Sharon McFarlane

iGaming History, Episode 7 Transcript

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Hello everyone. Welcome back to iGaming history episode... I don't even know what episode it is because we got a lot of them right now. But I have the pleasure of being joined today by Sharon MacFarlane, managing director for Digital Footprints. Sharon, thank you very much for your time. Absolute pleasure to have you on the show today.

​

Sharon McFarlane: Thank you so much for inviting me. This is new for me. So I'm used to doing the interview, and so now, I'm all on edge knowing that somebody else is gonna ask me questions. So I hope it goes okay.

 

Narcis Gavrilescu: I'm sure it's gonna go fine. You know, we make it nice, smooth, and easy. There's a reason why I invited you to the podcast. Yeah. First of all, because thank you for your contribution. You've been in the industry for, what, fifteen years, sixteen years?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah, fifteen years.

 

Narcis Gavrilescu: You you have had an amazing contribution. Now you're trying to help other companies start as well. I think that this deserves a spot here. What I wanted to talk to you about is... you essentially started an iGaming digital marketing agency from '0. How did the first version of the dream look like for you?

​

Sharon McFarlane: So I think, you know, I was quite young at the time. I wanna say 21. So when you're that age, there's that sense of,  blind optimism that you can do anything, which I think is great if you're starting to, create an agency within the eye gaming space. So I think for me, success was it was actually fairly simple back then. It wasn't really financially motivated. It was more that I'd had, obviously, a few kind of part time jobs getting me through uni, but I wasn't a very good employee. In fact, I was a terrible employee, and it was because I just hated that kind of culture and environment that I was in. So back then, success was always kind of for me to create my own little Disney, if that makes sense. My little place where people could put in work, they're not dreading it on a Sunday night. They're having fun and we can do some really cool stuff together.

 

And I think iGaming was probably the perfect home for me because it's not as corporate as other industries. It is a lot of fun and I'm not just kinda like talking about the conferences and parties and stuff like that. It's fun because it evolves quite quickly at a fast pace and that's kind of what my personality needs. So back then, I like to think of evolving going up a little bit since I was 21. But back then, it was quite simple. It was to create something where we could do some good, create some really cool marketing campaigns and, yeah, have fun as a team.

 

Narcis Gavrilescu: Did that change? Two questions here. It's did this change and also did your vision of success change?

​

Sharon McFarlane: I think as life changes and as you get older, you know, back when I was 21 and looked better when I was little with my parents, I just finished uni, I didn't have any responsibilities so it was all of that you know blind blind ambition. But for me that sort of whole theme park environment, theme park culture is still very much part of who I am and and what I want and for us as an as an agency.

 

But I think along with obviously there does need to be some sort of commercial success and financial KPIs and all of that but I think now as we approach this fifteen year mark it's more about our reputation and the space. So if we manage to create that, are we giving back, are we helping shape a given moving forward? I think that's kinda what motivates me and kinda what drives me.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: When you gave the name Digital Footprints, how did you come up with it? What did it mean to you?

 

Sharon McFarlane: Do you know what? I'm gonna like, I love the name Digital Footprints even if I say so myself.

 

Narcis Gavrilescu: Yeah. I think it's very... it's it's kind of a nice blend of cool and cute.

 

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah. And my business partner calls it twee. Twee is what he calls it, which I had to Google. But there's quite an interesting story of how I sort of claimed that.

 

So before Digital Footprints, we used to be called something else. So we used to be called Crystal Content. Yes. So we were predominantly content focused and SEO focused. But I realized that as the industry evolved, we had to grow our skill set. So what we did was we merged with a web development and creative agency and then as that was transitioning, we needed a new name. So one day, the the name just kinda came to me and then I emailed my now business partner just saying, can you purchase this domain for me, please? And then he knew kinda straight away that what I was trying to do was rename the business Digital Footprints.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Mhmm.

