GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 7 - January 2009

58 GPWA Times | Affiliate Manager Interview Series LINA ERIKSSON | Gnuf.biz What distinguishes Gnuf from other affiliate programs? Who else has had a promo rolling the world’s biggest dice down a mountain? What more do I have to say?! No, seriously, it’s a great team behind the Gnuf partner program with extensive experi- ence from the gambling industry – we don’t mind saying that we’re the top of the crop. We’re very inno- vative, have lots of great promotions, and are always open-minded for new ideas. We’re not afraid to try out new things. Whichmarkets do mostofyourplay- ers come from? Gnuf launched just over two years ago, and we’re based in Scandinavia, also with offices in Malta. So our main market is mainly from the devel- oped poker countries that try out new brands, such as Scandinavia and Germany. We’re very big in those regions but we’re constantly growing in mainland Europe. The goal is of course to make Gnuf a household brand, but still keep its “Gnufness.” One of your commercials on the Internet was nominated for an award this year. What is the commercial about? And how did Gnuf come up with it? As mentioned earlier, it takes a team that is not afraid of trying new things to pull off a campaign like that. It was a very cool promo, and hey, we were not just nomi- nated – we actually won! Have you seen anything like that in on- line gaming advertising? We rolled the world’s biggest dice from the top of a mountain in Greenland using a helicopter and the players had to guess the dice roll outcome. Being that the result ended up as “snake eyes” just in- creased the hype around it. Those affiliates that came to Barcelona in 2007 could see the two massive dice, which we brought along with us. OK, we managed to wreck the entrance of the hotel with them, but it was worth it. How did you get started in the online gambling business? Well, I moved to London back in 2004. I was looking around for a job, and a Swedish customer sup- port position in a gambling com- pany came up. I thought I’d give it a go and soon after I started, a Swedish-speaking person was required for the affiliate depart- ment, so I jumped at the opportu- nity – and the rest, as they say, is history. You recently left a position in the affiliate marketing depart- ment of Gala Coral, which has a strong land-based presence. How is it different working for a company that is exclusively online? Working for a company such as Gala, which had a large amount of land-based clubs, had its benefits. The brand was al- ready established and known and the wealth of experience brought by the land-based staff helped in tuning online incentives, games, and promotions. On the other hand, working for a company with no bricks and mor- tar andpolicies legacy is lighter and more flexible. The online customer base has a wider demography and the industry is more vibrant and dynamic and has fresh aspiration. This triggers more challenges and quicker response without having to justify moves to the more heavy structure and brand identity that an established land-based opera- tor may have. The online industry requires a faster change of direc- tion as and when necessary. Working on the Internet is excit- ing and challenging and requires a “thinking out of the box” ap- proach without the fear of trying many new concepts. What’s the most difficult part of your job? Not be too stressed about the MSN flashing every second… lol. There’s a lot going on all the time, so it’s important to be focused and be ahead of ev- erything that’s going on. Then of course, it’s the morning after the affiliate events; that’s not an easy part, either. What’s the most exciting part of your job? Each day is differ- ent from the previous one, plus meeting new affiliates and build- ing strong relationships is incred- ibly cool and rewarding. The work also includes a lot of traveling around the world to meet with everyone. It is a social job, and it is important for me to get a face to the people I am working with, and I know the affiliates like that as well. What’s the last book you read? What did you like about it? Last book I read was The Cham- ber , by John Grisham. You can’t stop reading it, it’s intriguing. What’s your favorite movie and why? Crash – it’s a great movie that touches a lot of emo- tions. I love films that have a twist to them. What’s the first concert you at- tended in person? Do I have to tell you that? It was Roxette, I was only about 10 years old… “It must have been love.” If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change? Nothing; you shouldn’t have any regrets. Ev- erything that happens, happens for a reason. “We and the affiliates are both working toward the same goal. It’s a two- way relationship, and I expect them to work as hard as we do when we create a special campaign for them.”