PartnerCentric Publisher Press - Siteplug & VEVE
PartnerCentric: What is the number one thing you want advertisers to know about Affinity's products Siteplug and VEVE?
Sagar Joshi: Affinity is a global ad tech company that creates user engagement products for branding and performance goals with the sole purpose of enhancing user experience. Affinity has 5 dedicated business units and we will focus on 2 of them namely:
Siteplug is an auto-correction tool which every advertiser should consider as a must have in their marketing mix as it prevents the loss of high-intent users while they navigate to reach your website. Further, Siteplug also plays a role in gaining new, high-intent users through the search environment.
VEVE is a platform that helps brands get featured on the top OEMs (Mobile Handset Manufacturers) and browsers thereby increasing the brand’s reach significantly. With innovative and native ad solutions such as Tiles & Notification Ads VEVE delivers high conversion rates.
PartnerCentric: How are you supporting advertisers during this time of Covid-19?
Sagar Joshi: Support is absolutely essential during these unfortunate times, since we’re all pretty much sailing on the same boat. Adapting to new trends will be crucial and interesting to look out for. We are constantly learning about new consumers trends/analysis and perhaps experiencing the major shift in consumer trends as we speak. From reducing costs to payouts to shutdown of campaigns, we have experienced all of this in these past few months. On the flipside, we are also seeing very positive trends across multiple verticals such as Healthy Living, Food Delivery, Streaming, Gaming etc.
PartnerCentric: How do you feel Covid-19 has impacted the performance marketing industry and what opportunities do you see for advertisers when we go back to some level of "normal?"
Sagar Joshi: Let’s call it the “new normal“ (if I may) - With increased online activity, understanding this new consumer behavioral will be extremely important in driving successful strategies. With in-stores closing all over, time spent online will increase and brands will have to target users during this time by investing heavily in digital efforts rather than physical advertising. Performance marketing will only benefit since the consumer will largely depend on online shopping and experiences for almost all their needs and requirements.
PartnerCentric: What makes you stand out from your competitors? What do you do differently?
Sagar Joshi: We’re absolutely a great partner to work with. We thrive on testing. We thrive on performance. We’re very reciprocal. We will work for you to make sure your goals are met. The competitive advantage we have is our variety of offerings - from domain redirection to powering search suggestions on various mobile applications. We also have a bunch of strategic alliances/partnerships with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) that guarantees a stupendous reach with very unique ad formats helping brands acquire new users and deliver the best user experience.
PartnerCentric: What qualities does your ideal advertiser have?
Sagar Joshi: They should have the same enthusiasm as us to partner and the eagerness to try new channels for their respective brands.
PartnerCentric: How has your roadmap for 2020 changed due to Covid-19?
Sagar Joshi: Since we are a part of the digital marketing industry, we have had the privilege of not experiencing drastic changes that some other industries such as Retail and Travel have witnessed. However, there has been a slight shift in the way we are doing our business. In-person meetings and chats are a thing of the past now. All in all, our company’s roadmap has not altered, we were delivering performance for brands and we will continue with some increased aggression for the rest of the year.
PartnerCentric: One of our core values at PartnerCentric is Professional Intimacy so in that spirit, can you tell me one Fun Fact about yourself or Affinity?
Sagar Joshi: Absolutely! I recently completed my first bicycle journey that spanned over 2 states, (200+ Miles). One of the most beautiful and satisfying trips in recent times. This same spirit can be seen among all employees at Affinity - adventurous and health conscious.
