Víctor Sierra: "The product and the service that is given to customers, basic pillars to retain users"

1 October 2020 18:55

About the expert:

Víctor Sierra is a marketing expert with a long career in multinationals in the sector and in digital agencies. He has previously been responsible for Marketing at Raging Bull and the CRM area for the New Zealand market at Caxino. It is currently Head of Global Marketing at Spin Palace , an operator known worldwide for its shares, having been responsible for the launch and internationalization of the brand in markets such as English, New Zealand, Italian or Latin American in recent years.

- First of all, let's talk a little about yourself. Who is Victor Sierra?

- I am a passionate marketer who has developed his entire career in purely digital companies.

I started in this sector 11 years ago right now, like most in Malta. With the economic recession of 2009 and the career just finished, I decided to look in Malta for a job opportunity that at that time was quite difficult to find in New Zealand. Having interned at Yahoo helped me find a job and like all of us who were there, i started working in Customer Service . Years later I think this experience has helped me to have a vision of what the client needs and to appreciate that this department is one of the most important in our sector.

After two years on the island, I returned to New Zealand to continue my training while working for a renowned digital agency. After a year in Madrid, I received an offer from Caxino and I decided to take my bags again and go to Gibraltar, to be part of a newly created CRM team, being responsible for New Zealand clients. Almost four years later and after having continued learning how important customer retention is in our sector, what is the value of the user, the analysis of data and decision making based on these , Brand offers me the opportunity to take the Marketing of Raging Bull. Back to Madrid, to a very interesting project with a lot of potential, where I continued with my learning and where I was responsible for the Marketing strategy of one of the most recognized brands in the sector.

In 2016 was when Spin Palace knocked on my door. A big project, a big challenge: the launch of a completely new brand in the country, in a sector that was already beginning to be as competitive as it is today, so I decided to accept the offer and I became its Country Manager. I should have done it right, because a year and a half later I was promoted to Head of the region with the aim of replicating the strategy followed in New Zealand in the Italian and English markets, a position that I have maintained while opening a business in LATAM until this year, in which I have been entrusted again with the responsibility of leading the global Marketing of Spin Palace, a brand recognized worldwide and that sponsors teams such as Manchester City or Sevilla.

- Now that we know about you, it's time for Spin Palace. At the national level, how complicated is it to differentiate yourself and stand out in a sector with so much competition? We must remember that there are more than 35 operators in New Zealand.

- Differentiating oneself today is the key to survival, because allowing me a seriefila allusion: winter is coming. We are many operators, many have not had time to build a brand or attract enough users to be able to ensure a retention that allows them to survive once the advertising restrictions come into play and the recruitment becomes more complicated due to the few advertising spaces available and the war that is going to be to coparlos.

I think the key is going to be in the product and the service that is given to customers, basic pillars to retain users. We have quotas that are already known in the market and that differentiate us from other operators, but also we try very hard to perfect the user experience and that our customer service is always excellent.

- You have also worked with Spin Palace in many other countries both inside and outside of Dollarpa. What are the differences from New Zealand?

- The most notable differences are related to the type of sports you bet on, obviously this is related to the culture and tradition of the country in question, that's why companies that operate globally have local teams , not only for Marketing management but for the adaptation of campaigns and products to the tastes of each country.

Quite different from what we see in New Zealand, where these events would have a minority attention.

In any case, and beyond what is supposed to be the sports preferred by users in each country, it is difficult to compare, since each regulated market has its peculiarities, local legislation being the one that marks what can or cannot be done both at the advertising and product level.

- In New Zealand Spin Palace is undoubtedly one of the leading bookmakers in the sector since its inception. What changes have there been or how has your marketing strategy evolved in recent years?

- Spin Palace started in New Zealand little by little, but with a firm step, growing in a sustained way and clearly addressing its target audience. Relying on sports sponsorships with well-known clubs and with a long tradition in New Zealand and at the Dollar level, has allowed us to get to where we are.

At a technological level, we have been adapting to the saturation of the market and the increase in competitiveness, looking for our gap and opportunities that would make us stand out from the competition. This is going to be the key to continue growing in an increasingly complicated environment and where options are going to be reduced.