As Finland moves toward dismantling its gambling monopoly, ambitious casino operators and brands face a once-in-a-generation opening. The shift from Veikkaus’ exclusive control toward a licensing model slated for early 2026 or latest by 2027 is already gathering momentum.
In that transitional window, brand mention campaigns emerge as a powerful, proactive strategy: to get your name into the conversation before the market explodes. You gain recognition, legitimacy, and influence—just as the field becomes fiercely competitive. Below, we lay out what brand mention means, why timing matters, and how you can structure a campaign that positions your casino brand ahead of the pack.
What is a brand mention — and why it matters
A brand mention is any reference to your brand name, product, or service in digital content: blog posts, news, social media, forums, podcasts, you name it. It may come with a hyperlink or simply as text.
There are different flavors:
- Direct mentions: Your brand name is spelled out (e.g. “BrandX casino”)
- Indirect mentions: A descriptor, slogan, or product reference (without explicitly naming)
- Linked mentions: The brand name plus a hyperlink
- Unlinked mentions: Name without link—but still valuable for awareness and reputation
Why do these matter? Because Google, other search engines, and AI‐driven systems increasingly consider brand authority, trust, and “share of voice” signals. Mentions across credible, relevant sites help you build that authority.
Also, brand mentions help in:
- Earning credibility: Being quoted or discussed in reputable media gives you gravitas
- Expanding reach: Every mention taps into a new audience
- Seeding recognition: When the licensing model becomes active, your name will already resonate
Why this exact moment is strategic for casino branding
A volatile competitive landscape is about to open
Once Finland’s licensing framework is established, a flood of operators will compete vigorously for player attention. Brands that waited for “the official start” may find themselves crowded out.
Getting your brand name out in the conversational ecosystem before the license gates open gives you a footing. Media, influencers, and audiences will already recognize you—or at least have seen you mentioned.
Advertising will become costlier and noisier
With many new entrants buying ad space, media rates are expected to surge. The clutter will rise. Getting earned mentions early is more cost-efficient and less congested than paying for visibility in a saturated media market.
Regulatory guardrails and affiliate restrictions
Finland’s new legislation is shaping up to restrict certain promotional measures. Proposed rules would prohibit gambling products from being promoted via sponsorships in areas aimed at minors, and affiliate marketing may remain banned under updated drafts.
This means that direct marketing channels may be less flexible than in other jurisdictions. But brand mention—if executed as editorial or journalistic content—might bypass some of those constraints, provided it adheres to regulatory guidelines.
Hence, before the licensing rubrics fully collapse into place, brand mention campaigns are a way to operate within (or adjacent to) evolving rules—and harvest momentum.
How to design a winning brand mention campaign
To extract value, the campaign must be smart, deliberate, and flexible. Here’s a structured approach.
1. Define your goals and scope
Decide exactly what you want to achieve:
- How many mentions do you target (e.g. 50, 100, 200)?
- Over what timeframe?
- Which media verticals (gaming news, tech, financial press, lifestyle)?
- What type of mention (article, feature, interview, listicle)?
2. Select credible, relevant outlets
Your mentions should appear on sites that:
- Are authoritative in the gambling, tech, finance, or gaming space
- Attract your target audience
- Rank decently in Google
- Have editorial standards
Avoid frivolous or clickbait sites. The legitimacy of your brand will depend on where you get mentioned.
3. Craft content that naturally invites brand inclusion
You don’t want forced mentions. Instead, pitch stories that align with trends:
- Finland’s regulatory reform and market forecast
- Interviews or founder commentary
- Industry analysis or data
- Player behavior trends, innovations, payment methods
Ensure a natural spot for your brand: “Brand X plans to …”, “according to Brand Y …”.
4. Schedule and pace the publication
Don’t dump all mentions in one week. Spread them across your pre-launch window (e.g. 2 to 7 months ahead). This gives sustained visibility and flowing momentum.
5. Monitor, evaluate, and optimize
Use brand monitoring tools (BrandMentions, Mentionlytics, Awario, Brand24, etc.) to track:
- Which mentions land
- Reach and authority of each mention
- Sentiment and context
- SEO impact
Then pivot: double down on outlets that perform, prune ineffective ones.
6. Ensure compliance and consistency
Because the casino/gambling sector is sensitive, maintain strict brand governance: no casual misstatements, no cross-mentions of competing brands, and precise messaging. Also ensure compliance with evolving Finnish promotional rules.
Recommended campaign packages
Here are sample tiered models for brand mention deployment:
GRAND
- 200 articles on Finnish media
- Delivered over 7 months
- Price: 23,500 €
MASTER
- 100 articles
- 4 months
- Price: 14,500 €
CONQUEROR
- 50 articles
- 2 months
- Price: 9,000 €
ENTRY
- 20 high-impact articles (each targeting ~10,000 monthly readers minimum)
- 1 month rollout
- Price: 5,000 €
In all packages:
- Articles published on different days
- Client gets approval rights
- Content adapts to editorial tone of each outlet
- Each article includes a designated slot for the brand mention
Benefits, risks, and tactical considerations
Key advantages
- Early recognition in the evolving market
- Stronger SEO signals and domain authority
- Endorsement through third-party editorial context
- Less dependence on paid ads once visibility is established
Potential risks
- Unsuitable or low-quality publications could reflect poorly
- Overconcentration of mentions in a short time may dilute impact
- Regulatory shifts could change permissible content
- Competitors may imitate or flood the space
Mitigation strategies
- Vet every outlet rigorously
- Distribute timing to avoid saturation
- Maintain scrupulous editorial control
- Monitor legal developments and adjust tone/placement
Sample project roadmap
- Define objectives (number, channel mix, timeline)
- Curate a list of credible Finnish media partners
- Align story angles connecting to market reform
- Create article templates with brand slots
- Phase publication schedule across months
- Use monitoring tools to track mentions
- Reallocate to best-performing channels
- Archive published mentions for long-term SEO benefit
By following this roadmap, your brand won’t just drift into the conversation—you’ll help steer it.