GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 19 - February 2012

You offer a revenue share with increas- ing percentages (up to 35%) based on the number of “new active accounts” af- filiates deliver. How do you define what a “new active player” is? Are they players who have been delivered that month? Or can a player who was delivered months earlier who is still playing be considered a “new active player”? Affiliates earn rev- enue share on total actives. This is made up of players brought in during previous months plus those brought in during the current month who have purchased and wa- gered, which we define as new actives. The bottom line is that affiliates will get paid for ALL players they bring in. Affiliates are generally not fans of new active player terms. While they under- stand affiliate programs want their brands promoted, they also know that online casinos/poker rooms/bingo rooms, etc., are a critical part of the con- version process. And they don’t want to see their revenues reduced by a site’s in- ability to convert players. What was the thought process behind implementing this term? And how do you address af- filiate concerns that their income could be dramatically reduced through no fault of their own? We pay all affiliates revenue on the basis that a player purchases and wagers regardless of the time period. The “new active player” term is merely an in- ternal means of measuring the players who came in/or who purchased and wagered in the same calendar month. This by no means affects the earnings of affiliates because re- gardless of the time frame in which players purchase and wager they will still earn their entitled revenue share. Some affiliate programs offer increas- ing percentages based on the amount of revenue an affiliate brings to their sites. Why did Fortune Affiliates choose to base revenue share percentage on the number of players delivered rather than the revenue generated by affiliates? This was a decision made many years ago when our earnings models was established; it fa- cilitates an ongoing partnership. It was con- sidered the industry norm and we chose to go with it. We reward affiliates monthly for the play- ers they bring into our business, hence we choose a tier model instead of a value-based earnings model. Our business relies on con- stantly filling the funnel with new players and this model has worked for our partners and for us, so we have chosen to stick with it. What steps has your program taken to ensure that affiliates will be paid on time? Our systems and month-end pro- cesses are a well-oiled machine. We under- stand the importance of giving our affiliates what is rightfully due and payable on time for all their hard work. We have never paid our affiliates late and endeavor to get pay- ments out by the 15th of every month even though our T&Cs stipulate payment on or before the 20th. If we do have problems we always keep our affiliates in the loop and well informed. In your mind, what’s more difficult, at- tracting players or retaining them? There is no clear answer to this question and I confidently can say that we do well at both but ALWAYS strive to do better. Both present massive challenges and you have to be ahead of the game in both areas. We never acquire enough and we never re- tain well enough. This drives our business to constantly do things better and smarter with the ultimate objective of making our clients and partners more money at the end of the day. How can affiliates help in retaining play- ers? There is no doubt that affiliates have a massive role to play in retaining players. I have always said that affiliates are our billboards and ambassadors for our cli- ents’ brands. Affiliates who have websites with relevant content which attract repeat visitors and who have an online community have the ability to give players far more than just an opening offer with a call to action. Where players enjoy the ongoing retention efforts with the help of affiliates through promotions, tournaments, events andmore, we experience an increase in the “stickiness factor,” which helps keep players loyal to our brands. How long have you been at Fortune Affiliates?What is the biggest difference between when you started and now? I have been with Fortune affiliates for three and a half years. In my opinion our biggest change has been in building a team of affili- ate managers who have knowledge of what it takes to be an affiliate. It’s all about shar- ing knowledge and helping our partners build their businesses. Historically affiliate management was a “relationship management function” where now the business is far more proactive and takes a value-added approach. Our program builds on this mission to constantly add val- ue to our partnerships. What distinguishes Fortune Affilia tes from other affiliate programs? Affil iate programs today have very similar offeri ngs across the board extending to mana ge- ment tools and reporting and tracking to ols. What distinguishes us from other affil iate programs is our people – the relations hip managers who build long-standing relat ion- ships and make our affiliates more mon ey. Our long-standing partners will bear te sta- ment to the fact that over time, in a num ber of cases, affiliates earn more with Fortun e. Did you enjoy the World Cup being in South Africa? What was your favo rite thing about the experience? The open ing goal of the 2010World Cup scored by So uth Africa set the nation alight. This will ne ver be forgotten. If someone is visiting you in So uth Africa, what’s the one place you have to take them to see? Cape Town, which has to be the most beautiful city in the world . What would you do if you just inher ited a pizzeria from your uncle? I love co ok- ing and people so this would be a perfec t fit. My beautiful kids and I wouldmake the b est pizza and pasta in town. What’s the best movie food? And w hy? South African dairy milk chocolate. Noth ing else comes close to SA chocolate. Our c ows are built differently! What is the last book you read? The last book I read was Daniel Silva’s The Rembrandt Affair . All Daniel Silva’s bo oks are so well researched and you get lost in his world from page one. What is your favorite movie? And w hy? Schindler’s List – the movie teaches on e to never forget the past. If you could have dinner with three ot her people, living or dead, who would t hey be? Jamie Oliver – this guy lives with s uch passion and loves what he does to the c ore. My late mom – left me too early in life. B illy Joel – to add some of that soul music. What are three things that no one kno ws about you? 1. I love to sing. 2. I love to cook . . . food is my passion and I could happily land up owning a r es- taurant one day. 3. At the age of 12 I was chased off a fa rm by a farmer with a shotgun when he caught me riding a motorbike acr oss his property. 71