AFFPRO Affiliate Network – iGaming Reviews by AffPapa
In the latest episode of the iGaming Reviews, AffPapa prepared a detailed review of AFFPRO Affiliate Network's website, with a comprehensive overview of their offerings.
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Interview with Ricardo Ferreira – CEO at Branders and 21 Affiliates
AffPapa recently interviewed Ricardo Ferreira, CEO at Branders and 21 Affiliates, about the biggest challenges and future trends of the iGaming industry.
Yeva: Ricardo, you’ve been in the industry for quite some time, and you’ve built a strong reputation in the industry. Can you take us through your journey – what initially attracted you to the iGaming space, and what key moments shaped your path to founding Branders and 21 Affiliates?
It’s been an exciting and interesting ride so far. Challenging as well, but that is the nature of this industry. I started this journey in 2013 as a Marketing Manager operating in the online lottery vertical in South Africa. I was presented with the opportunity as my first experience in iGaming, so it was a bit of a gamble (pun not intended). It grew in me, and in 2017, I moved to Malta in pursuit of experiencing the online casino world. Upon gaining some knowledge as a CRM Manager, eventually, my journey led to Branders as Head of Retention and eventually evolved into a more operational business role until I accepted my current job as CEO in January 2023. My main occupation since has been re-shaping Branders’ structure and the business model, adapting to landscape changes and the evolution of the business itself, which pretty much requires progress from the business development side of it. 21 Affiliates is one of our 4 programmes to accommodate earnings to our acquisition partnerships, amongst our 4 online casino brands (21 Casino, Playgrand, Casilando, and Slot Planet).
Yeva: Building and, especially, leading a successful company comes with its challenges. What were some of the biggest ones you faced when launching Branders and 21 Affiliates, and how did you overcome them? Are there any particular lessons from that experience that still influence your decision-making today?
A common challenge is the inevitable closure of markets due to regulations applied where we see no feasible ROI to justify keeping operations further. That said, we need to find different avenues, such as detecting clever investment allocation on saturated markets, with a sustainable rotation so we explore the profitability options towards better budget applications while finding new markets to mitigate losses from dropped ones. There is competition increase and/or a bit of an increased risk, respectively, since there are uncharted territories where only testing will dictate the success of penetration. In both cases calculated risk is present in decision making, whether in budgeting to acquire more market share on our primordial markets, such as the UK and the Nordic countries, or the amount of effort necessary to start operations in new markets, that require localized actions to succeed (language, payment methods, product, etc). The competitiveness in the sector also requires changes in the affiliate business relationships to have a mutual healthy partnership. We are good at analysing potential in markets that we can grow and have great traction, and we have proven that. But we have to start somewhere, and sometimes slowly, to test it out. Fortunately, we have affiliates that understand these dynamics and agree on testing the waters since we always commit to sharing higher profits with partners that truly want to take the journey with us.
The lessons learnt are a reflection of the above. There have been jurisdictions we had to know how to let go in order to focus on more sustainable ones. Great communication with our partners has always been considered in order to continue the search for growth in a way that both parties are aligned with the vision. We found a positive lesson out of a lower expectation, for example, in Sweden, where we operate in the English language. That was a success case found after we had to delocalize our marketing efforts. We also need to have some patience to get some traction on both acquisition and retention. We need to fine-tune our branding, our placement, the way our exposure is in line with what we can offer, what we represent, and all the attributes that get a player to relate to us. All departments are aware of all efforts; hence, we have a solid and consistent integration of actions, from automated to customized offers, VIP fair rewards, a customer support team that is knowledgeable and assists the player experience on every level. We ultimately operate our marketing under one main premise, which is reminding the player why they play casino in the first place. It’s for fun. That consistency generates loyalty.
Yeva: 21 Affiliates operates in a highly competitive industry. What do you think sets your affiliate program apart, and how do you ensure affiliates choose to work with you over other networks?
This question is obviously a selling point opportunity… but I would rather answer with a simple, honest approach. That’s the word: honesty. The principle that defines us. We don’t pretend to be something we are not, and we are aware of where we stand, where we can go, and where we want to go. That being said, the programme is customizable and flexible, so we take some liberties, some leaps of faith and sacrifices, as proof of concept and as good will, even if our margins shrink through hybrid deals or the no negative carryover we support, because we believe it’s better to have something than nothing. We do have very reasonable protectionism terms towards the affiliates, and we assist and clarify on anything and everything, so we live up to our reputation. We also focus on maximizing lifetime revenue through a robust set of retention actions, and that is a strength that we believe our affiliates recognize. We operate in regulated markets, which is obviously a challenge, but we are proud to have a solid operational structure, reassuring compliance with regulations, both MGA and UKGC, as it’s a responsibility we take very seriously, as we should.
Yeva: What are some of the biggest trends you see shaping the affiliate marketing landscape in 2025 and beyond?
I think, eventually, the integration of AI will play a major role in enhancing marketing strategies and player engagement. An alignment with player behaviour and preferences might dictate what efforts to put in, the content to put out, design and promotional materials, reviews, game summaries, and recommendations, including the user journey. It is also important to include regulatory considerations and navigate through data privacy when using this tool since it lacks subjectivity and can be directed to fully focus on profit and gains out of players without remorse.
The saturation and competitiveness in certain markets will probably reshape things since the run for new markets happens fast, and to stay on top of the game, the cost per traffic will increase. That increase will be concerning to operators from a sustainability perspective, which means, just like operators had to decrease profit margins, affiliates will also have to accept, other acquisition channels might become more prominent, especially when there are integrated marketing solutions customized for the operator. Potentially, joint ventures between affiliates could be a healthy solution to empower their presence together instead of competing with each other. This could also be positive for us partners, as a split of exposure could be better allocated according to budgets, countries, strengths and weaknesses, types of offers, etc, to best advertise types of casinos to the right type of audience as opposed to the whole mix we have on affiliate sites.
