You might recall that at iGB Affiliate London in February, we held a #SelfiewithLee competition. We invited delegates to take a picture with our CEO Lee-Ann Johnstone and share it on social media, with the chance of getting featured on our website being the prize.
Affise won that privilege and now, we put CEO & Founder Stanislau Litvinau in the spotlight. He sat down with us to discuss the company’s affiliate marketing goals.
In particular, Litvinau was keen to address the industry’s desire for new technologies. Part of knowing what affiliates and affiliate managers want comes down to being a good listener, which is something that Johnstone has discussed in the past.
And without further ado, here’s what Affise’s main figurehead had to share with us.
Affiverse: How and when it all started for you in affiliate marketing business?
Stanislau Litvinau: “Affiliate marketing has been an integral part of my life since 2002. Since then I have launched dozens of successful projects in different spheres of the space, plus managing several CPI networks as a CEO and Founder.
“Basically, that was when I first faced the imperfections of existing technological solutions on the market. That was the exact time I came up with a dream to create the most efficient solution for affiliate networks (mainly for CPA and CPI networks) that would meet their requirements and needs.
“In 2016 we made our dream come true, and now you can enjoy the results of our efforts and experience while using the Affise performance marketing platform.”
AI: What made you step into iGaming in particular?
SI: “It all started for us a year ago, when we noticed an interesting tendency that more iGaming and sports betting companies started to approach us. They had the desire to use our platform for managing their affiliate programs. It was surprising for us to see such an interest in our product in these niches, as we were not aimed at this market initially.
“We decided to research the market a bit and the best way to do it, we believe, is going right into the heart of where the industry is shaped – the conferences. Thus, we attended our first iGaming affiliate conference last February. There, we found out that this industry has long been waiting for the solution we offer.”
AI: What are the current gaps and challenges that you see?
SI: “Speaking from a technology-wise point of view, the industry is thirsty for new solutions. A few monopolists can no longer satisfy the demand and requirements of current times. They are too rigid to customers’ requests and not innovative enough.
“Instead, we’re more flexible, success-driven and customer-obsessed. We see the challenge and try to be the first who addresses it with the unique solutions. So even now, we could notice that we’ve already broken the ice. Our competitors in this niche are starting to adopt and implement our solutions and innovations into their platforms. Which is great, I suppose. Competition is the only way forward, isn’t it?”
AI: You’ve got offices in a few countries – Lithuania, Belarus and China to name some. How has being based in different parts of the world helped you to generate new and innovative ideas?
SI: “Imagine, we have 1000+ clients from 104 countries. Our Customer Success managers communicate with them daily, so we know all the tendencies that go around the industry. We also know the peculiarities of different markets, and the features they need the most.
“Besides, maintaining the standards of our service and support has always been crucial for us. Thus, when we see an upcoming interest in our products in particular markets, we feel obliged to provide our customers and partners with an even higher level of on-the-ground customer service, facilitating their growth upwards and beyond.”
AI: At iGB Affiliate London, what were the biggest affiliate marketing talking points that you noticed? And on a more personal level, what do you think will evolve in the industry this year?
SI: “We see a never-ending discussion about the most profitable payment structure in iGaming, whether it is CPA, revenue share, or hybrid. And if you ask different people this question, you will likely receive different answers.
“An advertiser may prefer working on a CPA model, sometimes exclusively with first deposits. But a betting company may find revenue share to be the most profitable. And a network would share responsibilities. They might choose hybrid as a compromise that covers expenses on media buying and get lifetime value at the same time.
“It’s always interesting to keep an eye on iGaming from the perspective of different locations. Evidently, to earn more gaming and online casino owners are looking at ways to enter new markets. And here, interesting things happen. You can’t simply move to a new market with your existing product, because it may simply be badly-perceived there due to the cultural background.
“What one country finds funny, another will consider boring or even offensive. Additionally, legal requirements vary a lot. This influences the content of the same game in different countries. So it’s interesting to observe new games and new trends arising on these grounds.”
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