Eli Desatnik, co-founder of Pushub and VOT Media, spoke with SiGMA News about innovative strategies for generating traffic, discussing the importance of creativity and alternative sources. Eli Desatnik will carry on sharing his insights as a keynote speaker at the SiGMA Eastern Europe 2024 Summit. He will also moderate “” panel at the Affiliate World Budapest event on 6 September. 

Gambling advertising restrictions are increasing worldwide, whether due to government decisions or corporate policies. Many companies that have traditionally served as traffic channels are now opting to shift their focus away from iGaming products or to reduce their visibility. As a result, operators and affiliates might find it challenging to reach their target audience. However, Desatnik, who embraces the philosophy that “when one door closes, another opens,” outlined how companies can discover new audiences or re-engage previous ones through innovative strategies.

Finding alternative traffic sources

According to Desatnik, there are always traffic channels that remain more receptive to advertising gambling products. He suggested considering options such as push notifications, pop-up ads, content sites, affiliates, and media buying agencies. However, he warned that scaling with alternative sources can be challenging, as Facebook or Google’s traffic generation capabilities are hard to match. “It is best to work with media buying agencies and demand-side platforms that can connect you with a variety of traffic types and sources,” Desatnik explained.

Strategic content creativity

Desatnik noted that advertising regulation is rarely a simple matter of being “approved” or “rejected.” Understanding these regulations and their limitations can lead to creative solutions. “Creative texts, images, funnels, user journeys, and other adjustments can help maintain compliance without abandoning an entire advertising channel,” he advised. While this can be challenging and resource-intensive for some operators and affiliates, Desatnik suggested using external expertise if needed. “One of the main advantages of partnering with a media buying or advertising agency is their experience and resources dedicated to solving these issues,” he said.

The Ukrainian market

Regarding the Ukrainian market, Desatnik recommends combining lead generation techniques to capture consumer interest and convert it into sales. He discussed three techniques: purchasing paid media directly without intermediaries, overcoming the reluctance to share valuable data with hired traffic sources, and optimising advertising campaigns rather than abandoning them prematurely if they underperform.

Buying paid media

Desatnik explained that the iGaming industry traditionally preferred affiliate marketing (paying per lead or deposit) over direct paid media purchases (paying per click or impression). However, according to him, there has been a recent shift as brands are now cutting out media buyers and directly purchasing sponsored media. “This can lead to substantial savings,” Desatnik noted, “as private media buyers typically take a 30 percent margin.”

Sharing leads and deposits

“In the iGaming industry, there’s a traditional belief that limiting data shared with traffic sources is beneficial,” Desatnik noted, “If you pay for clicks, don’t share leads and first-time deposit data. If you pay for leads, share leads data but not first-time deposit data.” However, this approach can hurt campaign performance. Sharing data allows for a shift from cost-per-click to cost-per-lead and from cost-per-lead to cost-per-first-deposit. “Withholding data is like giving someone a race car without directions,” Desatnik stated. “Sharing both leads and deposit information allows traffic sources to better optimise campaigns by integrating their internal data with yours, ultimately improving campaign effectiveness.”

Salvaging campaigns

Desatnik explained that abandoning an underperforming advertising campaign can be tempting but advised against it. Instead, it’s better to focus on improving the campaign’s performance. “The goal is to adjust actions to turn losing (red) campaigns into profitable (green) ones, rather than aggressively blacklisting non-performing ones,” he said. Desatnik will explore this topic further during his SiGMA Budapest keynote, “Optimisation – From Red to Green,” on September 4.

WHAT’S NEXT: SiGMA East Europe Summit powered by Soft2Bet, happening in Budapest from 2 – 4 September.