Affiliate Manager Interview Series | Hannah Green, bet365

[GPWA Aaron]

You received an English degree from Sheffield Hallam University in 2011 and also started a Master’s in Marketing that same year at the University of Keele. How did you pull off working on two degrees concurrently?
I graduated in November and started my Master’s degree just two months before this, so there wasn’t too much of an overlap if I’m honest! I selected English Studies for my undergraduate degree because it was a subject that I always enjoyed and the course meant that I could focus on all aspects of the English language and literature.

However, throughout studying for my Marketing Master’s degree it became more apparent to me that I had found the perfect fit. Marketing allows me to show the originality and flexibility that I enjoyed so much about my English degree while giving a more structured framework in which to thrive. It was the challenge of working toward a specific goal and enabling me to channel and direct creativity into quantitative results that I enjoyed.

What did you know about the online gambling industry when you started?
From living in Stoke-on-Trent I have always been aware of the ever-expanding bet365 offices and so naturally presumed that this was indicative of the rest of the industry. Knowing that bet365 had made the decision to sell all their shops and focus their approach to the online market was evidence of the strength and depth of the online gambling industry.

Clearly this was the right decision as the online gambling industry is thriving and continues to show significant growth year on year. When bet365 made the decision to move solely online it was regarded by many as a bold and brave decision which has obviously paid off with dividends.

You recently changed roles within the company and are now a performance marketing manager, correct? What are your new responsibilities within that role? And how does it differ from being an affiliate manager?
The new roles embody all aspects of our marketing responsibilities to the business. We cater for a range of channels outside of the traditional affiliate model, and this is reflected more accurately by the new title, which also reflects further changes to the role that have been made internally. Naturally, a significant part of our role is maintaining and managing existing relationships, ensuring that we are working as closely and proactively with our partners as possible; however, we also act as a point of contact for newer opportunities, either coming into the industry or simply looking to work with bet365 for the first time. The role is very expansive and therefore it opens itself up to many varied opportunities. This is one of the most enjoyable aspects as every day is different.

The “performance” aspect outlines the very nature of the industry; we’re forever looking at a breakdown of the statistics and seeing how/where we can work with our partners in order to assist them in improving their bet365 marketing efforts, which in turn will ultimately generate greater commissions.

Did you think about working in the gaming industry when you were at university?
It definitely crossed my mind – a few times, actually. As mentioned previously, due to living in the local area it was clear to me that it was a business that was thriving, and I have a few close friends who worked for bet365 while I was at university. They were always really positive about the company and its opportunities.

When bet365 first opened our call center in Australia, for example, one of my best friends flew over to help train up staff. It’s really exciting to be involved in a new setup, and as part of an innovative and fast-moving company we’re forever assessing new territories and looking to expand on our current outreach.

Do you have a particular gaming vertical that you focus on or do you work with all of bet365’s products?
Due to the nature of the business, and our strong ability to cross sell between products, it means that a lot of the customers play multiple products. But my main focus is primarily casino. We have a high number of dedicated performance marketing managers, with the majority covering sports and the rest covering gaming (casino, bingo, poker and games). The structure works really well for us and means that there’s a specific point of contact for each affiliate campaign.

Casino is a very important product to bet365 – attracting both direct casino customers and players who cross over from other products. Most recently, we’ve introduced a “Vegas” tab which hosts the new Net Entertainment releases and we’re forever looking into ways to improve the user experience

At bet365 Casino, players have access to over 250 games (including the latest branded slots) along with a leading live-dealer experience. The market is competitive, and we have a dedicated promotions team who strive to cater to both new and existing customers. As a one-wallet system, we’re continually cross promoting during big events . . . so you can expect some big casino incentives during the World Cup.

bet365 did quite well at the recent iGB Affiliate Awards, earning Best Affiliate Program honors for poker, sportsbook and overall categories. What does that recognition mean to bet365?
The iGB awards are hugely important to both our team and the business, providing a clear recognition of our achievements and hard work. While we’ve held the title for Best Affiliate Program Overall for the past five years, more recent accolades such as the “Best Poker Affiliate Program” reflect our increased efforts to improve all of our existing products.

