Insights & Angles
Writing on brand, marketing, communication and growth. Questioning the expected, chasing the new, creating what changes perception. Vamos!
April
Many gambling operators entering the market fear one thing above all else: that existing operators already have massive databases of Finnish players and years of history with Finnish audiences from the period when the monopoly first began to leak.
That fear is based on a simple assumption. A large database means strong loyalty. It doesn't.
Players are not inherently loyal to the current situation. Loyalty programs are easy to copy. Points, tiers, cashback offers, VIP models — the mechanics move fast. They generate more activity, but less emotional attachment.
A CRM database is not a relationship. It is permission to send messages. CRM, loyalty, omnichannel, and multichannel strategies are, of course, all critically important. They bring logic, structure, and efficiency to operations. In other words, they speak to reason.
But reason alone does not necessarily create a long-lasting emotional state. CRM only retains a player if there is already an emotional reason to stay. If the relationship is built on bonuses, habit, or convenience, it is fragile.
When the Finnish market opens, players will not be loyal to the current setup. They will be curious and actively comparing options. Everything exists in relation to something else. Registering with a new brand is not a threshold for them. One genuinely resonant brand story can change the game — although personally, I believe in playing the long game.
This is where new market entrants are underestimated. They are not weighed down by years of bonus wars. They can choose a fresher perspective, tone of voice, and culture.
Digital marketing keeps the machine running, but brand marketing gives it meaning.
CRM can remind. Loyalty programs can reward. But only a brand can make a player feel: this is made for people like me.
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April
This sounds obvious, yet in Finland it is still treated like an uncomfortable side note. When a new gambling operator enters Finland, its growth depends on redistribution.
The gambling market already exists here. It has for a long time. Finland is a country with a high rate of gambling participation, and players know exactly what they want — and what they do not.
That means growth essentially comes down to one thing: someone loses share so someone else can grow. One of those players is Veikkaus. Not because Veikkaus is small or weak, but because, in the eyes of consumers, the brand has become familiar wallpaper and the offering feels old.
Brands that are largely unknown to the wider public are entering the new market with suitcases full of media money. Many will immediately go all-in. There is a prevailing belief that market share is distributed neatly according to the size of the marketing budget. People assume the loudest voice wins — and worse, that brand awareness automatically turns into market share. That is unlikely to happen in this service category either.
Awareness and preference are not the same thing; they are a sequence of events. If growth is expected to come from competitors, preference becomes the deciding factor. And preference requires groundwork and preparation for the long game.
In practice, this means that if you are competing against rivals, you must differentiate and build your brand better than they do. More clearly, more consistently, more meaningfully. You are unlikely to achieve that if you fall into the trap of believing artificial intelligence will hand you a ready-made brand strategy to admire. By doing that, you waste money and merely replicate mediocre blandness.
Now that sign-up bonuses for customer acquisition are prohibited, one of the easiest and laziest growth tactics has been removed from the playbook entirely. Good. A player only changes provider when the reason becomes emotional.
The company that does its homework better than its competitors, understands the Finnish mindset, knows how to be present without creating noise, and builds relationships instead of mere transactions, is more likely to grow than the one trying to aggressively conquer the market with awareness-building as its primary goal.
Marketing is less about volume and more about qualitative selection and creating meaning. And because many will fail at this, some will succeed precisely for that reason. Your own actions are always relative to what others are doing.
The market may grow temporarily, but in the end, growth does not come from the market itself. It comes from competitors — and only to those bold enough to play a different game from what the industry has grown used to globally.
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March
Gambling companies love to believe the product will sell itself. Or that a generic campaign from London or Stockholm will do the job. Or that the brand can wait until later.
That's self-deception. The new audience won't fall for it. Products and UX hardly differ. What really matters is brand, communication and responsibility.
Most companies only start strategy work in panic, when the market doesn't deliver as expected. But by then the game is already lost at least for a while.
And here's the reality: when bonuses and affiliates are banned at the very beginning of the customer journey, there's no cheap shortcut left.
A strong brand with local twist and insight is what creates inbound demand and what keeps customers loyal when quick wins are gone.
In Finland, brand will be the real competitive advantage. The smart money isn't on bonuses anymore. Where would you place your bet?
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February
Customer loyalty in the gambling industry is notoriously low and gambling companies have themselves to blame.
