Marketing Director @ Offerpal Media: Matt McAllister
- Hi Matt, Can you tell us something about the function you currently have at Offerpal Media? What does your typical day at work look like?
I’m the marketing director here at Offerpal, which means it’s my job to get the word out about everything we’re doing to help our developer partners make more money. On any given day, I might be announcing a new product like our recently launched Offerpal SHOPPING service, writing a white paper on how to monetize virtual goods, or hosting a webinar on how to use our analytics tools. I’ve been at the company nearly 2 years now and have been lucky enough to have a front row seat to watch the social gaming industry explode.
- What is Offerpal‘s Unique selling proposition? Why do you think people should pick Offerpal Media as their main virtual currency platform?
We were the original virtual currency platform, back before anyone really knew how much money could be made in social gaming. Today, we have the largest team, the most resources, and the most robust product in the industry. We have more direct relationships with big-brand advertisers than anyone, providing offers from Disney, Netflix, New York Times, Macy’s, Overstock, Priceline, Discover Card, Columbia House and literally thousands of others. Our platform also comes with a full suite of free monetization tools, including analytics, testing, optimization, fraud prevention and other services that other platforms don’t have.
- I hope you don’t mind us asking, but did Offerpal Media ever consider buying smaller companies operating in the industry?
Sorry, can’t comment.
- Will Offerpal launch new products or functions in the near future that could benefit users? If so, could you tell us something about them?
Yes, we have several exciting new products in development that will improve the user experience. We’ll provide you with details as soon as they’re available.
- Can you give us your 3 best tips for monetizing games or content on social networks?
Great question. This is one of the areas where we work very closely with our developer partners – to help them improve their games and get more out of them. In general, we preach the following three lessons:
1. Improve Game Mechanics. All great games are driven by certain game mechanics – whether that’s leveling up, collecting, exchanges, leaderboards, feedback, customization, etc. Your mechanics are determined by the type of game it is. But it’s how you combine those mechanics and integrate them into the game that determines your success.
2. Improve Viral Channels. For a social game to become a hit, it has to “go viral.” Sometimes this happens naturally because people simply love your game. Other times, it’s because the developer smartly took advantage of the viral channels available to them. We provide custom recommendations on how to help your game get viral distribution.
3. Create an Entire Virtual Economy. We teach our developers to treat their virtual economies just like they were real economies. That means merchandising their virtual goods as if they were real goods, conducting promotions and special campaigns to drive up demand, maintaining balance, preventing fraud, and so on. The developers that are the most sophisticated about their virtual economies tend to be the ones with the highest Revenues Per User.
- If there’s one thing you’d like to see different about the virtual goods industry; what would it be?
More transparency. I think there’s more we can all do to share insights and information that will benefit the entire industry. At Offerpal, we provide transparent reports and very granular analytics tools to help developers make smarter decisions about their games or applications.
- Where do you so see the industry going from here? What do you think will change (for the better or for worse)?
I think 2010 will be the year that advertisers, especially big brands, jump into social games in a really big way. We’re already seeing this happening, but it will accelerate quickly. They understand that this is where their audience is, and that it’s a perfect opportunity to connect with them. We view it as our job to make that happen.
