The CEO @ Sponsorpay: Andreas Bodczek

- Hi Andreas, Can you tell us something about the function you currently have at SponsorPay? What does your typical day at work look like?

As SponsorPay’s CEO I am in charge of the overall development of the company. I am also heading the account management team and keep an eye on our financials.

On a typical day I get in early, work through my inbox and check the stats from the previous day. After that I will sit down with the product & account management teams to discuss current tasks, priorities and their plans for the day or the week. In the afternoon it’s meeting time: MMO and social apps publishers, advertisers, other stakeholders. Not necessarily on a typical, but on a good day we go out with the team in the evening and have some fun.

- What is SponsorPays’ unique selling proposition? Why do you think people should pick SponsorPay as their main virtual currency platform?

SponsorPay stands for a sustainable approach towards offer-based monetization. Our service is highly localized, transparent to publishers and probably the most effective monetization platform in Europe. We even guarantee ‘no-spam, no-hidden’ cost to the users – not only since ‘Scamville’, but since inception of the company.

- What is the main difference between monetizing European users compared to those from the states? Is it harder to do?

I don’t think there is any such thing as ‘THE European user’. The European user base is fairly fragmented in terms of purchasing power, preferences for applications, language as well as individual user behavior when it comes to buying decisions, fraud. etc. Hence we chose to put strong emphasis on localization on a country-by-country basis with our native account management & sales team. The US market – from our perspective – is more homogenous to that end.

- Are European users familiar with using virtual currency? Do they pay more often or just the opposite?

European users are savvy gamers and familiar with virtual currency. MMOs have a long-standing tradition in Europe. Compared to the US however, the social media market – and with it the social apps and virtual goods market – in Europe is less developed and still emerging.

- Will SponsorPay launch new products or functions in the near future that could benefit users? If so, could you tell us something about them?

Of course there are things to come, but I won’t go into detail right now.

- What is SponsorPay’s ultimate goal down the line?

Our ultimate goal is to extend our position as the leading monetization platform in Europe for MMOs, social games and other segments where virtual currency comes into play.

- In the near future, will SponsorPay also offer services in other parts of the world?

SponsorPay already offers services around the globe, however our core market is Europe where we will follow European-based publishers and help them monetize their international traffic. We will also continue to monetize European traffic for international publishers of games and social apps.

- Can you give us your 3 best tips for monetizing games or content on social networks?

1. Integration – don’t consider offer-based monetization just another payment method added at the bottom of the list. It’s a powerful tool to direct the users’ attention towards advertising when the user is highly involved with the game and hence deserves an innovative way of integration in the publisher’s app.
2. Respect end-users – sustainability is the key for a long-term relation with your users, so resist the temptations of quick money at the end user’s expense.
3. Advertising tailored to your user’s needs – choose advertisers that offer things your users really want, so they will enjoy and can gain actual benefit from the offer as well as virtual currency.

- If there’s one thing you’d like to see different about the virtual goods industry; what would it be?

What I would want to see change is that this industry puts the benefit for the end-user in the center of its activity. That would mean that the leading players in the virtual goods sphere will push more and more towards establishing a long-term marketing channel rather than short-term monetization.

- Where do you see the industry going from here? What do you think will change (for the better or for the worse)?

This industry is only just beginning: many things are being tested – some of them work, others don’t. But if business models are developed with care, this industry will become one of the more powerful marketing channels in the social media space. As a precondition however, mutual benefits for publishers, advertisers and of course end-users have to be created. If this is given, the sector can be extremely attractive and also spawn a lot of innovation on the advertising side.

Visit: www.sponsorpay.com