Moshiko Benguigui, Managing Partner of ROI Play Ltd., joins the latest series of affiliate interviews on Affiliate Grand Slam

Moshiko Benguigui speaks about ROI Play Ltd; a boutique hub uniting top-tier publishers with industry-leading advertisers. Their goal and focus is to send high value players to their partners – follow his story below.

How did ROI Play take off? Is iGaming your only vertical?

ROI Play came to fruition in 2019 and is powered by ROI Collective. ROI Collective is a boutique hub uniting top-tier publishers with industry-leading advertisers. The affiliate network is known for being highly exclusive and lucrative for both parties, facilitated by a skilled team of performance-oriented affiliate managers. As an industry leader in a number of verticals bringing high-quality customers to its advertisers through channels like PPC, Email Marketing, SMS, and more, ROI Collective saw an opportunity to expand our business model to include new verticals, thus, birthing ROI Play, which focuses on casino and gaming.

Tell us a bit more about your business model, concept, and culture.

ROI Play is a full-service affiliate network specialising in the online casino and gaming verticals. Our goal and focus is to send high value players to the brands we work with. We currently work with over 30 brands and the list continues to grow. We work closely with our partners and are proactive in optimising our traffic daily. Led by industry veterans, ROI Play understands, from an operator’s point of view, what is needed to make a campaign successful from all sides.

We have two teams on each side, publishers and advertisers, and they create a cohesive environment within the company where both share efforts and success. Each values its counterparts’ contribution to the overall process. They are both driven by results to provide our partners with the best setup on the market.

What sets you apart from other affiliate networks?

First, we are one of a handful of affiliate networks that solely focus on casino and gaming. Most other affiliates networks specialise in a few different verticals, thus, taking away from being solely focused on bringing high quality players to operators. Our primary goal is to make sure we only send quality players to our partners. Secondly, the team at ROI Play has over 30 years of combined casino, gaming, and affiliate marketing experience.

Just as we work closely with operators, we also work closely with publishers, to first screen them, making sure they are a good fit based on their experience, traffic sources, GEOs, and other factors, then matching them with the best brand so that all parties are happy.

We also offer a unique setup that finds the advertisers or publishers’ most accurate matches on our network, thus creating their next most lucrative business.

Which markets are you eyeing up as a priority and why? Do you see any potential in the emerging markets?

The markets we are prioritising right now are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. These have proven to yield the best player value for the traffic that we have, therefore, brands are eager to give us priority with regards to CPAs and budgets. We are always looking for opportunities to test new and emerging markets, as well.

If we are speaking in terms of potential, we want to see our affiliates expand their businesses beyond the markets they already know. An emerging market could be the next hotspot for our verticals, so part of being innovative is being open to new locations that we have not explored before.

Affiliate marketing is one of the most in-demand skills within the iGaming sector. Why in your view?

Being able to deliver quality players through affiliate marketing is the golden ticket, in my opinion. Finding the right balance of volume and quality is what all parties are striving for. Volume can be driven; however, if the player value is not there, the operator will walk away. ROI Play has a system built in place to be able to test at low volume meanwhile the traffic is assessed. We work closely with both sides to make sure the campaign is profitable and long lasting with all parties.

How important is social media activity for your affiliate business? How difficult is it with Google’s constant updates?

Social media activity is quite volatile, for all verticals, not only casino and gaming verticals. Although we are constantly testing, social media is not our primary focus as it is too unstable. We do, however, quickly capitalise when the updates are in our favor.

We rise to the challenges as they come by staying up-to-date with the latest trends and regulatory changes in the industry, which helps us provide our partners on either side the best added value. We still have not met a challenge we could not conquer.

Which qualities and skills are essential in an affiliate team/business?

To be successful in any affiliate marketing company, an affiliate marketing business in any vertical would need to have patience, resilience, ambition, an analytical and proactive approach, and creativity, just to name a few. I believe that affiliates should also be confident enough to step outside of their comfort zone; whether this means targeting new GEOs or trying out different digital marketing techniques.

What does it take for an affiliate network to thrive?

For an affiliate network to thrive, it needs to have close, trusting relationships with its clients, affiliates, and also internally. There are many moving parts within an affiliate network and being able to make sure that all parts are functioning properly is the key, however, one cannot be good at any of these parts without trust and cooperative approach. The key parts in running an affiliate network are: business development, affiliate management, and technology that empower businesses across our network.

How does technology play a part in your day-to-day?

Technology is one of the most important parts of our day-to-day. It is vital for operators to have systems that work and updated throughout the day. Likewise, ROI Play has a BI system that is user friendly and most of our offers update in real time.

The BI system provides our affiliates with critical data that helps them track and improve their performance with insights and analysis to level up their business and performance. Nothing gets lost under the radar with our unique system, and this is why our affiliates are always bringing their A game.

Our setup is yet another technological solution which allows us to guarantee that the wants and needs of our partners are met each and every time.

How can affiliates be more unique in their approach?

As I said earlier, one skill that is needed to succeed in affiliate marketing is thinking outside the box. Affiliates need to be bold, to try new things, and to explore new options. We also recommend that they consult with their affiliate managers. The affiliate manager is a key person in creating effective marketing strategies, and is always exposed to new trends as they work with multiple affiliates. They can provide affiliates with important insights that they wouldn’t necessarily get elsewhere.

Have you ever been to SiGMA? SiGMA Europe, Africa, Asia, or Americas – which of these four expo shows would you likely book on your diary for 2021, COVID-19 permitting?

Yes, I have attended previous events held by SiGMA, where we had several wonderful opportunities in networking with new potential partners in the industry. A large number of them became our new business partners in joining our network. I would likely attend SiGMA Europe this year.

Tell us a bit about yourself – after all, business is done with people, not just companies! Your hobbies, favourite book, favourite quote, whether you are into gaming yourself, etc.

I enjoy staying active, doing outdoor activities with my fiancée, and traveling (once Covid is over). My favorite quote is by Dwayne Johnson: ‘Always asked “What’s the key to success?” The key is, there is no key. Be humble, hungry and always be the hardest worker in the room.’

Read more about SiGMA Affiliate Grand Slam here.

SiGMA Roadshow: Next stop Nigeria

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