GPWA Times - Issue 21 - May 2012

Can you explain what administration fees are deducted from gross gaming revenue at ComeOn! earn? How big or small are those deductions in most cases? Our approach was simple – it should be fair. The way that our de- ductions work is by the real cost per individual player. Unfortunately, this cannot be translated into a simple fee, as let’s say 40 percent across the board for all activity. If a player takes a bonus, there is a bonus cost; if a player does not take a bonus, there is no bonus cost. Furthermore, the administration fees are determined by the costs in individual markets. Some games carry higher cost than others because they might have a jackpot con- tribution, etc. In general, our deductions are 35 to 45 percent, depending on the player origin, payment methods and mostly on their activity. Trust me, we wish it was simple too. In my opinion, the more an affiliate makes, the more she/he is inclined to promote us, so we try our best. If you don’t trust a program, don’t work with them. Describe the office culture at ComeOn! earn. How many affiliate managers work on the team? If there were a fly on the wall, what are some of the topics of conversa- tion it would hear about at the water cooler? Haha, funny question! We are currently three in the team and are interviewing to fill yet an- other two Affiliate Manager roles. The office culture is always pleasant; we have a very flat organization and everybody can talk to the CEO. There are no angry bosses, and we try to avoid Skyping each other as we sit in a large open office and it is easy to talk. However, our office culture does not stay in the office; it is outside the office when it gets very friendly and fun. We like to socialize and do quite a lot together with people from the entire office. No department is isolated and it feels like one big family. Currently the talk around the water cooler is all about pimping out the new office with things like a Ping-Pong table, espresso ma- chine, PS3, having backgammon tournaments and getting a massive fridge to fit all the beer for the Beer Fridays. You’ve been with the company for about two years, originally signing on to lead the mar- keting campaigns in Sweden, then taking on an affiliate management role last year. Does having an understanding of both the consumer and the affiliate sides of issues help you in your current role? Absolutely. I am proud to be a part of the core business unit to shape ComeOn! and I find it essential to con- tinuously stay in the loop with the rest of the or- ganization. It keeps us on the same track work- ing forward. A good affiliate manager needs to use the local marketing campaigns as market- ing tools and has to be one step ahead of the internal game in order to inform and prepare the marketing tools on time. Prior to joining the online gambling indus- try, you worked as an independent market- ing consultant and as a regional manager for Quicken Loans. How does the mortgage industry compare with the online gambling industry? Sounds like a silly comparison but Quicken Loans is the single largest online lender in the U.S. and has been the industry leader for years. There is actually a lot in com- mon and that starts with both industries hav- ing equally fierce competition, similar acquisi- tion channels as well as credibility challenges – “Can I trust them with my money?” At the end of the day, both industries are originally consumer brick-and-mortar businesses that have now moved online. What do you know about the industry now that you wish you’d known when you first started? To be honest with you, I cannot think of anything specific at the moment. I am quite happy with my- self as I do not see any bigmistakes behindme that have cost us money or held us back. I have paced myself along the way, slowly but surely. How do you ensure that payments are sent out on time? And when do your payments go out? As I love creating work-flows, I have developed a detailed work-flow with check- points for the entire payments process. Our official statement is that we pay by the 10th of each month, but in reality I have managed to pay out the commissions on the very 1st of the month several times. Things happen and I have to wait for external parties sometimes. Again, official answer, by the 10th. Where do you think the industry will be in five years? The golden question. We see the trend of country regulations followed by mergers and acquisitions. I’d rather not spec- ulate too much but I think this will continue. One thing is sure, the affiliate marketing will get even tougher as the Google Pandas turn into Polar Bears, and the Polar Bears turn into mean Grizzlies. You attended college in Florida. Are you originally from the United States? What was your favorite thing about attending college in Florida? Growing up in the cold of Sweden, I happily left for Florida for the sun and the beaches. I had no idea how humidity would kick my butt in the first year, but after getting used to it, I loved it. I am not going to lie: the sun, the beaches, the parties and the drinking – it was all equally fun. How do you like living in London? Do you run into other people who work in the on- line gambling industry often? I like London a lot; it has everything you can wish for. I like the odd bars and places that only exist in cities like London. There is a large iGaming community here and we meet up all the time. Thankfully, as I am new here, it is not always shop talk as I ask about the city’s gems and places to go. What’s the best movie food? Pizza.Nodoubt. What is the last book you read? Did you en- joy it? And did you read it on an e-reader? Or do you need to have a copy of the physi- cal book in your hand? Last book I read was a thriller from John Grisham, which I enjoyed on my commute to work. I am reading Moby-Dick at the moment and always holding a hard copy. I’m not fan of the e-readers as they take away some of the feeling. I prefer a used book that is not shiny. What is your favorite movie? I have to say The Matrix even though there are many favor- ites that are less commercial. If you had a theme song, what would it be? Rihanna’s “S&M” (Come on! Come on!). If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go? A hot tropical Asian beach with very few tourists. If you could have dinner with three other people, living or dead, who would they be? Elvis, Richard Branson and David Hasselhoff! What would you do if you just inherited a pizzeria from your uncle? Easy! Build a piz- zeria empire over five years. It starts with the tomato sauce, fresh ingredients and then a master pizza baker. Multiply every six months. What are three things that no one knows about you? No one in our industry? I was a superbaby: started walking when I was sev- en months old, swimming when I was three years old and drove my brother’s Vespa when I was nine. 71 Affiliate Manager Interview Series