GPWA Times Magaine - Issue 23 - February 2013

per member. We offer affiliates a lifetime revenue share – as long as the customer is depositing, the affiliate continues to earn revenue. With regards to the eWallet, the key benefits are the security and conve- nience the eWallet offers to a regular cus- tomer – flexibility of depositing money (via a large number of local payment op- tions), many currencies and also ease of withdrawing money (particularly via the Net+ Prepaid MasterCard). All of this is provided by Optimal Payments, a com- pany which has many years of experience and a track record in managing payments online for merchants and consumers. Lots of affiliates have a tough time ex- plaining their job to family members and friends. How well do the people in your life understand what you do for a living?What do you tell them? The long and short answer is they don’t. They sim- ply know that I do some kind of partner and relationship marketing and it relates to the online industry. The affiliate in- dustry has evolved so much in the past 10 years that I gave up trying to explain the intricate details of how it works to people who are not in this industry long ago. Less is more – that’s my motto nowadays. One of the trickiest aspects of your job has to be managing the volume of correspondence and communica- tions with a lot of affiliates. How do you manage the process? What tips can you offer others in terms of handling it? Absolutely – the trick to providing the best service is to prioritize your working day. Communication takes priority and is always the first task to be addressed. Plus, it’s the most gratifying part of my day – interacting with affiliates. What do you know about the indus- try now that you wish you knew when you first started? How innovative and interesting it would be. I come from a financial services background and made the change to online in the early days – I wish I had known what a big industry this was going to become and had taken a few more risks. I can honestly say that I feel lucky to have had a long career in such an interesting business, and that it is one I am still learning from every single day! How do you ensure that payments are sent out on time? And when do your payments go out? As a payment provid- er, paying our affiliates on time is our core business. We run commission payments once a week based upon the previous week’s data. This is an automated process that ensures commissions are depos- ited directly to our affiliates’ NETELLER member account. Once the commissions are there it is a quick and straightforward process for them to get their cash out via bank transfer or via our Net+ Prepaid MasterCard. Our aim is to remove all the friction from the payout process. Where do you think the industry will be in five years? I do think it will continue to grow and change as we have seen in the last 10 years. Recently there has been a shift on limiting lifetime revenue share in the iGaming af- filiate channel, especially from sportsbook programs where the tenure and lifetime value of a member differs to that of a ca- sino or poker player. It is inevitable that new payment mechanisms will continue to develop as affiliation matures. Revenue share is still relevant; however, the days of 50 percent lifetime revenue are numbered. As operators balance out the cost of reten- tion, resource and service fees to keep the player active, we will see a varied range of payment models cropping up that are tai- lored to each business independently. As we move towards more sophisticated online tracking and re-targeting technolo- gies, we may even find that affiliate pay- ment models adapt or become similar to traditional retail models where attribu- tion revenue can be provided in incre- ments based on the pre-determined value chain of final customer conversion paths or limited cookie periods per sale. As social media matures I think we are going to see a lot more innovation in this space and I know affiliates will be at the forefront, once again leading the way! If someone from out of town were to visit you, where is the one place you would have to take them? Weymouth beachfront – this is my hometown and it is literally one of the most beautiful places on the South West Coast of England, and I am very privileged to live and work from here. What’s the best movie food? Popcorn of course . . . although I’m also always par- tial to a bit of chocolate, too! What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? And did you read it on an e-reader? I’m old school, I’m afraid – I like holding a book in my hands, I like to turn the pages and of course the smell of a brand-new book is something unique that cannot be replicated with an e-reader. I read a lot and have too many favorite books to mention just one – but I can tell you I love reading trilogies where the story unfolds slowly and keeps you gripped to the bitter end! Considering how much I travel – I should really invest in a good e-reader so that I don’t have to lug around a hand luggage bag weighed down with paperbacks. What is your favorite movie? Tricky . . . toss-up between The Notebook and What Dreams May Come – both are very sad love stories (yes, I’m a romantic, soppy movie buff). If you had a theme song, what would it be? It’s got to be: “Young Hearts Run Free,” by Candi Staton. If you could go anywhere on vacation , where would you go? India – it has been on my wish list for years – but I just never seem to get around to it. I want to see the sights, experience the sounds, the cul- ture, the food, the vibrant colors as wel l as the beautiful architecture. I would love to do a cookery course while I was there to understand the authentic and intri- cate details of using spices. And of course I would bring my Net+ MasterCard to safely control my expenses. If you could have dinner with three other people, living or dead, who would they be? Gandhi, John Lennon and Alan Carr – because I think the mix would pro- vide for very interesting dinner conver- sations and Alan Carr would have me in stitches all night – I think he’s hilarious! What would you do if you just inherited a pizzeria from your uncle? Eat a lot of pizza? Wouldn’t have a clue . . . I’m not a great cook, and I don’t think I’d be able to cope working in a restaurant so I’d proba- bly have to sell it to someone who was pas- sionate about Italian food to do it justice. What are three things that no one knows about you? 1. I am an avid scuba diver. 2. I sang on the same stage as Pavarott i when I was just 17 and represented South Africa in a traditional Welsh song compe- tition – yes, that was a long time ago! 3. I’m a new mum – and sleep deprived. 69 Affiliate Manager Interview Series