GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 8 - April 2009

22 GPWA Times | PERCENTAGE OF AFFILIATE SAMPLE BY KEY CHARACTERISTICS 2-3 years More than 6 years 3-4 years 4-5 years 5-6 years 1-2 years Less than a year 17.2% 22.8% 18.4% 11.6% 7.9% 3.7% 18.4% Years as an Affiliate 18 to 25 years 36 to 45 years 46 to 55 years Over 56 years 26 to 35 years 10.7% 41.3% 26.9% 14% 7% Age Female Male 17% 83% Gender I n July 2008 Income Access conducted an affiliate marketing survey to identify fun- damental needs and preferences of affili- ates and to target the resources that allow them to succeed. With an overwhelmingly positive 72.3% response rate, Income Access was able to collect data on communication preferences, knowledge and use of key industry resources, favored reporting tools, and general marketing practices across several gaming verticals. Comparing the experiences of a wide selection of affiliates from different vertical promotional focuses (casino, bingo, etc.) against demograph- ic information, we were able to identify trends and ways in which affiliates could improve their business models. Vertical promotion In terms of possible emerging trends, casino and sportsbook were the only verticals with sig- nificant correlations with years of affiliate expe- rience. More experienced affiliates were more likely to report strong promotion of the casino vertical, whereas new affiliates were more likely to promote the sportsbook vertical. Supporting Income Access’s philosophy of working with these long-tail affiliates, the sur- vey showed that there are currently many affili- ates who are building their strategic experience in the sector – perhaps poised to become the next super affiliates. These results from vertical promotions suggested that there are niche op- portunities for such potential future super affili- ates in market verticals – including sportsbet- ting and mobile. Industry resources As for key industry events, significant positive cor- relations were found between attendance at the top-level events and increasing revenues. Affiliates who attend key events are better able to network, establish strategic partnerships, and access new marketing resources. And the survey says… The results from the Income Access Affiliate Survey illustrate that it’s no coincidence that most successful affiliates share common marketing strategies and business philosophies And the survey says