There's a constant debate over who owns the customer database, and with it, the invisible channels for delivering direct marketing messages under the radar.
Research shows that brand advertising and a strong brand create customer loyalty more effectively than offers. In the gambling world, this typically means bonuses.
When it comes to customer acquisition, affiliates are currently banned under Finnish gambling law.
So why don't gambling companies see brand advertising and brand building as competitive advantages?
Advertising budgets are thrown at all sorts of tactics, without planning, without clear goals. The industry is full of old habits and assumptions about how things are done.
Hiring a celebrity as a brand ambassador doesn't create real loyalty. Everyone knows they're being paid for their public image. And when multiple companies do the same thing, where does it actually lead?
Put simply: the competition is against one another. It's about market share. You can buy awareness with budget, but preference is built through the quality of advertising and brand-building activity.
Standing out isn't that hard. Don't just do advertising — entertain just like your business does. You just need a plan that makes you interesting.
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January
Brand awareness vs. Brand preference. There's a trap hidden in plain sight. Brand awareness is essential in marketing, but it's not the driver that leads to the actual goal.
Let's stay for a moment at the top of the customer journey.
10–15 major and many smaller operators are about to strike the peaceful Finnish iGaming market like lightning from a clear sky. Each one with the same shiny objective: brand awareness and an ambitious market share.
And the go-to strategy? Show up with a bag of money, flood the media and outsource the real challenge. Nice. But that's not how it works. Media doesn't solve the problem. Media and the idea must be one. Preference isn't bought, it's built. And it's built through relevance, resonance and creative quality. In the end, it's not about how much media you buy. It's about what story you're telling.
So yes, if there's enough cash to burn, awareness isn't the hard part. But awareness is not the same as preference. Does the brand attract me? Does it have a story? Does it speak my language? Does it breathe the same air as I do?
Here lies the challenge. Or in some cases, the problem.
Knowing a brand's name and what it offers means very little. Awareness alone doesn't spark interest especially when every brand is being judged in relation to others. And when everyone is shouting or flirting at the same time, in different voices that still sound mostly the same. Hopefully not.
What works elsewhere doesn't necessarily work here in the north.
A good brand stands out, inspires and earns commitment. It takes hits and still survives. It's even forgiven. It gets preferred. It gets chosen.
I can't stress this enough. If I were an iGaming operator entering Finland, I'd do my homework and build my strategy ASAP. And I would do it thoroughly. Because in the end, a well-crafted plan based on real audience insight, cultural understanding and strategic clarity is the most reliable, efficient and sustainable path to success. And without a doubt, the most rewarding.
Challenge the expected. Question everything. Disrupt the obvious. Disrupt with purpose.
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December
At this week's gambling reform market entry webinar, marketing finally got its turn on stage. After the presentations, the experts were asked what concerns they have about Finland opening up its gambling market. "Marketing," came the answer almost in unison.
But the real fear isn't marketing. The fear is bad marketing. Bad advertising in particular.
In Finland, people have grown used to there being just one gambling brand. When the market opens, many fear chaos: loud ads screaming from every direction, irritating messages, cheap innuendo, brands that believe in the power of repetition and exclamation marks. Mass media especially creates concern, because unlike digital channels, you can't hide your messaging beneath algorithms and under the radar.
But let's look at Veikkaus for a moment. They are already everywhere: television, radio, outdoor advertising, online. Yet Finland hasn't become frustrated with it. There are at least two obvious reasons. First, people are accustomed to Veikkaus' storytelling because of its long history. Second, the tone, rhythm, and quality of Veikkaus advertising have been built to feel like part of everyday life, not an attack against it.
The new, stricter regulation makes this even more interesting. Advertising will barely be allowed to talk about money, the feeling of winning, or winning itself. In other words, advertising loses its activating call to action. That forces the entire industry toward where it should have gone anyway: brand, meaning, and experience.
In this environment, marketing is not the threat. It is the only way to avoid chaos. High-quality advertising that understands culture makes the market opening calmer and more predictable. Bad marketing and advertising make it noisy and repulsive. That changes the nature of competitive advantage completely.
Awareness alone does not mean the desired actions will happen. There are no quick wins available. Awareness and preference are not the same thing — they are a desired sequence of events that only works if you are willing to put in the effort.
