AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—The state of the industry took priority on Day 3 of Webmaster Access Sunday as leaders from every major tech sector graced the seminar stage.
Executives representing dozens of blue-chip companies shared insights on the live cam community, dating sites, mobile traffic, media buying, gay trends, tax regulations and virtual reality content at the DoubleTree by Hilton Centraal Station.
Attendees packed the Leeds 1 meeting room at the host hotel, enjoying waterfront views on another gorgeous September day while listening to a closing round of panels that offered something for everyone.
Sponsored by Affil4you, the seminar program produced several themes in what became a spirited series of discussions, not the least of which was a point made by SexGoesMobile CEO Andy Wullmer.
“Mobile is the future,” Wullmer said. “If your business in not mobile ready, you will lose it.”
Wullmer and several of his colleagues emphasized this time and again Sunday as Webmaster Access, presented by BitterStrawberry, served up generous helpings of useful information on how to go further in business.
The Bremen, Germany-based Wullmer spoke on the “Mobile Makeover” panel along with Tommy Johnson, senior affiliate manager for BitterStrawberry; Ler Khodaverdy, VP of operations for Twistbox; and the moderator Brian Elkan, traffic director at Affil4you.
The panelists discussed the ever-increasing role social media sites such as Facebook plays in mobile traffic as well as the profitability of niches.
“Think local, act global,” Wullmer added.
Speaking of traffic, JuicyAds Global Publisher Strategist Jimmy “Wizzo” Foreman moderated the “Traffic Matters” panel, which featured Macarena Cenalmor, VP of Client Services for Mobusi; Remi St. Maur, sales director for TrafficStars and xHamster; Thomas Skavhellen, chief brand officer for PlugRush; Nelson Nascimento, media buyer for Mobidea; and William Soares Pinto, business development manager for Hubpeople.
“In the traffic market one of the biggest changes we’ve seen is the explosion of mobile,” Foreman said. “If you don’t have a mobile strategy in place, you’re in trouble, because that’s where the world is going. That’s one of the biggest trends of the last few years that we have to recognize and address.”
St. Maur revealed that xHamster.com has more than 30 million visitors per day and he’s witnessed a shift.
“We have more mobile traffic than desktop now,” St. Maur said.
Mobidea’s Nelson Nascimento said media buyers can find fertile ground in emerging large markets such as Mexico, India and Thailand, noting “the Russians are big media buyers right now.”
“They can work in India and Thailand,” he added.
PlugRush’s Thomas Skavhellen won the sock game Sunday, taking the stage wearing rainbow-colored socks and a “I Sell Traffic” baseball cap.
The group also addressed the ongoing issue of fraudulent traffic.
“If anyone tells you they have 100 percent real traffic they’re full of shit,” JuicyAds’ Foreman said. “Everyone has a certain amount of bots, but it needs to be substantially less. … If a publisher comes in and has a high level of fake traffic we switch them to a CPA; if their traffic converts we switch them back.”
Foreman added, “There’s been a lot of internal sharing of information, because the fraud doesn’t benefit any of us.”
Mobusi’s Macarena Cenalmor noted “the carriers are changing from one-click flow to two clicks.”
Meanwhile Mobidea’s Nelson Nascimento suggested it’s a tall order to forecast the future of media buying because “it’s so dynamic and things change.”
“The only thing we can do as companies is diversify,” Nascimento said.
Traffic Stars’ St. Maur agreed.
“Media buying is not an easy job. It’s super tough today with those ad networks that provide a lot of targeting options,” St. Maur said. “My best advice for you guys is to contact your account manager and work with them.”
This year Webmaster Access organizers debuted the GAYVN Lounge and GAYVN Happy Hour in response to popular demand, so the “State of Gay” panel was a natural addition to the educational program.
Moderated by the president of Bright Guys Inc., Douglas Richter, who is also the lead consultant for Supermen.com, the panel included Gary Jackson, managing VP of sales for CCBill; Jeff Wilson, head of the traffic acquisition at Flirt4Free; Shaun Loftus, owner of JockMenLive; and Alex Lecomte of JuicyAds.
CCBill’s Jackson noted the gay industry is an “amazingly loyal market.”
“If you look at the gay community we’re very brand loyal,” Jackson told the audience.
He recalled the progressive marketing campaign that Absolut vodka implemented as it rolled out its product in the U.S., gearing its advertising toward the LGBT consumer in an effort to reach a wider audience starting in 1981.
“It picked up and vodka became the drink of the mainstream,” Jackson said.
