GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 27 - February 2014

We do not segment the users by the channel they came from – for example, through an affiliate; we segment them rather by their behavior so that we can give them the right attention and promo- tions. Automated custom campaigns are also in place and working with each player around the clock. What I like to focus on is actively working together with our affiliates and constant- ly testing, for example, landing pages to optimize results. This ensures we have a high CTR. A key USP we have is the ComeOn! shop. This is where players can spend the points they collect as they play, which is a first- class retention tool. Our dedicated VIP manager takes care of our VIP players ex- tensively and works constantly to produce special offers for them, too, according to their needs. Describe the office culture at ComeOn!. If there were a fly on the wall, what are some of the topics of conversation it would hear about at the water cooler? The office culture is always vibrant; we have a very flat organization and every- body can talk to everybody. Outside the office we are all friends; we like to social- ize and do things together. It is like one big family. Current talk around the water cooler is about whether we should get an Xbox One or PS4. In the last four months we’ve recruited 16 new people (mostly in our customer ser- vice department), so that means a lot of learning and training. It is great to see the team grow and develop. At ComeOn!, life is good. While it is very much a work-hard atmosphere we know how to have fun, too. You won’t find your ordinary receptionists here. Currently the reception space is occupied by Jaws and Anjawlina (our goldfish and black moor) and our ComeOn! table tennis table. Talk on a Friday concerns what time we will be filling the beer fridge. Worth mentioning is that we are always interested in hearing from people who think they have the skills and passion to help us build a great company from the ground floor. How do you ensure that payments are sent out on time? And when do your payments go out? Our payments go out by the 10th of every month. NetRefer, our back-end software, makes it easy for us to run reports and manage our affiliate pay- ments accurately and in a timely manner. I closely monitor stats and payments are then processed by our payments team. Where do you think the industry will be in five years? If I had to take a guess at where we will be in five years, I would say that the U.S will open up and play a mas- sive role. What the industry needs is con- sistency. A federal solution would give us some of that consistency without taking away states’ rights. Currently though, state by state appears to be the way forward, rather than fed- eral progress. I expect land-based casinos to dominate the online space, with this state-by-state regulation making it difficult for an out- side casino to get a look in. I can see es- tablished online giants offering white la- bel solutions to the big land-based guys as a way in. Also, as a fresh generation of players is growing and users are seeking more and more, I expect mobile, live and social products to grow rapidly and be of huge importance in shaping things to come. And Bitcoin, while still in an infant stage, could spawn into something meaningful, with real staying power. What do you know about the industry now that you wish you’d known when you first started? Trust your instincts, enjoy the ride, expect change and adapt. If someone from out of town were to visit you, where is the one place you would have to take them? Columbia Road flower market, followed by White Hart Lane. What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?Anddidyou read it onane-read- er? Or do you need to have a copy of the physical book in your hand? Steve Jobs , by Walter Isaacson. I still reach for paper- back copies every time, for now at least. Word is you used to have a pet pig? Can you tell us how that came to be? What’s it like, living with a pig? Actually the pig kind of came with a villa a few of us rented while we were living in Cyprus a few years back. We were working out of Limassol on a few sites at the time. Sadly, I am pretty sure he is now bacon. What is your favorite movie? I have sev- eral favorite movies, such as the old clas- sics like Citizen Kane . But I have probably watched The Big Lebowski most, so I will go with that. Also anything by Tarantino is up there. If you had a theme song, what would it be? The Hives – “Come On!” If we picked up your iPod and pressed play, what song would be playing? Blaise has done a great job with Boiler Room (boilerroom.tv), so probably some- thing from there at the moment. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go? Las Vegas for a weekend. Barbados for something more long term. We are lucky in this industry in that we can work from anywhere, but it is nice to switch off occasionally. If you could have dinner with three other people, living or dead, who would they be? Two Playboy models and Adnan Maslo. 69 Affiliate Manager Interview Series