Finland's licensed gambling market will open only once. It will not be decided by who shouts the loudest, but by whose voice people actually want to hear more of. And most likely, whose side they want to belong to.
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November
Ronnie James Dio's classic song is a playful reminder: appearances can be deceiving. A smile may look genuine, but it doesn't mean you can trust what's behind it.
That's exactly the challenge when Finland opens its gambling market. Decisions are being made far away from the everyday life of Finnish players. Massive media budgets will follow. But money poured into advertising alone does not win hearts.
Advertising doesn't make people start gambling. It only influences where they choose to play.
And that choice will be won by relevance, trust and the ability to understand what truly matters to Finns. Because storytelling that resonates is always built on insight and sprinkled with just enough magic to inspire people.
The question is when the market opens: who will keep talking like a stranger, and who will actually be heard?
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October
True or false? What if the real game isn't about more players, but about shifting market share?
iGaming advertising is under the spotlight right now. As international operators enter the Finnish market, gaming activity may briefly surge before it stabilizes. Public debate often frames advertising as the source of future problems. Concerns about gambling harm are valid, but is the conversation missing the point?
For many new entrants, the goal isn't to create more players. A large share of Finnish players already see Veikkaus ads everywhere. They play Veikkaus games, and they also use international platforms. If these players can be drawn back to regulated environments, it's not about sparking a new wave of gambling. It's about winning the ones who are already playing.
New operators are not chasing untapped customer segments. They are fighting to convert existing players from one platform to another.
Unlike Veikkaus, which enjoys near-total brand recognition, most new operators aren't known in Finland. A few might ring a bell but that's not the same as preference. There's no emotional connection. No trust. No story. And all of that needs to be built from zero.
Finland is a small market and players are not known for loyalty. Many are used to switching between platforms in search of better offers. When everyone is chasing the same finite group of players, the competition becomes fierce. And competition is always good.
It's tempting to think that the right amount of money will buy you awareness, preference, and share. But market share doesn't fall into your lap just because your ads are everywhere. Real winners know that sustainable share is built. Thoughtfully. Strategically. Creatively.
Finland's strict regulation is a strategic advantage. Many see this as a threat. But it can also be an opportunity. A reason to do things better. With traditional sales-driven and bonus-heavy advertising restricted, focus shifts toward long-term brand building.
Brand marketing is more than allowed. It is smarter, more sustainable and more effective than shouting louder than the next guy. This is no longer about who makes the most noise. It's about who earns trust. Who tells a story that sticks. Brand is a gut feeling.
In a tightly regulated and competitive market, brand isn't a luxury. It's the core of your strategy. Those who build their foundation now will be in control when the real game begins. The game is already on.
Challenge the expected. Question everything. Disrupt the obvious. Disrupt with purpose.
Got thoughts? Get in touch →
August
In 2027, Finland's gambling market will undergo a transformation. International operators will take over the field, promising a boost to the marketing industry. Or will they? I have studied the new legislation, attended industry seminars and followed the discussions. There's a lot of talk about where and how gambling can be advertised, but little about how it should be done, well. Marketing professionals haven't been part of the conversation. Yet one thing is certain: quality beats quantity.
Let me cut to the chase and provoke a little. When 15 major gambling operators enter Finland simultaneously and flood the media with consumer-insulting advertising, what happens? Finns get pissed off. And when Finns get pissed off, politicians—at least out of sympathy—get pissed off too. And just like that, the playing field for gambling advertising shrinks, entirely self-inflicted. This is exactly what happened in Sweden.
Gambling operators are now probing the market and booking media space, asking: how much money does it take to reach a certain market share? But where will that market share come from if they don't even know what brands they're competing against? What kind of muscles other brands have. Everything is relative. Everything is compared to something. Without a strategy, competition is just a game of chance.
Strict regulations are an opportunity. Brand advertising will be allowed. It can work without shouting, and when done right, people might even like it. Let me repeat: people might actually like it. Good advertising creates inbound interest. Good advertising always has its haters and it should. The most important thing is that the right people love it and talk about it.
I fear the industry will create its own problems and dig its own grave. But the smartest players will do things differently. Clever and audience-respecting marketing can be entertaining and it can prevent further regulation. In a market where products are essentially identical, branding becomes the competitive advantage. And who will turn responsibility into a competitive edge? What can a brand do for Finns? A strong brand can take a hit and still stand tall. Let's continue the conversation.
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