Angel Djambazov, cofounder and overseer of business development of Lab6, joins Todd Crawford on The Partnership Economy Podcast! Angel has worked in the affiliate space for over 15 years, and he discusses with Angel and Todd discuss the importance of brands fostering personalized relationships with their partners, especially when it comes to catering to the differences between general affiliates and creators.
Angel discusses how people presume affiliate will always be there, as well as that affiliate relationships bear fruit immediately. These are both misguided, he suggests. People need to think longterm in terms of strategy, consistency, and relationship building. Working with creators involves direction, coordination, goodwill, and effort, all of which is well worth it in the end but which requires nuance, time, and energy.
At the iPX event sponsored by Impact featured influencer Chloe Wen, who shared that 60% of her revenue has affiliate as a component, but Angel thinks that most people missed that that 60% is not commission only. He points out that, while 60% of her revenue has affiliate as a component, the rest is paid placement or fee that comes with it. Angel thinks brands are sometimes mismatched with how they approach creators/influencers. More and more, creators are thinking of themselves as brands themselves. In order to get the quality promotion you want, corporate brands must take the time to research what that creator is doing, what they are good at. That investment of time, just as you would for your consumers, is key to getting the right partners.
Todd agrees that there is a mistake that people assume influencers are like all affiliates, whereas they are content creators (we might call them “content creatives” to remember this point better). Todd and Angel explain why taking the time to create offers for various kinds of publishers is critical for brands looking to scale in the space.
Two of Lab6’s biggest wins last year would have looked like a big mismatch using our traditional tools, for example, bringing together an MMA fighter influencer and a high end apparel brand. This was easily one of Lab6’s biggest wins and it was only possible because of the deep level of trust between Lab6 and our clients as well as influencer partners. There’s a plethora of opportunities in the space, Angel offers, but it requires catering to relationships in an authentic, creative, and intentional way. He ends the podcast on a hopeful note, saying that brands have approached him more in the last 6 months with creative collaboration ideas than in the last decade.
