XBIZ World is pleased to present “Execs of 2016: The Year in Review” — a special showcase of the thoughts and strategies of 2016’s most influential and motivational leaders as they offer their take on the year’s top trends.
Each of the executives we spoke to is among the finalist nominees for the Online Industry edition of the 2017 XBIZ Exec Awards.
Some companies underestimate the power of branding, but CAM4 isn’t one of them. We know that the message conveyed to our customers, performers, and partners is one of the most important aspects of our business. -Gunner Taylor, Cam4
The following question about the year in review was asked to those running for the Brand Ambassador the Year Award:
XBIZ: How did branding benefit your company this year?
Gunner Taylor
Content Development and Studio Manager, Cam4
“Some companies underestimate the power of branding, but CAM4 isn’t one of them. We know that the message conveyed to our customers, performers, and partners is one of the most important aspects of our business. Branding isn’t just about having your name on a banner or hosting a party, it’s about real interactions that lead to business relationships. It’s why we remain focused on improving our visibility and continuing to improve the product offering on all levels.”
Paul Kluzak
Sales Executive, CCBill
“2016 has been an exciting year for the CCBill brand. The almost 20-year-old CCBill logo received a facelift and is feeling younger and more agile than ever. It also got a younger sister in a CCBill Pay logo that will soon be everywhere. The CCBill brand has also really expanded into mainstream this year with some very large partnerships, and we are far from done. Being recognized as a champion for the brand is something I really cherish and it means I’m doing my job well. I personally look forward to expanding this great brand next year and promoting CCBill at even more events around the world.”
Andy Davis
Account Executive, Epoch
“The year 2016 has been an important one for Epoch’s branding, as we recently celebrated our 20th anniversary in payments, serving the adult entertainment industry. We took the year to recognize this achievement and express appreciation to our clients who have processed and supported Epoch over the years. By continuing to cultivate relations with the card associations and our banks, we have been able to launch exclusive deals with some of the most important payment companies in the world. When you work for a company that opens these types of doors, helping brand the company becomes exponentially easier and more beneficial to our clients.”
Jeff Wilson
Director of Business Development, Flirt4free
“In past years, we invested in our reputation and the awareness of Flirt4Free. This year, we felt that investment pay off. We acquired many exclusive traffic, studio, and affiliate relationships. We bought other sites before they even hit the market because people approached us first. These opportunities arose from years of investing in our brand and now this has been the best year on record for Flirt4Free.”
Karen Campbell
Vice President, OrbitalPay
“First of all, ‘thank you’ to everyone in the industry for acknowledging me and including me in the XBIZ Executive Award nominations. Branding is vitally important; it is what keeps companies like OrbitalPay at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Given that there is so much competition in the billing space, it is crucial that OrbitalPay has a continuous presence in the media and at industry related events. Our team gives a lot of thought and puts a lot of energy in to the promotion of our brand, we make sure that our message of stability, security, and honesty is always conveyed.”
Stefan Mühlbauer
Director of Marketing and Sales, BrokerBabe
“Branding was this year again a very big topic. We moved our strategy a little bit away from big show sponsorships to more online activities. So for example, we launched Brokerversity.com, a website that gives new affiliates advice on how to start a successful mobile adult affiliate career. Regarding putting the brand really in focus, we can rely on a very strong logo with the two Bs, so we produced caps, cups and even Christmas presents with the logo to have it in front of our partners every day. Another step was to start producing cool T-shirts such as “I like Big Bucks and I cannot lie” that people really like and that we see on various posts on FB. It all helps us with branding and we want to continue this successful strategy in 2017.”
Kristel Penn
Marketing and Editorial Director, Grooby Productions
“2016 has been a milestone year for us. We celebrated our 20th anniversary and focused heavily on branding to position us for the years ahead. In some ways, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We want our customers to know where we excel in terms of content and customer service, but this year in particular we focused on doing more innovative projects, philanthropic work in our community, and educational outreach to help de-stigmatize our industry. We’ve positioned ourselves to be more than a porn company because erotica intersects with so many other areas of a person’s life and we want to honor that diversity.”
Alexandra Praisler
Event Manager, AW Summit
“This year was very important for me and for AWSummit. Attending events, being there is how we raised brand awareness. I saw a big difference between the first convention this year, to the last one. People start associating my face with the brand that I represent. So I can say I put a lot of effort into personal branding as well, which is what I intended in the first place. My efforts are all into sharing our company’s brand, beliefs and visions. Meeting everyone, creating a mix of serious business conversations and hosting nice dinners is how we managed to create strong business relations.”