SOFTSWISS Close-Up: Valentina Bagniya

Valentina Bagniya, CMO and marketing consultant, discusses SOFTSWISS brand’s evolution and repositioning, as well as the evolving expectations of igaming technology partners.

Interview.- SOFTSWISS Close-Up explores the ideas shaping the company’s next chapter through conversations with its leaders.

In this edition, chief marketing officer Valentina Bagniya reflects on how a company’s brand evolves alongside its business, why repositioning is about much more than a new visual identity, and what today’s operators expect from a technology partner.

Close-Up

When did you realise that the SOFTSWISS brand no longer fully reflected the company it had become? 

I think it started with a simple observation.

Our previous positioning was introduced five years ago. In many industries, that wouldn’t seem like a long time. In igaming, it’s almost a different era. Over those years, both the market and SOFTSWISS have changed dramatically. Yet we were still presenting ourselves in much the same way. That’s when I realised there was a growing gap between the company we had become and the way we were presenting ourselves to the market. The brand didn’t need reinventing. It simply needed to catch up with the business.

Vision

What surprised you most during the repositioning process?

Probably, how much of it had nothing to do with the visual identity.

When people hear the word repositioning, they usually think about a new logo or visual identity. Of course, there was a lot of visible work: redesigning the website, updating product materials, presentations, and every touchpoint where people interact with the brand.

But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. The repositioning itself took us around eight months. It involved research, conversations with clients, workshops across the company, and one recurring question: “If we’ve come so far, why are we still presenting it the same way?”

What surprised me most happened at the very end.

When we presented the new positioning and visual identity to our Executive Board, it was accepted unanimously, without a single comment or request to change anything. In all my years working in branding and marketing, I’d never experienced that before.

For me, that unanimous acceptance was the strongest validation we could have received. It told me we hadn’t created a new story for SOFTSWISS. We had captured something that was already there – its character, its values, and the way people already saw it.

That’s when I knew we’d found the right positioning.

Business

Many people still associate branding with logos and visual identity. From a business perspective, what should a strong brand actually do?

A strong brand should help people understand the value the business creates.

Visual identity is important because it’s usually the first thing people notice. But it only works if it reflects the business behind it.

For us, the repositioning wasn’t about changing how SOFTSWISS looks. It was about changing how clearly we communicate our role in our clients’ success.

A few years ago, it was enough to be known as a reliable technology provider. Today, operators expect much more. They want a partner who understands regulated markets, helps them navigate complexity, supports their growth, and stays with them for the long term.

That’s the shift our brand needed to communicate. That’s the essence of our new positioning. We don’t measure success only by the products we build, but by the growth we help create. Our ambition is shared with our clients, because when they succeed, SOFTSWISS succeeds too.

Future

As igaming continues to mature, how do you think expectations of technology brands will change over the next five years?

I think the industry will become much less interested in what companies say about themselves and much more interested in what they can prove.

Strong products and reliable technology will become the baseline. What will really differentiate companies is credibility.

Can you demonstrate expertise? Do your clients trust you? Does your brand reflect the experience people actually have when they work with you?

I also think brands will become less product-centric and more relationship-centric. Companies will increasingly be judged by the value they create, not simply by the features they offer.

The strongest brands won’t necessarily be the loudest. They’ll be the ones who understand their customers best, anticipate where the market is heading, and create value that helps their clients grow.

One thing to remember

Beyond the new visual identity, what do you hope people see when they take a closer look at SOFTSWISS today?

I hope they see a company that has grown together with its clients.

A company that combines technology, expertise, and services to help operators grow with confidence.

For me, the new visual identity is simply the expression of that evolution.

If there’s one thing I’d like people to remember, it’s this: We’re not changing who we are. We’re showing who we’ve become.