SBC Media‘s Commercial Director, John Cook, writes for SBC News as he dispels the myth that ‘products’ are what set you apart from the crowd. Instead, he explores why ‘expertise’ has become the core differentiator between market leaders and the wider industry.
In the iGaming industry, we’re constantly talking about the ‘next big thing’ when it comes to products. From the growth of artificial intelligence to the shift towards prediction markets, we’re in an industry that is constantly striving to bring in something new.
But more often than not, the ‘next big thing’ is rarely a new thing at all – it is something that we’ve seen ten times over. Whether you’re a legacy tier-one provider or a boutique games studio, the default industry impulse is always the same: lead with the product.
We have a tendency to shout about new mechanics, an upgraded user interface or even our proprietary data feeds. But then we’re often left wondering why the sales cycle feels like pushing water uphill.
The reality? Content isn’t being engaged with. Operators are tired of the noise of monotonous press releases and news announcements that offer little to no differentiation.
If suppliers are looking to disrupt the status quo in a market that is becoming increasingly cynical of ‘revolutionary’ product releases, then you have to stop focusing on being a transactional vendor, and instead start acting as a problem solver. It’s time to stop selling products and instead start selling the one thing that can’t be easily replicated by your competitors: expertise.
Escaping the sea of sameness
Publishing near-identical product releases is not a new phenomenon, it’s been a cycle that we’ve seen for several years now – both in iGaming and in other B2B industries. But just because it’s been happening for a long time doesn’t mean it’s right.
But when the only differentiator to products is a slight tweak in design or a minor adjustment to volatility, it’s difficult for operators to really understand what the benefit to their end user actually is.
To break that cycle, marketeers really need to shift the focus. If your product isn’t a genuinely ‘groundbreaking’, ‘never seen before’ innovation that fundamentally changes how sportsbooks and casinos interact with players – and let’s be honest, in a mature market, very few are – then your marketing messaging shouldn’t be pretending it is.
Instead, the goal should be to personify the brand through the individuals that are shaping how your company operates. Don’t just show off a new game or a new widget; instead, show the reasons why this game was created and how it might help your partners resolve problems with player acquisition and retention, for example.
The dangerous comfort of the status quo
Now, the status quo is what it is for a reason – people feel comfortable doing the same thing, because it’s worked in the past. However, there’s a pervasive, quiet danger in sticking to previous patterns of work.
In many organisations, there’s an unspoken rule that nobody gets fired for sticking with a ‘safe’ decision, even if the results are mediocre. If a product is seen to be ‘working’, the inertia of the business often keeps it in place.
But the question we really need to be asking ourselves is: does the status quo actually meet the goals that you have today? I can answer that question for you – it likely does not. From my experience, when you lead with features then you are talking to the procurement department; but when you lead with expertise, you are talking to the c-suite.
Leading with expertise and creating value for your partners can often mean asking some tricky questions that might challenge your partner’s current trajectory. But if you can position your company as the expert that has actually been listening to their struggles – and not just listening, but fully understanding – then you’re one step closer to success. Ultimately, if you’re not disrupting the status quo, then you’re just adding to the noise.
Nobody is too big to fail
Prior to joining the iGaming space, I worked in the financial services industry for 20 years. And one such fallacy that proved to be particularly prominent was the idea that a company could be ‘too big to fail’.
In iGaming, we’re starting to see a similar trend. Some companies believe that their mere presence at a conference is enough to simply maintain market share. They’ve gone through the rigmarole of building a brand, making sure people are familiar with their logo, purchasing large expo space – and they’re fully invested in the fact that the momentum they have built in the past will be enough to carry them through 2026 and beyond.
The issue that these brands have, however, is that they stop marketing. They stop proving their worth as a trusted partner, and instead become yet another transaction on the balance sheet.
So what does this mean? Well, we’ve seen new opportunities emerge for smaller firms that are promising to offer new solutions that can help partners cut through the noise. Their marketing campaigns are successfully disrupting the status quo – and without the legacy baggage, combined with a fresh focus on actually bringing something new to the table – then these smaller firms are building credibility faster than the giants we’ve seen before.
One of the ways they’re achieving this is through transparent reporting and hard data. If you can evidence why your solution works, and how you can help operators overcome their specific challenges, then the sales process will transition from an awkward pitch to a strategic partnership. In the modern world, credibility isn’t a given; it’s evidenced.
Personifying the brand through leadership
At the end of the day, it’s people that sell your business. We engage with personalities that we know and trust, and often that can carry more gravitas than a product spec alone. But in an industry where people are constantly moving from one organisation to another, consistency has become a rare and valuable currency
We’ve all seen it: a talented executive moves, and six months later, their former company loses its voice, and their brand strategy becomes somewhat diluted.
The smartest brands are those that anchor their identity in the collective experience of their leadership. Marketers should be looking to use the profiles of their decision-makers to personify the brand and showcase their own expertise.
The best way to do this is to leverage the wins and losses of the executive team, and showcase just how you built the business – and how you plan to take it forward. This engenders a much safer decision-making process for the operator.
Think of it as a way of de-risking a deal. When looking for a new supplier to work with, an operator isn’t just looking for a new data feed or a slot title – they are looking for reliability of people who have navigated new market entries, understood regulatory shifts and overcome technical challenges.
By highlighting the KPIs and the history of the individuals, you create a unique identity that cannot be copied by a competitor’s software update.
The power of evidenced success
What you say is important, but how you say it is everything. In the iGaming space, we are working in a time where everyone is willing to shout to the rooftops about a new product launch without offering valid, data-backed statements that show how they’re solving the problems that operators are facing.
To stand out, you must not just tell people about what you are doing, but show them why you are doing it.
Talk about your data, and align the facts of the market with the narrative that you are trying to show within your brand messaging. Is there a piece of research that can reinforce your position? Use it.
When you can evidence why your product is going to work, and more importantly why an operator needs to work with you, then the sales process is going to become evermore natural.
And once you’re able to pivot away from listing features and specific product details, and instead lead with expertise, you’ll begin to notice that two fundamental shifts will occur in your client relationships.
The first is trust. Taking a problem-first approach and offering a solution that is backed by facts, figures and granular detail means that you can build a foundation for your partners that isn’t easily shaken. When a competitor comes in with a lower price point, the trust you’ve built through expertise acts as a defence mechanism. The client knows that you understand the “why,” not just the “how.”
The second is brand loyalty. We’re well past the point of this being tied to a single game or contract; it’s now more about quality of service, depth of understanding and expertise that your team brings to the table.
When you prove you understand an operator’s pain points better than they do, your value to their business increases tenfold.
Consistency over budget
This isn’t an approach that is limited to the big spenders in our industry. You don’t need a huge stand at an expo or mass-advertising to achieve this. But one thing that you do need is consistency.
By consistency, I mean creating and maintaining value across multiple different touch points – social media, editorial content, webinars, face-to-face networking – that enables operators to see your presence as a constant. This was something that was highlighted in our SBC Media Marketing Buyers Report.
Use your marketing messaging as a way of showcasing your experience and identifying new trends before they become mainstream, position your brand as a thought leader by consistently delivering value-based content that helps your audience grow their own presence, and grow your own brand visibility by creating a campaign that people can’t help but think of when they need a solution to a particular problem.
In 2026, it’s all about the identity that you curate. You want your brand to be synonymous with solving the industry’s biggest problems – and to do that, you need to offer something new, valuable and – above all – expert-led.
For further information or advice please contact john.cook@sbcgaming.com
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