GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 27 - February 2014

You’ve been with ComeOn! since the start, almost two years now. What has the experience of build- ing a brand from the ground up been like? The view at the time was that gaming companies were stuck with technical issues, lackluster processes and inefficient communication. We saw how this was limiting the customer experience, and felt the urge to take a step forward and build a brand for the future. At ComeOn! we pride ourselves as being forward thinking, focusing on every little detail that could in turn improve the user experience. We offer a great visual experience, and pushing the boundaries has been a fantastic undertaking. We are lucky in that we have a team of people who have been in the industry for a long time and have established solid relationships with good connec- tions to many partners and affiliate networks. This helped us grow fast, and continue to grow. The online gambling industry is full of examples of casinos and affiliate programs that didn’t sur- vive even one year, let alone two. What have been the keys to the success of the ComeOn! brand? Dedication – and lots of planning. We are constant- ly optimizing every little aspect of our affiliate pro- gram, upgrading products and adding new features in order to deliver the best to our affiliates. We have also grown to become a trusted and respon- sible brand that affiliates want to work with, which is very important. Recently, affiliates have become more selective with the brands and individuals they work with due to various changes in the industry and ultimately affiliates losing their earnings. In addition to fully supporting no negative carryover and cross-product commissions, we ensure our af- filiates have everything they need to give them the edge when promoting our various products, from i-frames for casino, live odds feeds and custom pro- motions to co-branded landing pages and registra- tion forms. Finally, we also offer promos and bonuses to our cus- tomers which are sensible. We want to keep our cus- tomers playing with us rather than somewhere else. In 2012, ComeOn! was named the Best Newcomer AffiliateProgramat the iGamingBusinessAwards. What did that recognition mean to the program? It was huge and meant a great deal. Looking back, I remember thinking we had a chance, but on the other hand we found ourselves up against a couple of first-class global brands which had recently intro- duced an affiliate program. A lot of effort went into setting up the program, es- tablishing brand presence and most of all, catering to all of our affiliates with limited resources. It was an important step; recently new programs have jumped on the bandwagon and are now pop- ping up all over the place. Having a trophy in the cabinet proves that we are serious and know what we are doing. Also, being nominated for EGR’s rising star award demonstrates our approach is a success. How do you see the GPWA fitting into the mar- keting efforts of ComeOn!? Why is forum par- ticipation important for affiliate managers and affiliate programs in general? We partnered with the GPWA from the start to help us communicate with new and existing partners and also to put our- selves there in the shop window and not shy away. It is another string to our bow if you like. With my experience as an affiliate, I had trust dealing with programs with the GPWA seal. I hope that GPWA members will agree that in terms of overall gambling industry knowledge combined with marketing expertise, we offer a powerful solution. Furthermore, without giving away too much, we will be going through some further positive changes in the coming year, which will only serve to benefit new and existing affiliates at the GPWA even more. The ComeOn! affiliate program promotes only one online casino/sportsbook brand. What, in your opinion, are the advantages for affiliates in working with a program that only represents one brand as opposed to multiple online casino brands? With one brand, it means we can special- ize in evolving the ComeOn! experience effectively and maximize value for affiliates. What’s the point of having six ineffective brands that don’t convert when you can have one large brand that does? There is limited space for affiliates to push their biggest brands; why waste it on six ineffective brands that might not deliver desired results? What markets does ComeOn! view as its primary target audiences? Where do you make most of your revenue? Any emerging markets affiliates should know about? The majority of our customer base is from the Nordics. That is our stronghold. Things are also looking positive in the U.K. and the Netherlands, Australia and Poland. We have also re- cently launched in Germany, which I am optimistic will grow to become a key market for us. While there is huge cost involved with entering any newmarket or territory, we are constantly looking at emerging markets, new opportunities and new ways to drive revenues.We have faith sincewe have unique selling propositions (USPs) and can move quickly. JAMIE EDWARDS ComeOn! 67 Affiliate Manager Interview Series