In this episode of "CMO Weekly," host Hayley Clover interviews Martin Collins, Chief Business Development Officer at Soft2bet, a leading B2B iGaming platform provider. Soft2bet is known for its innovative approach to gamification and player engagement.
Martin, with over two decades of experience in digital markets, discusses his career trajectory, starting as a recruiter in the construction industry before transitioning into the iGaming sector in 2005. He shares how his experience running his own recruitment business, Red Executive, for ten years, provided him with valuable contacts and lessons in bootstrapping a company. Martin then moved to Soft2bet, where he found the innovative and opportunity-led environment a better fit than his previous role at a publicly listed company.
A significant part of the conversation focuses on Soft2bet's global expansion strategy. Martin highlights their entry into diverse markets like Romania, Greece, Spain, Italy, Nigeria, Ontario, Mexico, and the upcoming launch in New Jersey. He emphasizes the importance of understanding each market's unique characteristics and the need for localized knowledge, citing the partnership with Channels TV in Nigeria as a prime example. Martin explains that the success of their market entries is evident in the rapid revenue growth seen within six months, a stark contrast to the longer learning curves he observed in previous roles. He also touches on the company's analytical approach to numbers, allowing them to quickly iterate and improve their product.
The discussion also delves into Soft2bet's B2B marketing strategy, which focuses on identifying an ideal customer profile (ICP) and using account-based marketing to deliver targeted content to specific cohorts. This strategy aims to stay top-of-mind with potential customers so that when they enter a buying mode, Soft2bet is already in their consideration.
Martin also shares insights into his leadership style, emphasizing the importance of empowering his team, fostering growth, and creating a comfortable yet challenging environment where everyone feels free to share ideas and receive constructive feedback. He admits to having high expectations and a tendency to step in, but he is actively working on delegating more.
Looking to the future, Martin expresses excitement about the continued growth of Soft2bet's footprint in new jurisdictions, with plans for five new markets in both 2024 and 2025. He specifically mentions potential opportunities in Alberta and Ohio for casino operations in the US market. Martin also highlights Soft2bet's commitment to innovation by extracting engagement strategies from other industries like social media, casual gaming, and e-commerce, and embedding them into their casino and sports betting experiences. He sees their competition not just as other operators, but as platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Netflix, as they all compete for consumer engagement.
In a "fast questions" round, Martin shares a memorable "dumb bet" on Miss Universe in 2007 or 2008 in Macau, where he and friends won significantly on a 16-to-1 odds bet for China to win. He names Nelson Mandela as the person he'd most like to have dinner with due to his ability to overcome hatred. His favorite city is Paris. In 30 years, he believes people will be nostalgic for the current UI/UX in sports betting or perhaps PlayStation 5. He states there's no such thing as "bad advice," only how one chooses to act on it. If his vibe were a cocktail, it would be a "corkscrew," and he can play golf. Ten years ago, he would be surprised by how much calmer he has become. Lastly, he firmly states that it is not okay to sleep with socks on. His favorite non-working outfit is "no pants and a football shirt," and he is a Celtic fan.
