AD WEEK – Dec 1 – Rob Segal left WorldGaming to join AshleyMadison's parent company, Ruby Corp in April.
Q: What was your initial reaction when you were contacted for the CEO job?
A: I did think that if it could be pulled off, it would be one of the great turnarounds of all time, and I wanted to be part of something that big. I had to get comfortable with it, and I had to make sure it was cool with my wife and with my family.
Q: How's that working out?
A: We gained 7M members since July, taking our total over 49M. Our female sign-ups are up 20%.
Q: Can you describe the typical user?
A: Our core users are in mid-30s and older, and they are educated with higher income.
Q: How do you monetize that base?
A: It's free initially, but as you want to use more of the service, you purchase tokens (which start at $49), and you become a paying customer. (They spend ~$200 a year on the site.)
Q: Can you envision selling ads on the site?
A: Big data's a very untapped opportunity for us—but we have to be very, very careful with how we do that. We would never share any data about a customer. In a year or two we might be there, but not right now.
Q: Where do you see your brands in the next few years?
A: We need to continue to build up trust. We'll position the sites as nonjudgmental platforms, with the customer base to help you find whatever it is that you are looking for in a discreet and secure fashion.
by David Gianatasio
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