The CEO and co-founder of the company Surfer Penguim, Pablo Fernandez gave a recent interview to Affiliate Grand Slam SiGMA. He told details about the operation of the business and what motivated him to enter the affiliate segment.
Surfer has a young team, dedicated and attentive to the latest market and social media trends. Nowadays, the company is very focused on the countries of Latin America and Spain, since they are the languages that they are fluent (Portuguese and Spanish).
Fernandez also stressed that the daily priority is performance, usability and accessibility on the network. In addition, the company seeks to produce unique, up-to-date, high-quality content.
Check out the full interview with Pablo Fernandez, CEO and co-founder of Surfer Penguin:
How did your affiliate business take off? And is iGaming your only vertical?
We are a young team that has worked for the best betting companies and affiliates in the world, such as Betsson Group, Catena Media or Game Innovation Group. We always had in mind to found our own company and there we are in Malta, the ideal place where talent, knowledge and expertise came together. Then, the rest happened. iGaming is our only vertical and is the environment where we move with the most comfort.
What contributes to the success of your performance?
Performance is a daily task, with constant improvements and new trends. Surfer Penguin pays special attention to the performance, usability and accessibility of the web. Our performance is good because we try to make websites fast without errors and using light plugins and good servers with updated products and the latest technologies.
What makes your traffic proposal / traffic sites unique?
We try to be unique with our content, we have good content editors and we offer good reviews, articles and news in Spanish.
What sets you apart from other affiliates?
We are a young and fresh team. We speak English, Spanish and Portuguese, and we have links with the markets in which we operate. We all have experience in the best betting companies in the world, in different departments, which gives us an in-depth look at the affiliate industry.
What motivates you in your affiliate business?
We are passionate about what we do. As a result, our statistics are constantly improving, and this is the main reason for us to continue growing. Getting to a certain level is difficult. Maintaining is a requirement, but constantly improving is our goal. We create good quality products and good results are the best motivation to continue working.
Do you create all marketing material in-house or do you hire a third-party company to perform the service?
Yes, our efforts are in several directions. From the beginning, we had a complete view of the system and we had valuable human resources from marketing, graphic design and mainly content writers. Our content is unique, updated and written by specialists with deep experience in the field.
Surfer Penguin products and articles cannot be found on any other website and we are making them available in English, Spanish and, in the future, we will also translate them into Portuguese. In our team, we speak these languages.
How important is social media activity to your affiliate business? How difficult are the constant Google updates?
Social media today is critical to increasing leads and sales. Every day, we have new platforms like TikTok or Twitch, and it is very important to be present in these places at the right time. Surfer Penguin is focused on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, but we will definitely bet on new platforms.
Regarding the constant updates from Google, we are a generation that started saving our code on floppy disks and now we manage cloud servers. Updates are constant in our workflow.
We pay special attention to technology updates, not just on web standards regulators like W3C or WACC, but on the main technologies and market trends used by Google, Facebook, Amazon and future technologies like blockchain or AI. Difficulty becomes a challenge, and this is the game we choose.
Which markets do you consider a priority and why? Do you see any potential in the emerging markets?
Our priority markets are located in LatAm and Spanish speaking countries. It is a good opportunity and we have a command of the Spanish language. We are sure that Surfer Penguin products will be very well accepted in Latin American markets.
Which spots work best for your affiliate marketing and which are the most profitable? How did you find your most profitable spot?
I believe that the sports bag is our best spot; however, in the future, we will try to trade with forex cryptocurrencies, which is a lucrative new spot.
Wich role technology plays in your daily life?
I had two technical engineers at home when I was a child. I fixed broken TVs when I was seven, so technology is a natural for me.
We don’t abuse technology. We know how to use different technologies and scale or adapt them depending on the project. Sometimes, you need a simple solution to a complex problem and sometimes you need to use the latest technologies in a simple element.
What emerging technologies, such as AI and big data, will impact the affiliate industry in 2021 and beyond?
Data processing and Blockchain will become the most impactful technologies in 2021. Virtual and augmented reality will be a plus for the industry as a step forward in the entertainment industry.
With a lesser impact, the Internet of Things will have its share of the pie. But Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency-related payment methods will be the most visible and incoming changes in the industry.
How has the fragmentation of regulated markets affected your business? The UKGC, the Swedish regulator and now also the German regulator, are considering regulating this space.
Not so, as our target markets are Spanish-speaking markets based in Latin America and Spain. However, regulations in Spain are a challenge for us, because there are continuous changes without much meaning and without much information in terms of bonus and advertising restrictions.
What are your predictions for the future of the sector?
The future of the sector will be difficult. Affiliate companies have to be smart, adapting to different regulators and restrictions, and these are constantly changing. We have to be very up to date and only the smartest affiliates will survive.
How do you manage relationships with multiple operators? What can operators do to increase support for affiliates?
The relationship with the operators is very important. It is a challenge to maintain and take care of the relationship with operators and multiple platforms, such as NetRefer. Ideally, we could have a platform for everything.
How can affiliates be more unique in their approach?
They can specialize in certain markets or in certain operators that do not have much competition, such as new casinos or new markets in Latin America and start using new technologies, such as blockchain. In the field of VR, technology has to be better defined for the average user to be more profitable, and it does not depend on the iGaming industry.
What are the benefits of participating in major iGaming events and what can they do to improve?
Participating in iGaming events is necessary for the health of the industry. It is very important to keep in touch with other industries, exchange opinions, participate in advice and be updated with the new trends in the sector.
In 2021, with the vaccine against COVID, I hope that we can safely celebrate SiGMA and other events around the world. To do better, as time demands, is to provide that security.
Have you participated in SiGMA events? SiGMA Europe, Africa, Asia or the Americas – which of these four exhibition programs would you likely put on your 2021 agenda, if COVID-19 allows?
Yes, I already participated in SiGMA Europe in Malta and I really liked it. In 2021, I hope to be able to participate in SiGMA Europe, and I also have a special interest in SiGMA Americas, where Surfer Penguin has target markets.
Tell us a little about yourself – after all, business is done with people, not just companies! Your hobbies, favorite book, favorite quote, if you like games, etc.
I am a very curious and creative person. I lived in four countries and speak three languages. When the job is done, I like to entertain my mind with any creative activity, like drawing, taking pictures or any crafts that go through my mind.
My favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole. One of my favorite quotes is from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away.”