​

Sharon McFarlane: Luckily, it's fairly easy to go most of the time in pixels, but I was so that's kind of what what we went with. But for me, it was kind of twofold. So the kind of concept behind it is that footprints are unique. Right? And so are our customers. I've never had two clients that are the same. They've not got the same objectives. They've not got the same KPIs. They don't have the same ways of working. So I never wanted for them to be treated that way or or feel that way. Mhmm. So I think that for me, it was all part of that how we don't do cookie cutter stuff. Everything's completely bespoke to that client.

 

And the second part of it was it kinda goes back to that culture element and how we kinda feel internally and how we want that agency to be. So every member of our team, they're well, they're brilliant actually. I'm super, super lucky. They're really talented and really hardworking but they all have their own unique skill set and I think that's kind of what's represented within that.

 

So I never wanted people to think Digital Footprints was just a jack of all trades agency. We all have our talents, we all have our different specialisms and we all have our own mark within the team. And even if I use myself as an example, so I'm all about creative and ideas. So I'm the one that says, oh, we need to do this for our campaign. This is built. This will work. But I would have no concept as to how you build a landing page to make that happen. I wouldn't be able to make it creative. I'm not even allowed in the back end of the websites because I'll probably break that. So I think it's all about nourishing talent within that space and making sure that we kinda recognize that we are all different, we are all individuals, but we kinda make a really solid cohesive team.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: But I think it's also part of the entrepreneurial journey. Right? Because you, I'm not sure if you started with that mentality "oh, I need to do everything on my own", but then it evolves to "I need other people to make this everything it can be" because alone, you can't most of the time. So that that's I think that's a general evolution we all go through. Was there any moment when you wanted to quit?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Do you know? I think it's one of those ones. I'm never a fan of CEOs or managing directors that kind of, like, say everything's,  been sunshine and rainbows and everything's been perfect all the time because, realistically, that's not the case. And I think there's definitely been challenges within the agency challenges in terms of how, iGaming's evolved, challenges and talents, like, you know, client losses, those kind of things.

 

And I think sometimes, like, you do kinda sit down and you think, do you know what? Would it be easier if I just got, like, a CMO job and would this be less stressful? And, you know, it probably would. But I think for me, like, being a business owner is probably it's kinda, like, part of my journey. And I think it's kinda part of who I am. And I can't imagine, not doing that. So I think for me, the high is definitely gonna outweigh any of the lows, and let's hope the the highest keep on coming.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: But I think, you know, now that we're talking, I think this fits into your personality very well. Because, like, how you told me how you started and what you wished for, you know, not being the ideal employee is that the freedom is important to you.

​

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah. 100%. I'll take that back if at any point I'm ever looking for a job in the iGaming state. You're an amazing employee. You should definitely hire me.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Was there was there a point when you thought that you weren't just running the service anymore, but it was more more like building a legacy? 

​

Sharon McFarlane: You know, it's interesting. I think probably if you were to ask, like, others this question, they may have, oh, it's when we won this award or whether we onboarded this line or, you know, that kind of that kind of thing. But I think for me, it was more like a feeling.

 

So if I had to kinda, like, pinpoint one time, it would probably be when we were just moving in to, like, our new office. So we've had, like, two prior offices. Mhmm. And this was, like, just after the merge. And we picked this really cool spot, Top Floor, and the the heart of Glasgow. And I remember just as we could've, like, moved in, had a glass of red wine and a champagne glass because I'm a classy girl, had the tunes going and just sitting thinking, oh, this is it.

 

This is where we're meant to be. This will be your creative hub. This is where the magic's gonna happen. This is where we are gonna create that legacy. So I think it's more of a feeling than a thing, if that makes sense, but I think probably that office move is a little bit of a catalyst to that.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: What's one question that you wish more people would ask you about how it is to run-in an iGaming agency?

