LearnTutorialsAdvanced Tutorials

Fantasy Sports VS. iGaming: Complete Marketing Guide

Fantasy Sports vs iGaming

This post is also available in: PT ES

Fantasy Sports and iGaming are two verticals that offer exciting opportunities, but they’re not the same. 

Knowing the difference can be your ticket to setting up campaigns in a way to engage the very right audience. 

Fantasy Sports is all about strategy and skill, where users create virtual teams based on real players. iGaming, on the other hand, revolves around your knowledge of stats, experience, and entertainment.

Each has its unique audience and marketing approach. Let’s explore how you can tap into these markets and make the most of them. 


iGaming vs Fantasy Sports – Overview

Fantasy sports involve creating virtual teams using real-life athletes, with participants competing based on player statistics. Success is driven by knowledge and strategy. In contrast, iGaming involves placing bets on outcomes of events, such as sports games and other events.

What is iGaming vertical?
  • Skill vs. Luck
    Fantasy sports heavily depend on skill, research, and strategic decisions. While luck influences individual matchups, long-term success is primarily skill-based. iGaming is more luck-driven, and sports games require analytical skills.
  • Financial engagement
    Fantasy sports participants pay entry fees to join leagues, with limited financial risk focused on competition and enjoyment. iGaming involves direct wagering before or within the event.
  • Demographics
    Both activities attract similar demographics, with a majority being young, college-educated males with substantial incomes. Fantasy sports players are 64% male, while iGaming participants are 60% male.

How to run iGaming and Fantasy Sports campaigns

Understanding the differences between Fantasy Sports and iGaming is just the first step. It’s important to use the right advertising methods suited to the audience’s unique behaviors and preferences for effective marketing.

Effective marketing formats for iGaming

Popunder ads are highly effective for iGaming due to their broad reach and user retargeting capabilities. This format allows advertisers to capture user attention without being intrusive, ensuring a wide reach over a long-term campaign.

The goal is to attract users back to an iGaming site or app over time, making Popunder ads an ideal choice for sustained engagement.


Effective Marketing Formats for Fantasy Sports

Push notifications are recommended for Fantasy Sports because they deliver high engagement and prompt immediate conversions.

This format is particularly effective as it targets users already interested in fantasy sports and prompts them to take quick action. 

propellerads-push-guide-banner image

Popunder ads can also be effective when sourced from highly converting traffic types such as social traffic or direct click traffic. Social traffic, a new type offered by PropellerAds, boasts high conversion rates, making it a valuable asset for Fantasy Sports marketing.


Case study: Generating $7,000 in daily revenue by targeting NFL fans 

One of our partners ran a successful iOS campaign for several fantasy sports offers focusing on NFL fans during the NFL 2022-2023 season. The campaign used Popunder ads with CPM and SmartCPM bidding models, targeting active fantasy sports fans through retargeting.

igaming trends Brazil 2024

The straightforward approach involved a prelander directing users to the App Store. The campaign targeted American states where fantasy sports serves its clients. 

As a result, during the NFL season, the campaign generated over 2,000,000 relevant users for the most popular app offer, maintained an active retargeting audience, and achieved stable daily revenue exceeding $7,000 for some offers.

The campaign peaked around the Super Bowl, with impressions reaching over 1.2 million on key dates.

Date
Impressions

2023-02-17

87,819

2023-02-16

232,203

2023-02-15

24,340

2023-02-14

13,978

2023-02-13

13,543

2023-02-12

1,244,433

2023-02-11

1,216,631

2023-02-10

926,650

2023-02-09

668,855

2023-02-08

31,242

2023-02-07

66,488

2023-02-06

122,048

Differences in target audiences for iGaming and Fantasy Sports

The target audiences for iGaming and Fantasy Sports share some similarities but also have distinct differences. 

Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Sports participants are typically sports enthusiasts who enjoy the strategic aspect of managing virtual teams. They are often highly knowledgeable about sports and seek a competitive, skill-based activity.

iGaming SEO: Secret Techniques and Specifics

iGaming

On the other hand, iGaming attracts a broader audience interested in a variety of betting activities, including sports betting. This audience enjoys the thrill of wagering and the potential for quick financial rewards, even if it involves a higher element of luck.


Marketing strategies tailored to each audience

Fantasy Sports

For Fantasy Sports, the marketing strategy should focus on emphasizing the skill and strategy involved. Highlighting the competitive aspect and providing tips on player performance and team management can attract more dedicated sports fans. Using push notifications to keep users engaged and informed about upcoming matches or player stats can also be very effective.

PropellerAds-igaming-marketing-mistakes-banner

iGaming

For iGaming, the strategy should highlight the excitement and potential financial rewards. Popunder ads can be used to reach a broad audience and bring them back to the platform for more betting opportunities. Emphasizing responsible gaming and offering tools to manage spending can also help in retaining users and building trust.


Expert opinion on iGaming and Fantasy Sports marketing strategies

So, what do the experts have to say about these marketing strategies? Maria Kotova, Head of Advertisers Growth at PropellerAds, offers valuable insights into the differences in marketing approaches between traditional iGaming and Fantasy Sports. According to Maria:

“There is a difference between traditional iGaming and Fantasy Sports when it comes to marketing campaigns.

iGaming focuses on wide reach and user retargeting to bring users back to an iGaming website or app over time. In other words, it’s all about maintaining broad reach over the long term, with Popunder ads being a top format for iGaming.

Fantasy Sports, on the other hand, targets a narrower audience and typically requires immediate conversions, often within the same browser session, because there’s a smaller chance that users will return. 

This is why Push notifications are ideal for Fantasy Sports, as they are designed to engage users with high-level interaction. However, Popunder ads can also be effective here, especially when sourced from highly converting traffic such as Social traffic or Direct click.”

Her insights highlight the importance of choosing the right ad format and targeting strategy based on the audience’s needs and behaviors. For iGaming, the focus should be on broad reach and long-term engagement, while Fantasy Sports requires immediate and highly engaging interactions.

propellerads-igaming-payment-methods-brazil

Social traffic for iGaming and Fantasy Sports Marketing

In addition to traditional marketing formats, there’s an exciting new option from PropellerAds that can significantly boost your campaign’s success: Social Traffic. 

Social traffic refers to users who are engaged through social media platforms. This type of traffic is highly targeted because it reaches people based on their interests and activities on social networks.

By tapping into social traffic, you can access a group of users who are already primed for interaction and conversion.


Benefits for iGaming and Fantasy Sports

  • Highly targeted audience
    Social traffic allows you to reach users who are more likely to be interested in iGaming or Fantasy Sports based on their social media activity. This targeting can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.
  • High engagement
    Users coming from social platforms are often more engaged, making them more likely to respond to ads, participate in Fantasy Sports, or revisit iGaming sites.
propellerads-igaming-traffic-banner image
  • Realtime interaction
    Social media allows for real-time interaction, providing immediate feedback and engagement opportunities, which are crucial for Fantasy Sports and require quick conversions.
  • Costeffective
    Compared to other traffic sources, social traffic can be more cost-effective, providing a high return on investment through better-targeted ads and lower competition.

Social traffic, combined with formats like Push notifications and Popunder ads, can create a comprehensive marketing strategy that leverages the strengths of each traffic type. Whether you’re focusing on iGaming or Fantasy Sports, integrating social traffic can help you achieve better results and a higher engagement rate.


Drive more conversions with Fantasy Sports and iGaming

We’ve covered the key differences between Fantasy Sports and iGaming and the best ways to market each. Use social traffic, popunder ads, and push notifications to reach your audience and drive conversions.

PropellerAds has the tools you need to engage users and make your marketing campaigns successful. 

Ready to start seeing better results? 

Launch your campaign today!

Come join us on Telegram for more insights and communications with fellow-affiliates!

Trends

View more posts