GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 5 - May 2008

36 GPWA TIMES | Affiliate Manager Interview Series 5 for 5: For your edification, our fifth issue presents an affiliate manager quintet Meet five of the brightest stars in the Affiliate Program firmament! Managers from 32Red, PDC Affiliates, PartnerLogic, AffiliateClub, and ShareTheChili take us into the innermost recesses of their programs, their personal lives, and their thoughts on where the industry is going. Read, and become enlightened.* *Due to space constraints, we could not print the interviews in their entirety. We will post the complete text on their profile pages at GPWA.org. Nadine Cassar | ShareTheChili.com Where did this unique name, ShareTheChili, come from? ShareTheChili was launched in De- cember 2007 just about when GPWA approved the program as a platinum sponsor. ShareTheChili is the exclusive affiliate program of Chilipoker. The name came from the fact that rev- enue deriving from the Chili brands – Chilipoker, Chili- bet and Chilicasino – is generously shared with our affiliate partners; hence the name ShareTheChili! What differenti- ates Chilipoker from other online poker rooms? Chilipoker is a fresh and vibrant life- style site that offers players customized promotions: Chili- poker TV, cover- ing all main poker tournaments; Spicy News Section, where players can spy on the profes- sionals during tournaments, exhibi- tions, conferences and parties; and regular exclusive Chilipoker promo- tions! In fact Chilipoker is currently offering its players the chance to win a 10-day poker trip to Marrakesh in June – package worth $7,000 and in- cludes traveling expenses and buy-ins to six tournaments, with a chance to win part of the guaranteed prize pool of $1 million. With so many affiliate programs to choose from ShareTheChili provides affiliates with a transparent reporting system, top-notch Chili brands (Chili- poker, Chilicasino and Chilibet), con- tinuous development of the program, and a newly launched loyalty system that gives affiliates a bonus according to their status as they climb the lad- der from Jade to Diamond. What’s the key to building success- ful relationships between affiliates and affiliate programs? Commu- nication and being proactive are definitely key factors. While we’re working hard for our affiliates, we expect affiliates to do likewise by keeping abreast of promotions, up- dating their Web sites and focusing on growing their business. How do you help affiliates position themselves to maximize profitabil- ity? Affiliates cannot all be classi- fied under the same umbrella. We cannot possibly use the same meth- ods or approaches across the board. Top affiliates have the expertise and knowledge on how to conduct their business and in general need little guidance. Affiliates on this level require top-notch account manage- ment, which ShareTheChili.com can provide. As for affiliates just set- ting out in the industry, we can help them define a business model and a unique value proposition to drive targeted traffic. We’ve done some digging around, and there is some evidence that you were once Miss Malta. Is that true? Hey, you caught me! You have some good investigators at the GPWA. What was competing in Miss Inter- national and Miss Earth like? Rep- resenting my country in Japan was a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experi- ence. The two-week adventure flew by due to the super-hectic schedule we had. It also felt a bit like school since we were not allowed to ven- ture outside the 5-Star deluxe hotel boundary walls unless accompanied by the chaperone. One night, however, a group of us managed to sneak out of the hotel and went clubbing till late morning. The good thing is that we did not get caught! After the contest I went to Italy for a one-year contract; however, I made the decision to move back home and further my studies. If youwere casting amovie inwhich you played the lead role, and you had your choice of anyone in the world, who would you pick to play your romantic interest? My life can at times feel like a movie, and tak- ing that into perspective, my boy- friend has been doing a great job at playing the part! “While we’re working hard for our affiliates, we expect affiliates to do likewise by keeping abreast of promotions, updating their Web sites, and focusing on growing their business.”