GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 22 - October 2012

A ffiliate Manager Interview Series LUIS SANDEL William Hill Online/Affiliates United As the affiliate program for William Hill Online, Affiliates United is one of the larger affiliate programs in the online gaming space. Tell us a little bit about the office culture at Affiliates United and how the teamworks together to promote the brand. The office culture is unique. We are immersed in a truly international atmosphere, working together with people from all over the world. I have col- leagues from Germany, Romania, Israel, Argentina, Chile, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, France – and that is just a partial listing! We work in a very dynamic and changing environment. As the affiliate man- ager for Spain and Latin America, the last few months must have been very excit- ing for you. How well is William Hill convert- ing players in the new- ly regulated Spanish market? Yes, it is a very exciting period for me and the company, with lots of changes to imple- ment. We already have experience in recently regulated markets like Italy, but for many affiliates it was totally new. Despite some uncer- tainty affiliates had before the regulation, we see that conversion rates are stable following the reg- ulation and our brand is convert- ing well. How important is the Latin American market to William Hill? What percentage of your bettors are visiting the Spanish-language site? The Latin American market is of high importance for William Hill; it is a market that needs to be developed, with a different culture and way of thinking. I believe we have the right brand and people in the company to approach this mar- ket. In fact, we have two different sites – one dedicated to Spaniards (.es) and another one not accessible from within Spain but intended for Spanish-speaking bettors (.com/es). Which gaming verticals are the most popular in the Spanish- speaking market? And which gen- erate the most revenue? By far the most popular are sports betting and casino; sports betting is a bit ahead, generating the most revenue. WilliamHill has long been a pres- ence in the U.K.; hundreds of betting shops dotted the streets before the company launched its online operations. That’s not the case in Spain and Latin America, however. How different is mar- keting William Hill to these pop- ulations, which don’t have expe- rience with a William Hill betting shop? It is very different, which is one of the reasons why we have dedicated local teams who know and understand the particulari- ties of each culture. These teams design local campaigns to increase William Hill’s brand recognition in each specific territory. What do affiliates need to know in order to build sites that cater to the Spanish-speaking mar- ket? Is it possible for an affili- ate to build a site for the market without being fluent in the lan- guage? Well, the better you know the market the better results you will have. We see international af- filiates building and positioning sites well (with the help of a good translator), even though they are not fluent in Spanish. I think – and the numbers are backing this – that having the local flavor will be to your advantage. What affiliates need to know is that it is not enough just to trans- late a good website. Even if you have decent results, if you want to be number one, you have to build something specific for the market. Prior to joining the Affiliates United team you worked for four years with iGlobalMedia Marketing promoting Party Gaming. What did you learn from that experience, and when did you join William Hill Online? I learned a lot working in iGlobalMedia. First, I discov- ered a fascinating industry. I started working before the U.S. shutdown, so I experienced lots of changes (both in the compa- ny and the industry). I learned about the importance of a multi- language/multi-currency way of working and how to replicate this on a bigger scale. I joined William Hill Online last November. Last October there were a lot of headlines about an employee walkout, as people were report- edly worried that operations might be moved to Gibraltar. Is that still a concern among the staff? What has management done to alleviate those wor- ries? No, it isn’t a worry at all. As I mentioned, I started work- ing here in November, after this event, though I heard about it and read about it in the news. What I can tell you is that this is not a concern; in fact, we have almost doubled the number of employees in the office since then and the company is growing. It’s one thing to bring in new players to a site. It’s another thing entirely to get them to stick around. What do Affiliates United and William Hill do to re- tain players sent by affiliates? William Hill has always seen the customer as the most important part of our business. We have ded- icated conversion and CRM teams with proven professional experi- ence to retain players. What do affiliates need to know about William Hill in order to effectively market the brand? What distinguishes the William Hill brand from other online sportsbooks / casinos / poker “H aving the local fl avor will be to y our advantage. . . . It is not enough just to tr anslate a good web site. . . . If you want to be number o ne, you have to b uild something specific for the market.” Affiliate Manager Interview Series