Describe the office culture at bet365.
The culture in the bet365 office is very much centered on working hard. Although we are a social bunch and you’ll probably hear us talking about our next team outing, that aside, everybody is very much focused on their partners (or discussing them), and so the office is constantly busy with members of the department on the go whether they are hammering out e-mail, on the phones, off to internal meetings, off to see partners or, currently, preparing for a conference.

Within the office, who have you learned the most from since joining the industry? And what are some of the most important things that person taught you?
I think that it’s difficult to pick just one person as I’ve learned a great deal from each of my colleagues past and present. We employ a mentoring program when managers first join the department, and I guess that one of the first things I learned was to be organized. Obviously we receive a great deal of e-mail on a daily basis and so it’s key to react/respond in order of priority. Further to this and working closely with the gaming side of the business, we’re regularly acquiring new releases and trying out new promotions. It’s important to keep up to date with these and ensure that our affiliates are well informed.

What do you know about the industry now that you wish you’d known when you first started?
I wish I’d learned more about the Web development side of things when I was at university. It’s important to have a general knowledge of this in our role and my understanding has naturally improved, but I think that this would have really aided my initial conversations with affiliate partners.

Where do you think the industry will be in five years?
I think that it will be even bigger than it is now. Looking at the conference turnouts each year, there are new faces each time and the attendance rate is forever increasing. It’s really exciting to be part of an industry with such growth and we welcome new affiliate relationships at bet365.

Where did you grow up? And how would you describe life in Stoke-on-Trent?
I grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and although sometimes it gets put down for perhaps not being the most glamorous setting, it’s where my family and friends are. Being in the Midlands, we’re pretty central to bigger cities like Manchester/Liverpool, which is convenient not only for meeting with partners but also means there are always additional vibrant city culture and nights out not too far away. There are also regular trains, and a trip to London takes just over an hour.

If someone from out of town were to visit you, where is the one place you would have to take them?
Being an avid Stoke City fan (owned by the Coates family) I would have to take them to the Britannia Stadium to sample the Bear Pit atmosphere. Mark Hughes has got the team playing some really great football at the moment and we finished in our highest ever position in the Premier League, with our highest points tally in the 2013/14 season.

Aside from this, Staffordshire hosts one of the largest U.K. music festivals in the summer of each year, V Festival. Having attended the festival on a couple of occasions, it’s definitely one of the best events hosted near Stoke, and a must see for those first visiting the area.

What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?
I read a lot of the classics at university; however, I’ve recently started the Game of Thrones series. I’m a massive follower of the TV adaptation and I wanted to see how the books differed, which filled a void while I waited for the next series!

What I particularly enjoy about Game of Thrones is the foresight and strategic approach employed by some of the characters. I find it really interesting the way one character can see the chain of effects caused by a single action. The forward planning and resulting consequences all play out perfectly as predicted, ultimately positioning them with the upper hand.

What do you use for most of your Web surfing: desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone?
It varies, really, between my desktop, iPad and iPhone. If it’s a big shopping session, I’ll need something with more than a three-hour battery life!

I think that this reflects the direction that the industry is taking. Consumers favor convenience and it’s so easy to search for things on your mobile nowadays. Obviously bet365 reacts to this and we have mobile-specific promotions for each product.

If we picked up your iPod (or more likely your iPhone) and pressed play, what song would be playing?
I’m a big fan of music and my taste varies from indie to chart music to dance. I’ve been listening to Haim’s album on my way to and from work, so that’s probably the most recent on my playlist.

If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
I’m hoping to travel the U.S. next year. While New York appeals to me for the shops and the sights, I’d like to visit Vegas and experience the gambling culture. It would be interesting to see the difference between the online side of things that I currently see and the offline world of gambling.

If you could have dinner with three other people, living or dead, who would they be?
It’s difficult to pick just three people! I’d have to go with David Beckham because he’s a sporting legend/gorgeous, Beyoncé because she’s a strong lady who makes great music and my mum!

What are three things about you that no one knows?
I’m a pretty open person, really, but for those who don’t know me: I’m climbing Mount Snowdon next month, I’ve got all of my piano grades and I’ve recently been on an episode of "You’ve Been Framed!"