digital presence and other sports besides football as a way to reach larger audiences that are interested in betting with a much lower investment.
Specifically for customer conversion, there are several other more effective ways, but we only discuss this topic with our consulting partners.
Now, with live sports returning, how can bookmakers be seen in the market again? What creative marketing plans would be needed to stand out at this time when there is still a financial crisis?
Despite the crisis, at least for what is being reported and also for the information that was given to us by our partners, the pandemic did not affect and, in some cases, even helped the bookmakers.
In general, the market is thirsty for live sports and consequently for betting. The bookmakers should fight for the attention of the customers in all possible ways, being, in my view, the insertion of advertisements during the live events of key importance to win this battle.
Speaking specifically of creativity and innovation, I would bet on channels and apps that serve as a 'second screen' to the live event, such as simultaneous live streaming channels and live score apps and other initiatives like fantasy games, another 'attacked' area by Volta Pra Marca, representing in Brazil one of the largest fantasy companies in the world.
Could the sale of broadcasting rights to bookmakers be a smart strategy for the spread of Brazilian football abroad? Why?
Yes. In fact, this was a very poorly managed issue in CBF's recent sale of rights. There were several parties interested in these rights and the door was literally closed for no good reason.
For the bettor, in-house streaming provides a chance to get to know sports and leagues around the world while waiting for a bet to end or even when the event is not available on television. Not to mention the scope of these companies. Many of them reach more people than any TV. This will still happen, but it is not known how and if it will be done through third parties.
I remember that when I started, it was in this way that I got to know horse racing, which sparked my interest in understanding more about this sport that is iconic in the land of the Queen and moves billions of pounds annually.
Some teams have partnered with bookmakers and created their own websites, even with their names chosen by fans. What is your view on this? In the future, can all clubs have their own website providing them with new revenue?
Perhaps this is a peculiarity of our market and this works, but in the long run, it does not seem a viable solution for several reasons, both on the side of the clubs and on the side of the operators.
I believe that we will follow the same path as the markets that are now mature, without clubs with 'white labels' from bookmakers, which in turn will have their brands strong and rooted in the country, which in my view, will lead this type of initiative redundancy and forgetfulness.
Source: Exclusive GMB
