What has the experience been like since joining PlayStar in 2022?
It’s been pretty phenomenal, to be honest. I joined prior to the company’s launch so I was able to help build out plans for debuting the product, alongside building up the team. We were also lucky to already have a really good core team in place back when I first started. I suppose the strategy for PlayStar has always been to try and differentiate ourselves, because we see ourselves as more of a challenger brand. Without the kind of budget a tier-one operator operates with, we had to come up with something different to obtain our market share.
We initially focused on three things; the first was getting the brand to stand out by having this concierge-type character where it resembles a real casino. We wanted to ensure everything is personalized to the customer. Overall, that was the vision on day one on the branding side; the look and feel of the product. Second was player acquisition. We knew we didn’t have these large-brand budgets, linear TV and celebrity ambassadors, so we went with a different approach that was much more performance-focused. One strategy regarding this was to target players at the point when they’re turning away from other brands.
Finally, retention. What we look to do is say ‘okay, let’s keep hold of every single player of value’ so we aren’t left with just VIPs and non-VIPs. On PlayStar, we offer a tiered loyalty points system that any player can use to build their rewards level. Those loyalty points essentially define what promotions and rewards will be offered to players based on their level. We’ve stuck through to our principles, and we haven’t waived from that. This then opens the door to something like our Devils partnership, because it’s such a different brand activation to what PlayStar consumers are typically used to. It’s not just a straight sponsorship; this is something we’re activating to drive traffic, retain players and to achieve cost-effective brand awareness.
Was New Jersey seen as a natural step for PlayStar with such an emerging market throughout the state?
Exactly. As you said, it was a natural step for us because New Jersey is such a mature market. It’s the most mature online casino market in the US and we wanted to be targeting real existing online casino players. Our focus wasn’t so much on a catch-all approach as much as identifying a market where we could find mature and experienced players in online gambling. We recognized the value of New Jersey and found a way to differentiate ourselves. From a Devils' point of view, it’s a true New Jersey team, unlike some teams such as the Jets and Giants that play in New Jersey but are under a New York name. For us, we’ve been able to build a real home base with New Jersey locals that will be going to the games every single week.
On top of that, we are sponsoring an in-game promotion called the Golden Goal where, if the Devils score in the 10th minute of the first period, someone who entered into this promotion will win $10,000. With that being gamified, it creates a large exposure opportunity for the PlayStar brand. We also got use of the Devils branding along with the Prudential Center, so this partnership is a lot more than simply putting our brand out there.
Is the Golden Goal sweepstakes where you would come in as the CMO? Finding ways to market the partnership and PlayStar’s brand once the deal was completed?
Absolutely, obviously the actual fundamentals of the promotion would be the Devils IP and branding. PlayStar sponsors that and it’s been such a great collaboration, I can’t speak highly enough of the Devils team over there because they really adhere to the same mindset we do. They want to help and they want to understand what’s working, what’s not working. I suppose myself and my team’s job is then to take this great asset and this great property like the Devils and find a way to activate it. As a challenger brand, having such a great property associated with PlayStar just drives trust straight away. Once the partnership was created, from promotions to CRM and through to reactivation, I think it really started to show a difference on both the acquisition and the retention sides of the business.
Is acquisition and retention the focus for PlayStar currently? Or is there more attention being placed on perfecting the product for those already using the online casino?
From a brand and marketing perspective, we’re always looking at ways to optimize. It’s an ever-changing landscape in terms of channels that are coming out with new technologies. We will always be at the forefront of that and look to target the right players at the right time with the right message.
Ultimately, that’s what we’re there to do from the marketing side, and then from the product side, there are things in the pipeline. We migrated to a new CRM platform in October, we will be Fast Track’s first US operator, and our brand will be integrated with those that are already part of the Fast Track system. Also, in terms of the functionality, it’s built very much around the industry in terms of bonuses and rewards so that will be phenomenal for us as well. It’s going to be a huge benefit to us from a targeting perspective and they’ve got some really great models for us to use.
We also have new features for our actual products that will be coming out soon. More gamification and more personalization for our players, which is really key for us. We want no two players to have the same kind of experience at PlayStar. We want everything to be dynamic based on what they’ve played, their preferences and their level of spend. We’re looking to provide a unique experience from one player to the next.
What does an event such as G2E provide for PlayStar and what were some of your takeaways from the convention?
It was phenomenal as always. Very busy on our end, a few of us even traveled over the Atlantic as well so the jet lag during meetings is always fun. We got the chance to meet all of our key partners, from affiliates all the way through to the game providers. Everyone is so used to meeting over a computer screen now that it’s nice to meet in-person and all be in the same room.
Opportunity wise, we’ve had some great conversations on how we optimize our affiliate marketing. On top of that, some opportunities with our providers, either the existing ones or the ones that will be coming through soon, to help push the products out there and the great brands that they have. They’ve helped show support for how we can improve the product and find new ways of optimizing. It’s a terrific opportunity to build a presence at G2E for both PlayStar and our partners.
As PlayStar continues to expand its brand by forming partnerships such as the Devils, should more collaborations be expected from the company? Or were the Devils more of a right-time, right-place scenario?
If the right opportunity came along, potentially. What was so great about the Devils is that we’ve been speaking to them for two-and-a-half years. It’s been a long time in the making, and it ticked a lot of boxes on our end. But, absolutely, if another opportunity came along that we felt strategically aligned with what we’re trying to do and there’s a huge benefit from a brand awareness and attention point of view, then we’d absolutely do it. There’s not been many deals I’ve seen or opportunities out there like the one we have with the Devils, so that’s why we’re super excited to finally be working with the organization.
