The roots of Brokerbabe, one of the top mobile affiliate programs in the world, date back to the mid-1990s when an enterprising group of friends in the mobile and web sectors decided to join forces.
“While some of us were focusing on web business, others were active with SMS services and WAP applications,” explains Giancarlo Scalisi, international sales manager for Brokerbabe, which is headquartered in Switzerland. “Since the world of mobile and web merged more and more, it was clear to set up a new company and to rule a new market.”
As international opportunities increase along with the number of mobile platforms, the executives at Brokerbabe are ideally positioned to increase the company’s reach and strengthen the brand as 2012 approaches.
That set up includes a highly experienced troop of adult, mobile and web business people who guarantee results. Now as international opportunities increase along with the number of mobile platforms, the executives at Brokerbabe are ideally positioned to increase the company’s reach and strengthen the brand as 2012 approaches.
In this exclusive interview, Scalisi discusses the changing mobile landscape, the latest trends and how Brokerbabe plans to keep itself on the cutting edge.
XBIZ: How did Brokerbabe start and what was the inspiration for the company?
Giancarlo Scalisi: Brokerbabe is basically a bunch of good friends who are working in the mobile and web industry for more than 15 years. While some of us were focusing on web business, others were active with SMS services and WAP applications. Since the world of mobile and web merged more and more, it was clear to set up a new company and to rule a new market. The set up behind Brokerbabe is first class: A highly experienced troop of adult, mobile and web business people guarantee excellent results.
XBIZ: What have been the key parts of building the Brokerbabe brand?
Scalisi: First we started to build a solution in our home market Switzerland to do a trial and to collect the different requirements from all parties and partners involved in the value chain. We really were very happy to start with some unique webmasters which helped us. By the way, they made some good dollars from the very beginning. The pilot worked out better than what we expected and we decided to fully focus on a real partner program/affiliate solution. But it was clear that we needed more coverage. That’s why we moved the service to Germany, too.
XBIZ: What do you think have been the most significant changes in the mobile sector of the adult industry in the past year?
Scalisi: The release of the first iPhone revolutionized the usage of mobile Internet. It was clear that also others will push hard to be part of the smartphone world. Google did an outstanding job with the Android OS. The new devices pushed the carriers to release attractive data flat rates and now we have the playground to bring solutions to the customers — not on the PC — but with mobile devices for on the go! There are several improvements compared to the past. The streaming quality for video solutions is outstanding, HTLML5 makes mobile web apps look like native apps and the new features like NFC and mobile payment were the last pieces of the puzzle.
XBIZ: How is the increased number of mobile platforms presenting new challenges for businesses and how are you adapting?
Scalisi: The mobile business was always dominated by a huge fragmentary. This is why we are used to it and we are happy that it is like this. Otherwise everybody could do it. We are in this arena since 1996 and know many of the drawbacks and opportunities. Experience is definitely a big plus here! How to adapt is difficult to say — we take it step by step to make sure we cover most of the market needs and webmaster requirements.
XBIZ: What trends have you noticed with regard to mobile content?
Scalisi: Mobile content is becoming way bigger. In the old days we delivered 3GP files to feature phones like Nokia and Sony Ericsson, while today, we stream HD quality to iPhones and all the other Smartphones. But lots of websites do try to make their mobile content more premium. Users should learn that on handsets, content is not for free or even more expensive. It was always like this: MP3 songs, for example, were sold in subscription models for cellphones, while on the Internet, you could have downloaded them for free.
XBIZ: What regions of the world have the most active consumers of mobile adult content?
Scalisi: We are a Swissbased company and did our first solutions in our home market. Even though it is just an 8 million users market — we have generated huge ARPUs. But of course, there are the other big European markets like Germany, Spain, Italy and France, which are very interesting for mobile business. In every country we face different regulations and operator specifications — that is another fragmentary, which makes the business even more complex.
XBIZ: What do you view as the emerging markets?
Scalisi: We were on different business trips in emerging markets like Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and India and for sure, these are highly interesting business opportunities. In these countries, we need a lot of learning about how to offer the best conversion rates. Currently, Brokerbabe is looking to dominate the European mobile adult market.
XBIZ: What are the newest or latest programs that Brokerbabe offers?
Scalisi: Generally, we offer to each new webmaster that does 100 sign-ups with us a $1,000 extra bonus on top — easy cash! Currently, we have a PPS model with high payouts. By end of the year, we will launch recurring payouts.
Scalisi: In addition, we are planning some epic events for our partners all over the world.
XBIZ: What are your plans for BrokerBabe in 2012 and beyond?
Scalisi: Our roadmap for 2012 is more than full. We will be working on new products and features as well as country coverage.
