Mecca online bingo not fighting back with TV Ad Campaign
8th July, 2009
eGaming Review reported this morning that Mecca Bingo’s online boss will not be drawn into a TV advertising battle with the likes of Foxy and Gala offering free bingo in a bid to convert customers from the bingo halls onto their laptops.
Mecca instead will be focusing on SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay per click).
Angus Nisbet the director of gaming for Rank Interactive Development (the parent of the Mecca brand) commented that the huge burst of TV advertising in May last year was a shock to them however they’re all very similar focusing on sign-up bonuses.
He further commented that on a good night Mecca bingo halls can have up to 100,000 players inside in comparison to up to 20,000 players online. This therefore means that converting existing bingo hall players to online would be more profitable than any TV ad campaign, which may attract more fickle customers.
The director of gaming discussed whether free bingo is a sustainable strategy for online gambling concerns. “Foxy and Cashcade have grabbed a lot of traffic using that model, but that is not a long-term strategy. We’ve operated free bingo in the clubs, and although it fills the club, it annoys existing customers. These aren’t people that come back.”
By Faye
