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Look at any iGaming conference. What's everyone talking about? CPAs, conversion rates, affiliate deals - the endless pursuit of performance marketing metrics. Our industry has become obsessed with fighting over the same pool of players, treating marketing like a zero-sum game where one operator's win is another's loss.

But the most successful companies in our space - the ones achieving exponential rather than incremental growth - aren't just competing for existing customers. They're creating entirely new categories of players.

It's time we talked about why brand building isn't just a nice-to-have, but the key to sustainable growth in iGaming.

The Performance Marketing Trap

Our industry's obsession with performance marketing is understandable. It's measurable, scalable, and predictable. 

But this approach has created a dangerous cycle. As more operators enter each market, we see the same pattern emerge. Everyone targets the same keywords, works with the same affiliates, and chases the same high-value players. The result? Ever-increasing CPAs, increased competition to work with the best affiliates, and diminishing returns.

Just look at what's happening in mature markets like the UK. The cost of acquisition has skyrocketed as operators fight over a finite pool of players. 

The problem isn't just financial - it's strategic. When you're focused solely on performance marketing, you're not growing the market; you're just redistributing existing players. You might win a customer today, but you're probably just borrowing them from a competitor. And tomorrow, you'll need to spend again to keep them or replace them.

This isn't a path to sustainable growth. It's a treadmill that gets more expensive the longer you run on it.

The Brand Marketing Alternative

Stake .com offers perhaps the clearest example of how brand marketing can create new categories of players. Instead of just competing for existing bettors, they've built cultural relevance that attracts people who weren't previously interested in gambling.

Their partnership with Drake isn't just another celebrity endorsement. By streaming real gambling sessions and creating authentic content, they've tapped into entirely new audiences. The same goes for their UFC sponsorship - they didn't just place their logo in the octagon, they became an integral part of fight night culture.

But what's most interesting is their approach to streaming platforms. When Twitch banned gambling streams, most operators simply accepted the loss of this channel. Stake, however, saw an opportunity to create something new. Their involvement with Kick has helped create an entirely new entertainment category where gambling content lives alongside gaming and lifestyle streams.

We've seen similar success from Betano in Brazil. Rather than just competing for existing Brazilian bettors, they've invested heavily in building cultural relevance through football. They understood that by becoming part of football culture - not just another betting sponsor - they could attract casual fans who'd never considered betting before.

These companies succeed because they focus on building cultural capital, not just buying attention. They create communities, not just customer bases. They invest in channels and content that might not drive immediate FTDs but build lasting brand equity.

The result? They're not just taking market share - they're creating new markets. When you look at their user acquisition data through Blask, you can see they're growing the entire category within the markets they operate. That's not redistribution of existing players, that's genuine category growth.

The Mathematics of Category Creation

Performance marketing operates on a fundamental constraint: share of wallet. No matter how effective your campaigns are, you're dividing a fixed sum. When one operator grows, another must shrink. Even dominating this game only optimises your share of an existing pie.

Brand marketing, however, follows a different mathematical principle - category expansion. When you build genuine cultural relevance, you attract people who weren't in your total addressable market. They're not choosing you over competitors; they're entering the category because of you.

We can see this principle at work in India's market data. Through Blask's analysis, we've observed how Stake's entry didn't just redistribute players - it fundamentally expanded the market. Their micro-influencer strategy didn't just convert existing bettors; it created new ones by making betting culturally relevant to audiences who previously showed no interest in gambling.

This creates a powerful compounding effect. These brand-acquired players don't just have higher lifetime values - they become advocates who bring in others, creating a network effect that performance marketing simply can't replicate. They're not just customers; they're category creators themselves.

Building Your Category Creation Engine

So how do you start shifting from pure performance to category creation? Here are three practical steps:

#1: Identify your cultural wedge.

Look for authentic connections between betting and broader cultural interests. This isn't about splashing your logo everywhere - it's about finding genuine ways to add value to communities you want to reach.

#2: Invest in channels that build long-term brand equity.

This could mean creating content that educates and entertains, not just promotes. Remember Stake's streaming strategy - they created entertainment first, betting platform second.

#3: Measure differently.

Traditional performance metrics won't capture the full impact of brand building. Look at metrics like brand awareness, market growth, and first-time depositor origins. Tools like Blask can help track these broader market impacts.

This isn't about abandoning performance marketing - it's about building a foundation for sustainable growth beyond the next CPA deal.

The Long View

The future of iGaming won't belong to those who simply optimise their performance campaigns better than everyone else. It will belong to those who dare to build genuine brands, create new categories, and grow the entire market.

The question is: will you be fighting for slices, or baking bigger pies?

15-Minute Mastery Community Launch

We’ll begin sending invites for the 15M Community tomorrow, so get your referrals in to receive your invite.

In the community, you’ll get access to calls with me where you can ask me anything about iGaming.