​

Sharon McFarlane: I think, like, externally. And so people who aren't in this space, I think there's still, you know, like a lot of stigma attached to it. So when kind of people ask what I do, they're like first thought process as, oh, so you're just like the motte and gamblin, is that what you do? Mhmm. And I kinda get it but I think that if they were to dig a little bit deeper they would find out that actually I think like some of the best marketers and some of the most talented people are in iGaming because of some of the challenges that we have. Like we are in a really well regulated market, It's so competitive.

 

And I think I probably just would encourage people to be inquisitive about the industry as a whole and how we fit into that, and actually learn a little bit something about, what we do and actually the goods that can come from that.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: You've been working with some of the most prestigious companies in the industry. Yeah. So you work with 888, Next.io, IGB, Casino Steak. Maybe you can tell us about some of these projects as much as you can and some lessons that you learned from them.

​

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah. Definitely. I think with all of those projects, obviously, they're all a little bit different in what they wanted and what they needed. Mhmm. But I think what I learned from them all was you have to have that level of flexibility and agility. So I think once you kind of start to onboard clients of that scale, it should be really interesting because they have, you know, CMOs, they have head of creative, they have all of these, these stakeholders. So I think I've learned that patience, is key and to kinda understand that we need to adapt as an agency to make sure that we are fitting in with all of those, maybe much more than what we'd we'd had to before when we kinda had some smaller clients.

 

So I think that's probably where that operational agility kinda comes in, like, having our team flex and scale to what's going on at that time and also to kinda come up with, like, really more robust processes and how we're able to to respond and to, like, react to what they need.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Can you walk me through an example? How is it like to work with small company, 10 employees maximum, versus somebody at the scale of 888?

​

Sharon McFarlane: I think there's probably a lot more white tape around like have those larger scale, companies. So I think there's a few different levels you need to get through before you get signed off and things. So I think things can take a little bit longer. But I do think that there is potentially just purely due to, like, some of the budget that's available for that, there is potentially room for more creativity and more innovation. But I suppose it's that whole, like, you know, chicken and egg scenario. So, you know, like, you have to speculate to accumulate. Alright. But I think for us, it's really interesting actually because a few months back, we'd had one or two people say to us, oh, we actually didn't think of approaching you because you're too big and you've worked with these people. And it has, like, really really mixed emotions about it.

 

So my first thought was, oh, listen. It's great that people think that we're this premium agency but also, like, we obviously are doing really well in our marketing, you know, that kind of thing. But then I also kinda thought it's not really exactly what I want because I think then what we're doing is we're really missing opportunities to watch, like, startups and and smaller ones grow and be part of that whole journey. And I think that's kinda like what excited me in the first place. And I think some of those smaller businesses that we've had, like, maybe six, ten years ago, they're still our clients now and they've done so, so well that they've become those larger scale clients. Mhmm. I think that's a probably really long winded way of answering your question and going in about five different other avenues to get to that.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: We're saving this question for later, but is this one of the reasons why you started the fund to start new and emerging businesses?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah. I think, do you know, I think it kinda goes back to that milestone thing as well. So, like, there are fifteen years in business, this year, and I thought, how do we pay it forward? Like, what how how can we make things better for startups for people like us? Because we didn't, you know, we didn't have any industry experience fifteen years ago. We were like brand new, like, we literally get in and go to these conferences. And I think I'd seen obviously there's quite a lot of like investment type pitch, you know, processes and programs kind of going on. But Agambus, like, really it's an expensive industry to break through. Like, a license can cost you, like, more than, you know, that cost you more than $50.000.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Yeah.

​

Sharon McFarlane: What I felt was most beneficial for me when we kinda first started Digital Footprints, it was like the people around us. And I think without them, we we wouldn't be where we are. I think that we were really, really lucky to be able to kind of align ourselves to some really good guys who helped us out, you know, gave us some really, really good advice, and that helped us really get into the space. So we kinda wanted to do the same for other people because we realized how difficult it is from new entrants now. It's far more competitive than what it was about fifteen years ago.

