BBC covers it quite well here.

Better get your UK mail out ASAP !!!!!

The current duty regime for remote gambling introduced by the last Government was levied on a place of supply basis.

And from this April we will also introduce double taxation relief for remote gambling.

Is this the bellwether for the future of online gaming ?
Will this merely force the legitimisation of a largely under regulated industry ?
HOW ON EARTH can this be enforced (IP Blocking anyone) ?

Feel free to comment, I will make this an open posting !!

Karl

More updates to follow once known!

Visit CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com to find more information on Casino Affiliate Programs.

Following on from the successes of our previous booths at various shows, we will PROBABLY be running the Champagne Bar again too !

It has been so popular, that we have also increased our booth size by almost 200%, and will therefore be able to accommodate even more clients and prospects.

Further details to follow : Watch this blog for more details…..

Also, feel free to pass this along to anyone else you think may be interested !

Looking forward to seeing you there….

The Mediahut Team

52% of Adults who regularly or occasionally take part in gambling have done something in the past 12 months as a result of the Direct Mail they have received.

36% Actually went on to buy something.

Interesting reading, and for the first time, betting/gambling is specifically mentioned.

This also contains a lot of information about WHY people choose to open or ignore mail they receive.

direct-mail-research-aug-2011

Contact us today to see how you can maximise YOUR response rates.

Whilst at EGR Live this week, I was thinking about doing a DM piece for a mobile operator, but the argument remained “I cant measure it accurately”.
Although sending a text to a mobile is easy, it is also easily deleted.  The passive nature of a text communication leads to a relatively low response rates.

So imagine being able to fully personalise a Direct Mail piece (or indeed an email) , sent to a named individual, relating to a specific event (a forthcoming cup final, a specific promotion etc)

By using a simple QR code, like this one :

LInk to personalised website

Operators are able to offer a strong call to action, linking to a fully personalised URL.   This can be campaign specific, affiliate specific or even individual specific.  By simply pointing their smartphone or Iphone at it, they are automatically led to the correct landing page. (Using any one of a number of free apps).

I think this is a KEY medium for all new Mobile operators to not only define their product perception (sending high quality welcome packs for example, rather than an easily dismissed text message).

Not only this, but it is possible to lead a client directly to a specific campaign, or even an individual match !

QR codes have the potential to be a massive driver of traffic to Mobile sites, and not only in DM.  They can be used outdoor like this :

Any passing pedestrian just points his phone at it, and away he goes!

I am still thinking of ways and means of getting this implemented into the Marketnig Mix, but it is something that Mobile Marketeers need to be all over, and quickly !

My question is this ; IS there a positive to this anywhere ?

Well , I think there are a few

For NON US Players : A lot of the US Sharks will simply  be taken out of the equation, that has to make life easier for them, therefore more making play enjoyable.

For the Industry : A levelling of the playing field can only lead to fairer competition.  For so long, the more transparent operators had always been so far behind the US facing guys, (liquidity of players, cash available for marketing, branding, sponsorship of BIG name celebrities etc), this may now tend more towards equilibrium.

For Affiliates : It is probable that with the as yet unknown status of the big 4, the affiliate mindset may change to driving non US traffic to other operators.  So where previously 100 players sent to Stars (say), this may now lead  to 80 US players going nowhere, BUT 20 players to Laddys/Bwin/party/wherever instead. This will further weaken the presence of the Big 4 in Europe (France may be the exception due to Stars licence there)

For non US facing operators: There will also be a large number of non US players WITH the big 4 who twitch due to headlines, rumour, payment issues etc. There will be a massive rush to take these players to other networks.  There will be a ton of players who last week were happily playing on one of the affected networks, who may wake up Monday to find it gone.  They WILL need somewhere else to go.

This and the other obvious factors will lead to an immediate increased marketing spend in Europe as a big “Land grab” takes place.  This is going to be a race to grab as many players as humanly possible in the shortest achievable time.

This inevitably means there will be winners and losers.  The losers will inevitably be the big 4.  The winners will  be the operators who react first, effectively and intelligently. By (for example) reactivating lapsed players who showed strong propensity (ie probably churned elsewhere).  Good timing could be critical.  Imagine being a european player on FT who sees the current kerfuffle and decides to blow.  He receives a timely  offer  from Mansion next week, where do you think he will end up ?