After placing a series of ads in The Advocate and After Dark, Absolut followed that with events in bars, charitable donations and more recently a sponsorship of the TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” spending tens of millions marketing to the LGBT community.
“We think branding is wildly important,” Jackson continued. “If a company steps up and supports the community and us as a segment, then we trust that brand. Then we’re going to choose that brand when we do checkout. There’s a trust issue when people do the checkout.”
Not surprisingly, the subject of “mobile” also became a talking point. Jackson said the seismic shift is “generational.”
“The younger gays are much more mobile savvy, usually juggling three or four devices. So that checkout has to be incredibly mobile, incredibly touch friendly.”
JockMenLive’s Shaun Loftus pointed out there are a low percentage of chargebacks on the gay side.
“These guys pay,” Loftus said. “They’re low risk.”
The group delved into features that are driving users to convert into paying customers, such as trials and premium services as well as the importance of social media in a company’s marketing strategy.
“Would you hire a media buyer or a social media manager right now?” the moderator Douglas Richter asked.
“I would hire a statistician that does analysis,” answered CCBill’s Jackson, who noted he’s seen “a huge push on just testing content, testing checkouts and doing a lot more analysis.”
JuicyAds’ Alex Lecomte suggested gay marketing is much more community-oriented so it’s tailor-made for social media.
It’s never a bad idea to try something new, so Flirt4Free’s Jeff Wilson said his company for the first time this summer began uploading content to tube sites, which is “way out of anything we were doing before.”
Less than three months later, Wilson noted Flirt4Free already has attracted 1000 subscribers and a couple million views based on their tube site marketing. He also said the live-cam juggernaut is finding success with “event-based retargeting” with Exoclick; and since he took over as media buyer for Flirt4Free gay now accounts for 60 percent of the company’s spend—an increase of almost 40 percent in two years.
Without question one of the main attractions on Sunday’s schedule was the Virtual Reality panel titled “Real Possibilities.”
The all-star group of experts included Anna Lee, president of HoloGirlsVR; Todd Glider, CEO of BadoinkVR; Todd Spaits, CMO of YanksCash; Stefan Geisler, co-founder of AmazingContent.com; Fabian Grey, founder of AliceX.com and Jean-Claude Artonne, co-founder of Terpon.
Stewart Tongue, owner of EngineFood.com, moderated the anticipated session that unfolded in front of a standing-room-only crowd.
“There’s been a lot of trends in this industry, but for me with VR, I’m all in,” said Todd Spaits, who left a hiking expedition in Spain to be on the panel.
Badoink’s Todd Glider said there is “no manual” for how to shoot VR, and there won’t be.
“It’s very DIY now—from the camera rigs to even the models,” he said. “There’s no formula yet.”
Anna Lee, who is also directing for HoloGirlsVR, told the audience “it is the fastest evolving method of shooting that I’ve ever been a part of.”
Spaits pointed to the unique intimacy of VR content. “VR brings an increased level of emotional connection to the content, an increased level of empathy,” he said. “It’s a deeper, more immersive experience.”
Lee agreed.
“Even the male audience is looking for a more intimate, realistic experience,” she said. “You are part of the scene when you put your headset on. You become a participant in what is happening. … And something our customers are looking for is the girlfriend experience.”
JC Artonne, whose new Swiss venture offers the first fully integrated, plug-and-play 4K 3D-VR camera, said, “at the end of the day, VR will be a community.”
Artonne predicted the “Holy Grail” for VR content is attracting female consumers.
“Most of your customers are men, but if you can bring women to consume live content, maybe you will double or triple your revenue,” Artonne said, noting that his camera will be waterproof in 2017.
Badoink’s Todd Glider said VR is “porn for the millennials” and that currently, it’s a “more sophisticated demographic.”
“We’ve done some data mining and we’re seeing the audience as younger and much better educated,” Glider said. “It’s a small market but they’ve got money. They’re very active in our feedback forum in the member’s area.”
HoloGirlsVR’s Anna Lee noted an interesting aspect of shooting VR is the level of experience of the performers may not make or break the scene because it’s such a new way of shooting.
“Cam girls actually do really well because they’re used to talking to a static camera,” Lee said.
Added AmazingContent’s Stefan Geisler, “personality,” is key for VR performances.
Todd Glider concurred.
“It’s like making love to the camera, literally. Our best scenes are not necessarily our most technically sound scenes,” Glider said. “Our best scenes involve models staring directly into the camera and making loves with their eyes and their voices because the connection is there.”
