–Social security considerations are part of our mandate

Annika Ferm took up her position as Communication Manager at Svenska Spel during 2011 and was also appointed Chairman of the Ethical Council of the Gaming Industry (SPER). She emphasizes the fact that Svenska Spel’s mandate includes responsibility and that stakeholders expect this.

What does responsible marketing imply for Svenska Spel?
“Our mandate is based on social security considerations, namely, that we take a responsible approach in our relations with customers and other stakeholders. An overall principle is that our marketing must not be perceived too assertive. And, needless to say, we don’t focus on young people. Moderation is a key component in our advertising, since we wish to encourage customers to play in a healthy way so that they experience the thrill of gaming while avoiding that gaming becomes a problem.”

Can you mention some concrete examples of how you assume responsibility?
“We don’t do any direct advertising to customer card holders who may be in a risk zone for problem gaming to judge from their gaming behaviour. Also, the chance of winning must not be exaggerated. We are also much more restrictive in our marketing of games with a higher risk of causing problems.”

How do you ensure that guidelines are observed by everybody?
“We have strict policies and guidelines in this area. All employees concerned are trained and must observe the guidelines – i.e. our own and those of SPER. If there is any doubt, employees are compelled to seek advice from our CSR unit. In order to ensure that we will achieve our goals we will also train the advertising agencies we cooperate with.”

Media spend

During 2011, the gaming industry increased its advertising spend by about SEK 149 million to some SEK 1,330 million.

Compared with 2010, Svenska Spel’s gross advertising spend rose by about SEK 19 million to a total of about SEK 299 million.

Since 2004, Svenska Spel’s share of the total media spend (share of voice) in the known gaming market has decreased from 46% to 22%.

Source: Svenska Spel’s Market analysis unit, based on SIFO Market Reseach advertising ratings.