This is before we even consider further income potential.

Its going to be an interesting few weeks……Maybe it’s only a grey friday after all…..

In a down economy, company budget-cutters are usually in a rush to slash direct mail expenses. After all, they reason, if we can bring in the same revenue and spend less, our profits will increase.

That’s not a bad thought but unfortunately, events usually don’t work out that way. More often than not, we can improve the mailing’s profitability by adding to the package rather than by subtracting from it.

Although there are ways to cut costs without hurting the effectiveness of our mailing.

For example, we can trim the size of the package components to make them run more efficiently on the printing press, test smaller formats, use a less costly paper, remove the insert or drop the premium offer.

But we don’t want to act rashly.

Before getting caught in the stampede to cut direct mail costs, it’s important that we remember the mailing’s objective.

And for most of us, the objective is to make money–not save money. Saving money and making money are the same thing and this is a huge distinction.

You can enhance your mailing’s profit even as you increase its cost by:

• Feature an involvement technique. Add a survey, membership card, petition, name stickers, a certificate–anything that gets the reader involved with the package. You can’t, however, just add the involvement device to the package and expect it to work its magic. You must incorporate it into the copy and give it a rationale for being there.
• Use a separate insert to promote the premium. I’m a strong believer in premiums and need a reason not to include one. You don’t need to spend lots of money of the premium–it can be as simple as a decal, white paper, or a paper bookmark. The recipient, however, does to perceive the premium as having value..Some groups, believing that they cheapen the value of the organization, refuse even to test a premium. Yet most customers and donors respond well to them and, when used properly, a premium–despite its added cost–will increase the mailing’s net profit.
• Test a larger format. Mailing a bigger format is virtually certain to add to your production and postage costs. Yet because fewer groups are mailing the larger formats, they are virtually certain to stand out in the mailbox and help deliver greater response. Today, fewer groups are using oversize formats because of the higher costs yet in past tests, when nothing other than the format size was changed; I’ve seen response increase by 100% when using an oversize format.
• Emphasis your guarantee with a separate insert. The mailing’s recipient has plenty of reasons–real or perceived–not to respond to your offer and the guarantee helps remove any uncertainty that might otherwise endanger the sale. And by highlighting your guarantee with a separate insert, you’re calling attention to your promise of a good customer experience.
• Add a lift note. The lift note has many uses and should be signed by someone other than the letter signer and printed on a paper stock different from what’s used for the letter. Use it to customize the offer to particular list segments, present an endorsement, expand upon the offer and to give an added “push” to get the reader to respond.
• Spend money on list segmentation. Even the best mailing lists include names that won’t respond to your offer and every bad list includes names that will. And because selecting the right lists for your offer is the most essential element of a profitable direct mail campaign, investing money to refine your list segmentation techniques is money well spent. List modeling/profiling isn’t cheap but with improved segmentation you can maximize your response and even reduce your total costs by mailing fewer, but better targeted, mailing pieces.

Please understand, I’m not suggesting that you stop trying to cut costs. I am, suggesting, however, that making a profit should be our focus–not cutting costs. And, as professional direct marketers, we must now shift the conversation from how to cut costs to how we can maximize our mailing’s net income.

Hugh Chewning provides direct mail copywriting, strategies and consulting for consumer, nonprofit and business-to-business groups. Located in Irvine, California, Hugh provides proven tips on how to boost your campaign’s profitability in his free blog, Direct Mail Insight. To subscribe, and for information on his free, no-risk package critique, visit http://www.cdmdirect.com.

Once again, we will be having a Champagne Bar for all our clients to come and chat to us over a glass of fine Champagne and discussing their forthcoming Direct Mail requirements.

We are also offering a FREE data audit to all new clients, to allow them to get a snapshot of their data quality.  This will help them to not only identify the quality of the data they hold, but also to see how Mediahut can enhance their data and increase its value.

Come along to stand 5196 and join us for a drink  !

email us if you  would like an invitation !

He will be staying at the official hotel.

Appointments are filling up fast… if you want to meet up to discuss your next campaign and how Media Hut can help, email sales@gamingdm.com NOW to arrange an appointment!