One thing we've noticed over the last year or so here at Secure Direct Mail is a growing trend to promote eGaming platforms in the Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden and Norway. In fact, the combination of high disposable incomes and long hours of darkness seems to attract almost 10 times more players per head of population, than Poland or Germany.
Some of the reasons for the rapid growth of eGaming in Scandinavia are obvious. In addition to the high disposable incomes and long winter nights, these countries tend to have well developed fibre broadband infrastructure and the world's highest penetration rate for smartphones, tablets and high-end PCs (96.7% in Norway). These favourable conditions have led to rapid growth and there are now 180 online casinos in Norway alone, despite a relatively restrictive regulatory framework.
So this is clearly a massive potential market, but why the growth in Direct Marketing? Well there are a number of reasons, but the main factor is the high level of TV advertising in the country, which has reached saturation levels. In fact, the Norwegian Media Authority (NMA) is so concerned that it is currently considering draconian restrictions, or even an all-out ban, on gambling adverts on TV. According to the NMA, European eGaming firms splashed out NOK609m (around €65m) on TV adverts aimed at Norwegian adults in 2015, up from NOK423m in the previous year.
With all this pressure on the most popular promotional channel, DM is an obvious and cost-effective alternative. In Sweden, 80% of consumers receive an average of at least one mailer per week, compared to an average of 62% across Scandinavia. Swedes are also among the most open to DM mailings, with 93% of respondents saying they read them occasionally and 45% regularly (36% for Scandinavia as a whole). Furthermore, 26% of Swedish people said they respond to mailings at least once a quarter, compared to 11% for the rest of the Nordic countries.
So there you have it, a ready-made opportunity to promote your eGaming brand in countries and using DM, the favoured promotional channel. On the flipside, these are highly developed consumer societies with no shortage of choice or competition, so you need to ensure that your campaign is spot on in terms of content, hook and personalisation.
If you are already in the Scandinavian market, or considering it for future expansion, contact the Secure Direct Mail team on 01624 698488 or email securedirectmail@iompost.com for assistance with your next DM campaign.