 

We were really lucky, and we're really, really grateful for what we've got. So we kinda wanna turn that gratitude and and give it back to something good and hopefully create a community that people can lean on. So it's not just about this 50 k of marketing resource that we're gonna gonna give up startups if they're two years or younger. It's not just about the resource element. We kinda wanna be a little bit of a a sounding board, help us if we can. We don't ask we're not asking for anything to return so there's no equity. Like, they don't have to give us anything back. I think for us, it's just being part of that journey and, like, maybe in two years' time and you're one of those, like, big clients that you've mentioned for them to say, oh, digital footprints help me out.

 

Narcis Gavrilescu: Oh, that's very nice. I always plan to, like, build it up towards that, but it just came it just came up.

Sharon McFarlane: It naturally came up.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Walk me through what you think have been key moments in iGaming marketing history.

 

Sharon McFarlane: I think SEO is obviously it's been a main focal point for us, since since the beginning. And I think fifteen years ago, it was so much easier for brands to rank. Right? So all we had to think about was getting a decent domain, throwing up decent content, throwing in the keywords and then there was a chance you were drunk. I think now SEO is just far more sophisticated in a really, really good way for us because I think it forces agencies, it forces SEO specialists to look to do better. So it's not just about getting those, like, basic fundamentals in place. It's about creating experiences and about creating journeys. And I think that for me, that's gonna have been most exciting evolution, within those last fifteen years. It's about seeing SEO evolve and it's about seeing who's doing it well. That's what I've been watching.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Since we're here, I want to ask you about something because, obviously, everybody in the industry wants to get the affiliates, get the traffic, and whatnot. And I hear very often that SEO is literally the best one out there more than anything.  Why is this?

​

Sharon McFarlane: I think it's because it's a trusted method of acquisition. Right? So if you're using, like, paid media, which by the way we do, so it's not that we're against it. If you think about when you Google something, you know, the user isn't selling. They know when something's paid for but they also know when something's earned. So I think it's the same we are sort of our same methodology for for PR. I think if something's earned then people are far more likely to trust it and will be warmer once they get there rather than when it's paid. So I think it's more of, a long term strategy that kinda, like, helps future proof your traffic and future proof your business. Yeah. So that's kind of our thoughts on that.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Okay. So this is the standard. But you also interview a lot of people for your podcast. Right? What is something that you found out that is surprising?

​

Sharon McFarlane: You know I don't know if there's something that's surprising. I think there was something that's quite insightful maybe to me. I'll I'll probably use that word. And I interviewed, Harry Lang. He's like an industry legend. He was behind, like, Foxy Bingo and, you know, all those kind of brands. And I said to him, like, what's the best kind of piece of advice that you would give new marketers? And he kind of said marketing is never perfect and I thought right but then when he really really drilled down to it, it kinda made me think he's absolutely right.

 

So I think what he was kind of trying to say is sometimes there's a whole lot of overthinking within the marketing process and I think I'm actually guilty of that. I get very emotionally attached to ideas. Right? So once I keep them, they're like, ah, they're that's that. That's my baby and that's how it has to be. But if you constantly delay, delay, delay, delay, delay, delay, delay, delay until something's absolutely perfect and especially with, like, when you're working with bigger brands when it has to go through, like, a really iterative process, it'll end up you won't get anything out.

 

And sometimes timeliness, it can be more important. And if you wait to get through all of those hoops, sometimes you'll end up with something that actually was never your concept in the first place. So I think that was a really, really good it was a good piece of insight, from an industry veteran that that kinda made me think, you know what? You're right. Marketing's not perfect. And that's probably not something that you'd expect a marketing agency to see, but it it's true. It's true.

 

Narcis Gavrilescu: You also sit on a lot of panels, and you do judge. Is there a pattern to success, like, good campaigns, things that everybody has everybody who's really good has, but the rest don't?