Our position is to focus on the affiliates who are interested in working out strategies for the acquisition funnel and allow us reasonable testing lengths so we have better conversion results, followed by customized retention, i.e., a cooperation between what both parties do best. Most importantly is to really work out the investment in the jurisdictions we are stronger at, to mutually benefit from lifetime rev share.
Yeva: Branders focuses on full-service marketing and branding. In your opinion, why is branding so important, and how does your approach help operators achieve sustainable growth?
Players are all different, and so are their expectations. Being honest from the get-go is crucial to manage those expectations and being faithful to your commitment, your promises, and your delivery. There are many ways to say the same thing, and clever content techniques to appeal to a conversion can and should be perceived as deception. There is a type of public for everyone, we just need to find them and not try to shoot everywhere all at once. Calculated risks come with clever budget allocation and application of efforts and investment towards the direction the operator designs based on key markets and, again, the strengths of the operator. That revolves around the product itself (game providers, the payment methods available, the type of campaign or bonus system functionalities), the communication style, etc. These features should be the foundation of where and how you should compete and get your market share, your space, your recognition. That is why branding is important. It takes time to create an identity, but it’s a necessity. The internet is quite fast with judgment and word of mouth, so it’s imperative that you present consistency in what you offer. Customer service and fast responses are important so that recommendations and reviews from players are positive based on their own experience. I still prefer the live agent rather than the machine to sort out my queries. The feeling of being really taken care of should be the recognition you want. It humanizes the business. Now… your tone can be funny or edgy… but the service is always serious and credible, without ambiguous interpretations of communication, information, terms.
In the end, cautiously find your space, stabilize it, and then find where else you can explore your potential based on similarities of the audience that you appeal to.
Yeva: As a CEO, what leadership principles do you live by when managing a team and running a company?
This industry is so peculiar that it requires some unique characteristics to be successful in it. The volatility of business GGR one day up, one day down – the changes in regulations, and the ferocious competition, require some thick skin, coping with pressure and ability to stay focused and manifest a problem-solving attitude. These traits can mostly be acquired if you really are passionate about iGaming and about your role in it. This means that transparency, honesty, and respect are the biggest principles and the best agreement between employer and employee to get a real solid relationship, understanding, and mutual support. I personally like to hear suggestions and opinions from everyone who would like to express their voices within an open and approachable communication structure, ensuring that criticism is indeed constructive. The secret behind it is to always ensure the approaches and the timings are considered. There’s such a diversity of personalities, nations, and cultures working together, it’s very easy to be misinterpreted. But if the foundation is respect, and as leaders, we exemplify what true team spirit is, how to solve conflict in the right manner, then people incorporate these values. People make mistakes, but instead of punishment, you should support the employee to do better. That way, you don’t have to worry about potential hiding situations due to fear of consequences. It’s best if people recognize it, assume it, and move on better and confident. In the end, if one fails, we all fail, so it’s important for everyone to pull each other up… because when one succeeds, we all succeed as well. And to me, it’s a great feeling when we have the time to share these successes and have fun while doing what we do best. A happy team, that feels valued because they got heard (not everything needs to be signed off, but at least a fair chance of speaking out and learning why this or that isn’t a great idea is part of know-how for their growth), and the recognition and reward for their work and added value, will empower the company with better focus, determination and hard work. I commit to enlighten my team with the reality of the business, so there’s awareness of direction, ups and downs, and how we can all work out solutions since we share the same goal in the end. We don’t master the truth, and people would be surprised by the great insights we can get from someone you’d least expect.
Yeva: Running a business in such a competitive space can be demanding. How do you personally maintain motivation and avoid burnout? Are there specific ways you disconnect from work and recharge?
I think we can’t take things for granted. In reality, we “win some and lose some” both in life and work, so the motivation is to accept good days and bad days without falling into obsession. I personally get energized by people and positivity, so as long as I can feed it, then I will receive it, and that’s healthy. Talking is important, and we shouldn’t carry the burden of the world on our shoulders, hence why we have a team that will support you. The team knows you are not invincible, so it’s ok to ask for help when we are most vulnerable because that doesn’t translate as weakness. It shows character and respect when you demonstrate that you trust your employees, friends, and family to assist so that we don’t just say they matter… but we actually let them matter. It’s our condition as humans to be flawed and sometimes refuse to accept it. It’s relevant to sometimes step out of our skin to re-evaluate decisions and self-reflect on ourselves since we spend so much time evaluating others and are concerned about how we are perceived. It’s equally important to give ourselves some treats, not only at moments we feel we deserve them by accomplishing a goal or something rewarding. It’s good to keep a good self-esteem level and, most of all find happiness in and out of the office. When I’m asked, “How are you today?” I usually like answering “Always better than yesterday”. We need to feel like we wake up looking forward to what the day will bring. In days we already know it will be tough. It’s very satisfying to at least know we’ve embraced the challenge and did our very best to make your team and yourself proud. Then at home, I like to play some guitar riffs or smash my electronic drums to steam off, relax, and probably upset a few neighbours. At the end of the day, I know I’m not the best drummer, nor marketer or manager in the world, and sometimes I fail. I choose to accept that truth, and I move on from the mistakes of today, knowing I will try to do better tomorrow, peacefully.
Company: Branders & 21 Affiliates
Interviewee: Ricardo Ferreira
Date: 17.04.2025
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