Jean-Claude Artonne summed up the session, saying, “VR is really something magic.”
Another standout session during Sunday’s robust program was the dating panel titled “How to Compete and Win in Today’s Online Meet Market.”
Masterfully moderated by Revolution Force CEO Sean Christian, the seminar featured Paul Groen, business development manager for Advidi; Jenny Gonzalez, chief revenue officer for Dating Factory; Kristell Perez, director of affiliate marketing for FriendFinderNetworks; Wacek Warzawa, head of global acquisition for WhiteLabelDating; and William Soares-Pinto, business development manager for Hubpeople.
Revolution Force’s Christian said that “user targeting is the most important thing inside of dating.”
With another standing-room crowd inside Leeds 1, Christian led the group through several lively exchanges on topics such as handling chargebacks, finding the right price points on different geos, testing creative flows and increasing user engagement.
Wacek Warzawa of WhiteLabelDating told the crowd his company's entire approach is based on 'LTV,' or lifetime value. Meanwhile, FriendFinder’s Kristell Perez said her company has found success with gamifying interactivity with its users.
“Users gain points by interacting with other members and that’s worked really well for us,” Perez said. “It’s a trend in the industry to try to get the interaction with the other user. With points there are things they can collect.”
Christian worked the entire meeting room, injecting personal anecdotes from his 15-plus years in the business and even at one point playfully sitting on the lap of an audience member in the front row.
“One of the most important things inside of dating is the first click,” he noted.
Perhaps it was fitting the final panel of the weekend explored the booming live-cams market, as it’s arguably the fastest growing sector of adult entertainment.
“Yuval [Kijel] used to say, ‘if you stop 10 people on the street maybe one of them knows what live cams is, but now it’s a much larger pool of people that knows live cams,” said Flirt4Free’s Jeff Wilson.
Flirt4Free’s head of traffic acquisition was joined on the stage by Liz Rekevics, senior marketing director for Streamate; Jim Austin, head of business development for StripChat; Mugur Frunzetti, founder of Studio 20 Live; and Livia Choice, an award-winning cam model for ImLive.
Laszlo Czero of Streamate moderated the seminar, which covered a lot of ground in the last hour of the educational program.
“Most of my guests are Americans, there’s no doubt about it,” said Livia Choice, who traveled 17 hours from Brazil for the panel. “Also Australia, Canada and Europe, especially the U.K., Sweden and Germany. But it’s really hard to see guests from South America and Asia.”
The talk quickly turned to model-to-consumer dynamics, as the group agreed the top models give users more personal attention.
“The models that I’ve seen that are successful are talking to every single customer,” Wilson said.
Jim Austin added, “It’s a career. Models that take a short-term approach are not going to be successful. … Every user wants to be treated like an individual.”
Livia Choice, who in six years has become one of the most popular models on ImLive, said “don’t forget we are also human.”
“When you start acting like a robot you can feel something is wrong,” Livia said. “We are all live people and not machines talking to live people. Every day you are different.”
Streamate’s Liz Rekevics noted the level of professionalism among models has increased and that “one thing that all the cam sites share is we share models and we share users.”
Livia said, “there are guests that buy the fantasy of sex, but there are also guests who buy the fantasy of love.” She receives marriage proposals almost daily.
“Most of my guests return to talk to me and not to play with me,” she added.
Frunzetti said when cam models leave one site and go to another it’s “always about their experience, not always about money.”
In a first for Webmaster Access, a special panel called “Understanding Regional Tax Laws” led off the morning lineup loaded with tips for best practices.
Moderated by Daniel Morris, a global expert in multi-national business structuring, tax optimization and asset protection from Morris + D’Angelo, the panel featured a strong quartet of speakers.
They included Joost Zuurbier, the CEO of Amsterdam-based Verotel who rode his bike to the hotel; Emil Darbinian, a tax consultant for Prospectacy Limited; Gregory Dumas, the president of GEC Media; and Jean-Claude Artonne, co-founder of Terpon.
Dumas has built several companies from the ground up, imparting some words of wisdom about personnel decisions.
“If you’re serious about your business the first people you want to hire is your accounting team,” Dumas said. “A finance person is a key person in helping to grow your business.”
The 12th edition of Webmaster Access will roar to a conclusion tonight with the Lingerie Party at Jimmy Woo sponsored by BitterStrawberry, BongaCash, TrafficJunky and Paxum. A Sponsor Brunch is planned for Monday morning to see attendees off until the next conference—Internext 2017 in January in Las Vegas.