​

Sharon McFarlane: I think for me, what I'm kinda looking for when I'm, like, maybe judging at some of these awards is, like, you're out of the box thinking. So, obviously, I've been people are looking at performance marketing, like, it's it's very similar KPIs. Right? So it's, you know, what the CPA was, increasing registrants, increasing FTDs, and those are all, of course, like, critical to business. But for me, I'm always looking for who's gonna drive change or who's gonna shape the future. So I'm always looking for things that are really, really creative and innovative.

 

So you see, like, a lot of big brands and they've got so much budget so that, you know, they're sponsored on, like, a massive football team. But what goes on behind that? How have they crafted the marketing strategy that's actually made that whole that that sponsorship part of their DNA? And how has that returned engagement for them? How does that build their brand? So I think that for me, it's about creating something that's really really well thought through cohesive and has multiple touch points and really kinda like displaying a message rather than spending, you know, heaps of money on a sponsorship or or paid media.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Would you say that you're looking for the core motivation?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah. Absolutely. The core motivation behind what they're doing. Absolutely. Yeah.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Do you remember the first time you were asked to speak at one of these conferences?

​

Sharon McFarlane: So I think this is where I really learned to understand that I'm proper Glaswegian and speak super, super quickly. So it was the first time I ever had to speak. It was like, how do you just we were just sitting there waiting to hear my my musings on social media engagement and things to do. And then all of a sudden, I was, like, halfway through my talk and then just somebody walked from the back row all the way up to the front stage, dragged me down and said, listen. I'm really interested in what you have to say, but I cannot understand you at all.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Ah...

​

Sharon McFarlane: Could you speak slowly? And I'm like, oh my god. So now I'm so cautious about these, like, sort of panels? And when I'm doing these presentations, I'm like, speak slowly. Speak slowly. Speak slowly. Be less Glaswegian.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: You know, it always depends on what's in your mind, like, how you perceive it. Humbling, or you know what? These people are too slow.

Sharon McFarlane: That's right. I mean, I'm in marketing and that's how I should respond that.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: You describe your leadership style as people centered. Do people drive strategy or is it the other way around?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Do you know what? I think leaders... they need to set the tone. They need to set the direction of the business, but I think culture influences choices. So I think it's my job to kinda say this is our vision, these are our priorities but if I create a business strategy there that nobody's aligned with or nobody's motivated to execute then it's going nowhere anyway. So I think it kind of goes back to what I was saying earlier about, you know, that culture and everybody having their place in the business. So we've got some member of our members of our team that are probably more closer to operations or customers or emerging problems than what I might be. So I think for me to not allow them to to give me that feedback and not allow them to help me shape the strategy would be would be stupid.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: You said you've also said in the past that trust is everything. But how do you build trust, and how do you maintain it in an industry that, one, moves so fast; two, you even have breach of trust from time to time?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Yeah. I think, you know, people buy people. And I think that's always my my message when actually we're talking to clients and and you know we're having these discussions. I think people buy people in this business. And I think, actually, it's incredibly comfortable for me to be, like, doing these panels and to be, like, doing moderating, to even be on podcast or be hosting a podcast. But I understand that people kinda need a face of something and they need a face of a business to really kinda relate to.

 

So I think that that's critical. I think that transparency is important as well, and I think that's why, like, I'm okay talking about the successes of digital footprints, but I'm all I'm equally happy about saying, oh, do you know what? You know, AI affected content for our agency so we had to, like, pivot and do, you know, do certain things. I think that that level of honesty is something that appeals to people. And I think, you know, case studies, testimonials, I think getting yourself, like, a really decent track record of content that you can kinda push out and say, like, this is what we've done. This is how, you know, this is how we can help you. I think showing people that you can solve their problems. I think that's that's part of that building trust.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Okay. This is the last time I quote you. I promise.

​

Sharon McFarlane: I'm wondering where you got these quotes. I do I remember seeing them. I don't remember where they're...

