Martin Calvert: “Ethics can go hand-in-hand with the best marketing campaigns”

Martin Calvert has become the newest judge member for the upcoming Casino Guru Awards. Calvert, who is the Marketing Director at ICS-digital, will use his ample knowledge of the industry to help distinguish the best and most deserving companies in the upcoming second edition of the event. Calvert speaks about the complexity of ethical advertising in the gambling industry, the need for a continuous dialogue and the fact that ethics can underpin the most successful marketing campaigns from start to finish.

Q:Martin, it’s good to have the opportunity to speak with you. Can you start by telling us a few words about yourself, your part of the iGaming industry, and what brings you here today?

I’ve been involved in the industry since about 2016 working agency-side with all sorts of operators, affiliates, game providers, platforms and more – mostly on projects related to SEO, content, PR and international localization. It’s been great to support their growth along with my colleagues, but I’ve also tried to contribute by speaking and writing widely for industry publications and events.

Q: Marketing has been changing rapidly in iGaming and the gambling industry in general. As someone who has explored the industry specifically from this angle, do you believe that stakeholders are adopting the principles of responsible and ethical marketing?

I think this can honestly vary quite a lot between and even within companies. In any industry, you’ll have some individuals who want to take shortcuts – in iGaming that can be particularly harmful as it’s such a closely-watched sector – by regulators, politicians, social media companies, search engines and so on.

I do think the disruption caused by fines and the consequent loss of customer trust is highly inconvenient for betting brands, even those with the funds to pay. More than ever, I think brands are getting the message around responsible and ethical marketing, but it’s also something that requires continuous dialogue and education.

Q: Why did you agree to be a part of the Casino Guru Awards second edition and what are your general impressions of the decision to include the category for The Most Ethical Approach to Marketing?

I really appreciate the approach taken by the Casino Guru team and I think this category in particular is a great step. Ethics can go hand-in-hand with the most impressive and creative marketing – rather than anything shadowy or hidden, bold campaigns that put the customer first are among the most interesting for sure.

In particular, we’ve seen first-hand at ICS-digital how PR-driven campaigns that hit the headlines in creative ways can entertain audiences, while being thoroughly ethical and without any regulatory worries. It’s one less thing to be concerned about – if you keep things ethical, you can focus on the fun side of marketing which is about creating an impact.

Q: How important are such awards and distinctions in the gaming industry and do they have a true impact on a company? What can be improved, do you think, to leverage an award for Most Ethical Approach to Marketing even more impactful in the long term?

It’s always good to see awards as recognition of progress, not an end goal in themselves. It’s good to treat awards as being reassurance that you’re on the right track and if you can build that consistency by being awarded more than once, this can help build a narrative around who you are as a company.

It can also be a good point of reference for internal training – use the award as something that signposts to new (and old) staff what type of company you are, and the values and types of success that are most important to you.

Q: What is your biggest expectation from Casino Guru Awards’ participants in 2023 and what advice do you have for companies bidding for one of the eight categories this year?

I expect that there will be a wide variety of campaigns which will be inspiring to others across the industry. My main piece of advice would be to make sure your award entries are written clearly, and let the data speak for itself. Also, consider how taking part can be a learning opportunity in itself.

This is something we’ve done at ICS-digital and ICS-translate when gathering our credentials and case studies for awards and accreditations – it can be satisfying to consolidate success and reconfirm what you can be proud of, win or lose.

So – use the whole awards experience as a chance to identify your successes, hard work and whether you win or not, and use that insight to inspire your team.

Image credit: Casino Guru