ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
Influencer marketing in gambling and gaming WITH A HIGHER ROI THAN OTHER PROMOTIONAL TOOLS, INFLUENCER MARKETING IS GAINING GROUND BUT ITS USE SHOULD COME WITH A WARNING LABEL EXPLAINS LUÍS PORTELA DE CARVALHO
Introduction Influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful promotional tool across various industries in recent years. For the past six years, the influencer marketing industry’s average annual global growth rate was 46.9 percent 1 and a considerable part of this relates to the gaming and gambling industries. These sectors have capitalized on this trend, employing influencers to promote their products and engage with their target audience. However, the intersection of influencer marketing, gaming, and gambling raises several legal and ethical concerns. This article explores its underlying implications, analyzing the current legal framework, potential risks, and ethical considerations associated with this practice. The rise of influencer marketing The atomization of media has brought both marketing challenges and opportunities. Depending on the product
and the audience being targeted, a homogenous approach to advertising no longer works. Reusing content between channels also has limited effectiveness. Having said that, the power of the internet to spawn new relationships and specialist communities can bring powerful new ways for companies to promote their products. Influencer marketing has emerged as a way for those streaming content to monetize their channels and has revolutionized the ways in which companies promote their products and engage with consumers. The gaming and gambling are among the industries to have recognized the power of influencers to reach their target audience, fostering brand loyalty, and driving revenue. In this context, it is important to make a distinction between influencers and celebrities. The faces of the big luxury brands may be rewarded through their social media activities but this is different from those who have achieved influence through their social media content and channels. They are followed for the value and authority of their content rather than for who they are. Streamers are “humans like us” fostering a sense of
1 BuzzGuru ‘The ultimate influencer marketing report’ available at https://buzzguru.com/ultimate-influencer-marketing-report
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IMGL MAGAZINE | JULY 2023
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