Narcis Gavrilescu: No. But it's like articles, previous interviews that you've had, things like these. You know? So I do quite a bit of research. You said that if you're the smartest person in the room, you're not in the right room. What is a room that challenged you lately?

​

Sharon McFarlane: You know, I think I'm probably very rarely the smartest person in the room, so I think I'm good. If I was I think I was to think about one that challenged me lately if I take maybe IGB live as an example. So I had to do a a presentation on SEO and, you know, normally, I'm quite you know, I do these things quite a lot and it's absolutely fine especially for IGB.

 

But then for some reason, like, this particular year, I'd looked at, you know, all of the keynote speakers, everybody else who's presenting before and after me, and, like, there was that little bit of, you know, imposter syndrome sense and there was a little bit of, oh, I've not done this for a while. Am I am I still am I still good enough? Can I still is my thoughts still as important as these people's?

 

So I think that was a little bit of a challenge, for me but that also kind of it taught me a lesson of always keep putting yourself out there. Because once there's a gap in that, you then kinda lose your you lose your module a little bit, and then it's not good to get that back in. So I think just always keep on going.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Yeah. And it's also somebody there is a chance that somebody might come in and fill the gap. And if it's your day, you wanna keep it. You know?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Exactly.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Maybe you can talk a bit about what you're seeing in entrepreneurs coming into the industry today. What are some trends there and maybe some advice for them?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Definitely. I think do you know what we've seen so far about this fund is, like, we've received some amazing applicants and I think see the time and effort that people have taken to put in these applications in. It's been phenomenal. It's like been amazing and I feel really really privileged that people have taken that time to do it. And some of their ideas are absolutely they're fantastic.

 

And I think that shows me that there is a need, there is a want, and there is a place for something like this to kinda help launch these startups with people and help kinda grow our industry because there's room for more. There's definitely room for more of us. Yes. And I think, you know, I think what I like about AgIn is like even with our competitors, we're all still pals.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Yeah. Pretty much. Yes.

​

Sharon McFarlane: But actually, I got, like, a lead from one of them just over the weekend, which is amazing. And I think that if we all behave that way or if we can create something like that, then these entrepreneurs will they'll do they'll do so well.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Is there anything that maybe I haven't asked you, but it's important you think it's important for people watching this and for people in the future to watch?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Maybe what's next for DF and Accelerator Fund to see if we can give back a little bit more. I think for us, like, we're already thinking about, like, phase two and how we can be more prolific within this space and and more thoughtful when we're kind of thinking about these these new and these new businesses. And I think it's a kind of bit of a news hot off the press, actually.

 

I think phase two of this is that we wanna create, like, a mentorship program, around our DF Accelerator Fund and not just have, like, a a resource fund available but also have a group of industry veterans that will help lead these people within the space and help navigate some of the issues that we've had and, you know, teach them to learn from some of the mistakes that we've made and, you know, that kind of thing

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: And how would you like to be remembered in iGaming history?

​

Sharon McFarlane: Oh, that's that's very prophetic. I've had one coffee. Too deep. I've only had one coffee. This is far too deep. And I think as maybe somebody who managed to to create that little iGaming theme park of an agency, create that culture, but also kind of somebody who is grateful and and and gave back to people, and gave back to an industry that was really really helpful for us that we love so much.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: Sharon, I know that we haven't known each other for a very long time. But, you know, based on what I'm seeing and the reputation you have and how you do things, I'm pretty sure that this is gonna happen. So thumbs up to you.

​

Sharon McFarlane: Very cool. Back and brilliant. Thank you so much.

​

Narcis Gavrilescu: You are most welcome. Sharon, I'd like to thank you for the time you dedicated today. I really appreciate it. Everybody else, stay tuned because there are more of these things coming. We'll leave all the details about Sharon, the fund, and everything that she does in the description below. Yeah? Everybody take care, and you'll see it from us soon.

​

Sharon McFarlane: Thank you.

​