GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 25 - June 2013

In this issue, AffPower affiliate manager Alex Alfa and Michelle Glynn of Paddy Partners get to share the spotlight. Alex is part of a team of industry veterans dedicated to building solid working relationships with affiliates that are signed up with one or both of AffPower’s affiliate programs, CosmikCasino and DeuceClub Casino. Michelle’s team at Paddy Power works like a “well-oiled machine” – but she takes people who are visiting to an “oasis of madness.” For all the answers, and to see what these two are doing to bring in new players and entice them to become repeat customers, read and learn! AFFILIATE MANAGER INTERVIEW SERIES MEET THE AFFILIATE MANAGERS AffPower serves as the affiliate pro- gram for CosmikCasino and DeuceClub Casino. The program and the casinos were launched at the same time, cor- rect? When did the launch occur, and how is business going? CosmikCasino was launched in December 2011 and DeuceClub in March 2012. As is true of every startup company the beginning was very hard and there were many hurdles to overcome, but now after a little more than one year we can say that business is go- ing very well. We are lucky to have a team of people who have been in the industry for a very long time and have good rela- tionships and connections to many affili- ates and networks. This helps us grow our business. We are optimizing our casinos constantly and are upgrading games and new features in order to deliver the best gaming experience to our players. You were previously the French Affiliate Manager for Fortune Affiliates. What lessons did you learn working with one of the industry’s larger programs, and how do those lessons translate when working with a newer affiliate program promoting newer properties? I entered the gaming industry eight years ago when I moved to Tel Aviv, as a support agent at Euro Partners, where I stayed for two years. After that I worked for a few other companies, like Party Gaming and Prime Gaming as a VIP Manager, and only then did I start as an Affiliate Manager at Fortune Affiliates. Fortune Affiliates was a great learning ground for me, as I was part of the small team in Israel working remotely for a large company based in South Africa. Luckily, I was managed and coached by the fantastic Gavin Maselle, who gave me the chance to start as an Affiliate Manager when no- body else would. Fortune Affiliates, un- der Gavin’s management, gave me all the tools I needed and taught me everything I had to know in order to attract French affiliates. Even though Fortune is one of the biggest programs in the industry, they taught me how to buy traffic without any budget (in the beginning). I also learned how to deal with the procedures used by large companies, such as delivering mar- keting material or making change happen in order to succeed in a market that is very competitive and where you were not posi- tioned yet. Today all this helps me to manage our program in the right way and avoid affili- ate management mistakes. Additionally, every time we launch into a new market, we can do it properly – meaning slowly – considering all the necessary aspects of every new market. There are hundreds of online casinos for players to choose from. What chal- lenges do new entries in the online gaming space face in attracting play- ers? What role do affiliates play in edu- cating players about new offerings like CosmikCasino and DeuceClub Casino? That’s true; there are hundreds of online casinos in the market, which is why we decided to launch on exclusive new on- ALEX ALFA AffPower “In order to reach our target markets we believe in working with a professional, international team – people who speak the native languages and understand the psychology of players and affiliates from the respective countries.” Affiliate Manager Interview Series