Sacrebleu! Now that we've almost relaunched Tilt, what should we do?!
With Full Tilt Poker gearing up for relaunch (read more about it on Insider here), let’s take a look at what Groupe Bernard Tapie should do to win consumer confidence and recapture market share.
1. “We’re the New Full Tilt, Here’s Our Mission” – It’s media blitz time. For New Tilt to have any chance at recapturing their market share and retaining its customers with stuck player balances, they need to come out blasting with a clear break from the past and concisely stated roadmap for the future.
This means apologizing for Tilt’s past (even though it wasn’t their doing), stating the problems that plagued the company will not be tolerated under the new regime, and expressing the willingness to do everything they can to win the public’s trust back.
A major component of that message is, “Your balances are safe with us.” At the end of the day, all past and future customers really want to know is whether or not a) they’re getting their money back and, b) that their money is safe moving forward. So New Tilt needs to map out the processes put in place–from covering all prior player balances to working with the AGCC in segregating funds–to accomplish this. This messaging needs to be at the forefront of any communication–among the first words the public sees from new management.
2. Publicly Fire Ray Bitar and Poach Top Executive Talent - We have no doubt that Bitar has provided GBT with some beneficial insight into the operations of running an online poker site into the ground. However, the man is indicted by the U.S. government and has zero credibility within the poker community. Bitar doesn’t need to be publicly humiliated by New Tilt, but a statement/press release like this would go a long way,
“As the acquisition of Full Tilt Poker is now complete, Groupe Bernard Tapie has decided to release Ray Bitar [and Gil Coronado and any other old regime executive] from their positions within the company. While Mr. Bitar has been instrumental in assisting GBT in completing the Full Tilt Poker acquisition, we believe it’s time for the company to go in a new direction with new management and ideas. We thank Mr. Bitar for his efforts and wish him the best.”
The follow-up to this is New Tilt needs to bring in seasoned, experienced C-level talent. While we’re all about figuring out ways to run start-up companies efficiently (it’s called the Anti-Epic Strategy), here’s one area where you’re going to have to spend a little more. Call it the Full Tilt Toxic Tax. There’s no way around it, New Tilt will have to “pay a premium” for top C-level talent based on the company’s past, but it’ll be money well spent.
Of course, some of that salary could be supplemented with a really attractive stock package (more on this later), which would pay off huge dividends if New Tilt ends up thriving.
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Full Tilt Poker,
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