From her first days in adult as a receptionist for Private more than a decade ago, to her steadily growing expertise in a variety of diverse industry roles spanning affiliate marketing, sales and social media, Laura Cebrian strives to always be diligent and attentive.
And after a fateful meeting with JuicyAds maestro Juicy Jay on a rooftop during a trade conference, she forged a professional bond that would see her ascend the ranks at the traffic company for years to come.
Above all, we have focused a lot on ensuring traffic quality is better than having huge volumes, because without our clients earning profits, nothing else matters.
Now, she leads their marketing campaigns, serving a global client base of over 100,000 accounts, with a blend of creativity and customer service.
To ensure clients are taken care of, Cebrian pays close attention to developing trends in the advertising space, hawking the wares of JuicyAds like their proprietary ad unblocking technology, their mission to provide quality traffic over sheer volume and the latest up-and-coming features.
With her multi-faceted background and deep attunement to all things traffic, XBIZ sat down with WIA Woman of the Month Cebrian to learn more about how she manages JuicyAds with flair.
XBIZ: What led you to enter the adult biz and what was your professional background beforehand?
CEBRIAN: I used to be a server in a restaurant in Barcelona and was looking for a change in my life; I wanted to work in an office and have a better schedule, salary, etc. I was also intending to go back to studying at a university (I’m originally Argentinean and had started a degree in English while teaching there, that I wanted to finish in Spain). A friend of mine was working for a famous porn production company, and they needed a receptionist (I didn’t even know they produced porn beforehand, imagine that), so I went to the interview where they told me what the company was about. I was not really surprised or anything; I never hid it from anybody or felt it was weird. To me, it was totally natural.
XBIZ: Discuss a few of the roles you’ve had in this industry aside from JuicyAds, which span sales, affiliate management and more for various brands.
CEBRIAN: I’ve been in adult since 2009 and only been with three companies. My first gig, as I said, was as a receptionist (for Private), but only three months later, the head of online support for their website decided to leave, so I was offered that position. To me, it was a big surprise, as I had no real experience, but those guys trusted me and gave me good training, so I just jumped into the pool.
A year after that, they asked me to help with affiliate marketing, which I was a bit scared about at the beginning, but I loved the challenge ... it was a learning experience and I loved every minute of it. I also worked for a company in Slovakia (“First Mobile Cash”) doing sales, affiliation, social media, etc.
XBIZ: How did you end up joining Juicy Jay’s team (twice)?
CEBRIAN: While traveling for conventions around the world, I met Juicy Jay, actually in the rooftop bar of the DoubleTree Hilton in Amsterdam. We had a chat there and my feeling was like, wow, this is the best “job interview” I’ve ever had. After four years at Private, I was ready to take on a new opportunity and a few months later, I was doing sales for JuicyAds.
Those three years with Jay’s team were the most fun I’ve ever had in a job, plus I learned so much about sales, people, traveling and life. Then I took a three-year break from JuicyAds to work at First Mobile Cash. And after I became a mom and I needed a job which could give me security and at the same time, a lot of flexibility.
I was honestly thinking of take a long break from work as those two things combined are hard to find. That’s when Jay magically appeared in my life again and was the most understanding and generous person, as usual, and offered for me to come back to the Juicy family … only that this time, instead of helping with sales, I’d be focused on marketing.
XBIZ: What are your main duties at JuicyAds and how have they evolved over time?
CEBRIAN: I’m taking care of our social media accounts, marketing calendar and handling some advertising client sales. I also help with the marketing needs of some other special clients, including Jay’s Broker.xxx, which helps people acquire and sell adult websites, businesses and domains.
XBIZ: Describe the unique challenges and opportunities of branding and marketing a traffic services company.
CEBRIAN: Traffic is one of the key facets of adult, and so I totally agree with the clichè phrase that says: “traffic is king.” So, I’m proud to be helping to highlight the uniqueness of JuicyAds in terms of service, technology, experience and respect towards our clients.
One of the nicest parts of my job is that I have freedom to let my creativity flow when creating marketing campaigns. I am also learning so much about branding and marketing a Canadian brand to a global client base of over 100,000 accounts. I’m a South American living in Europe and working for a North American company. I feel this mix makes my job more interesting, challenging and enjoyable.
XBIZ: Tell us about a promotional campaign you masterminded in the past year, that was a real hit.
CEBRIAN: Right now, we are focusing on our biggest project so far, which is the recent launch of our UX13 interface into pre-release. It has taken a long time to put the marketing and sales initiatives together, almost as long as rebuilding the interface! We are also very proud of our JuicyAds Cares effort. In the past year, we added new initiatives and we highlight our progress every year with our annual Earth Day report.
XBIZ: What is your approach to fostering positive relationships with clients and industry players behind the scenes?
CEBRIAN: This is what I do. It is part of my personality. I couldn’t do this differently. Plus, this is one of the pillars at JuicyAds, too. I feel that we keep doing what we know best, which is listening to what our clients need and working to make their experience a juicier one by resolving problems, clearing doubts, providing information, helping with their campaigns, etc. … basically, making the client feel comfortable enough to approach us and know that they won’t be disappointed. I love to develop trusting relationships with my co-workers, clients and everybody in general.
XBIZ: Give us your elevator pitch for why JuicyAds is the ultimate destination for publishers and advertisers looking to increase revenue.
CEBRIAN: We treat each of our publishers and advertisers with respect and care; the quality of our traffic is superior because we work really hard to ensure this and the quality of our service is also unquestionable. I feel that our sales team is one of the most popular and stable in the industry … each one of our reps has been with the company for at least five years and in the industry for way longer. So their knowledge in the sector, of our brand and our client’s brands in adult, is priceless. We have unique platform features and some exclusive ad technology that no other network can provide. If you consider this combination, there is no way you shouldn’t try JuicyAds. Once you do, we are almost certain that you will not leave.
XBIZ: How has the traffic services market evolved in the past few years, and what have you done to ensure JuicyAds comes out on top?
CEBRIAN: Our industry is in constant change, like the universe. Seriously, our industry develops and changes almost every week, I’d say. Traffic, of course, changes with it. To me, the most important part of working in this sector is to never stop learning and keep up with the latest trends. We are heavily investing now in technology ranging from our new user interface to Adsistant optimization technology, new advertising types and exclusive proprietary ad unblocking technology. Above all, we have focused a lot on ensuring traffic quality is better than having huge volumes, because without our clients earning profits, nothing else matters.
XBIZ: Any major dreams or ambitions for the coming year, personally and professionally?
CEBRIAN: I’m a thankful person. My biggest ambition is balance between work, love, family and friends … I think I’ve mastered that already, so if I have a dream, it is to maintain it.
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
