S4 Ep3: Moonpull + TopCashback

What happens when an affiliate sale goes untracked? For publishers, it means lost commission. For advertisers, it means missing valuable performance data. And for customers expecting cashback, it can mean missing out on money they're owed.Recorded live at Awin's ThinkTank UK, this episode of the Awin-Win Marketing Podcast sees Awin's VP of Strategic Partnerships Paul Stewart joined by James Little, Group Commercial Director at TopCashback, and Steve Brown, CEO and Founder of Moonpull.Together, they explore why accurate tracking remains such a challenge for the affiliate industry, from cookie consent and privacy regulations to the technical problems that can quietly cause sales to go missing.They also share how their award-winning partnership (Gold at the recent Global Performance Marketing Awards), working alongside Awin, is helping to identify and resolve these issues. With consent-related fixes delivering conversion rate improvements of 30-40% in some cases, and wider tracking work expected to recover around one million additional transactions annually, the impact is significant.Tune in to hear why fixing affiliate tracking isn't just about recovering lost commissions. It's about protecting customer trust, recognising the true value of partnerships and helping the entire industry grow.And don't forget to check out the highlights video on Awin's YouTube channel to watch the best parts of the episode: https://youtu.be/R-3t6OY39Fw

How can a product-focused retailer build brand awareness and reach new audiences without abandoning the marketing strategies that made it successful?In this episode of Awin-Win Marketing Podcast, Sophie Metcalfe, Revenue Operations Director at Commission Factory, is joined by Callum Hinett, Business Manager at Kleva Brands, and Annabel Gray, VP APAC at Silverbean, to explore how affiliate partnerships have helped transform the Australian retailer's marketing strategy.Having built its success through TV advertising and product demonstrations, Kleva first turned to affiliate marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a way to diversify its marketing channels has since evolved into a strategic partnership with Silverbean, helping the retailer extend its reach, build brand awareness and support sales across its extensive product range.Callum and Annabel discuss how content partnerships, cashback campaigns and smarter commission structures have helped Kleva challenge traditional perceptions of affiliate marketing and deliver record-breaking results.They also explore the growing importance of trusted editorial content in an era of AI-powered product discovery, and what the changing Australian affiliate landscape means for brands looking to future-proof their marketing strategies.Listen now to discover how Kleva and Silverbean are turning product appeal into brand growth through the power of affiliate partnerships.

Can affiliate marketing help premium brands grow without compromising their values?For lingerie brand Wacoal, affiliate marketing has become much more than a channel for discounts and promotions. It's now an important part of the company's wider strategy for building brand awareness, reaching new customers and driving incremental growth.In the first episode of Series 4 of Awin-Win Marketing Podcast, Rob Davinson welcomes Awin's Global Agency Director, Parrish Essell, who heads to Boston to speak with Judith Sampson, Marketing Lead at Wacoal, and Samantha Cormier, Program Director at Acceleration Partners.Together, they explore how Wacoal and Acceleration Partners have developed their relationship over nearly six years, challenging traditional perceptions of affiliate marketing and demonstrating how carefully selected partnerships can deliver results while protecting a premium brand's positioning.From successful card-linked offers with Capital One and American Express to Wacoal's recent Shopify migration, Judith and Samantha share practical examples of how testing, collaboration and data have helped unlock new opportunities for growth.They also discuss the changing role of affiliate marketing within the wider marketing mix, the importance of measuring incrementality, and how AI and generative engine optimization are transforming the way consumers discover and evaluate brands.It's a conversation about why successful affiliate programs aren't one-size-fits-all, and why the strongest partnerships combine commercial performance with a genuine understanding of the brand.Subscribe to Awin-Win Marketing Podcast for more conversations with the brands, agencies, publishers and technology partners shaping the future of partnership marketing.https://www.awin.com/gb/awin-win-marketing-podcast

Would you start a business with someone you'd only known for a month?In the tenth and final episode of Lessons from Losing, recorded at Awin's ThinkTank UK in London, guest host Jessica Smith, Regional Agency Lead at Awin, sits down with Jamie Brusey and Gary Winter, co-founders of performance marketing agency RevWise.Jamie and Gary reveal how they went from meeting for the first time to starting a company together just one month later - and how an unexpected career setback for Gary ultimately provided the catalyst for launching RevWise.From the uncertainty of their first six months and learning to play to each other's strengths, to the challenges of rapidly building a 50-person team, they reflect candidly on learning how to run a fast-growing business while actually running it. That includes the moment they discovered the company's finances weren't what they thought they were, costly lessons in cash flow and credit control, and why sometimes the best way to learn is simply by getting things wrong.They also discuss the importance of bouncing back quickly from setbacks, knowing your numbers, finding the right co-founder and how their definitions of winning have evolved as RevWise has grown.Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel and explore the full Lessons from Losing playlist to hear all ten founder stories from our first series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeVpTdBIQCq4&si=-t3-WP6hQMmJoSWs #GetAWinWithAwin

What happens when you keep moving onto the next big idea?In this special live episode of Lessons from Losing, recorded on stage at Awin's ThinkTank UK in London, Matthew Wood, founder of Hello Partner, looks back on more than 25 years of building businesses across the affiliate industry - and the successes, setbacks and missed opportunities that have shaped his journey.From building a cashback site with more than a million members without fully appreciating what he had created, to struggling with life inside a corporate environment following the success of Vouchercloud and later coming close to liquidating his events business, Matt reflects on why focus, perspective and knowing when to ask for help have become some of his biggest entrepreneurial lessons.  He also discusses why building a business alone can be so isolating, the value of surrounding yourself with people who have been there before, and how his definition of winning has changed over time - from commercial success to building a great team, finding a better work-life balance and being present for his family. Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel for more episodes of Lessons from Losing, founder stories and expert insights from across the world of digital marketing.#GetAWinWithAwin

How do you build something designed to serve an entire industry?In this episode of Lessons from Losing, Kevin Edwards, founder and director of the Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association (APMA), reflects on the experience of launching a not-for-profit trade body designed to give the affiliate and partner marketing industry a stronger collective voice.From dealing with membership churn and deciding where to focus limited resources, to learning when to abandon ideas that simply aren't working, Kevin discusses the uncertainty that comes with becoming a founder - and why starting something new can often feel like you're making it up as you go along.He also explains why surrounding yourself with people you trust is invaluable when you don't have all the answers, why every day as a founder is a school day, and the importance of knowing your own worth and valuing your expertise accordingly.Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel for more episodes of Lessons from Losing, founder stories and expert insights from across the world of digital marketing.#GetAWinWithAwin

What does it really take to turn a good idea into a lasting business?In this episode of Lessons from Losing, Mike Tomkins, co-founder of TopCashback, looks back on the 21-year journey behind one of the UK's biggest affiliate success stories - and the setbacks and difficult decisions that helped shape it along the way.From an expensive attempt to expand into India to a blocked acquisition of one of TopCashback's biggest competitors, Mike reflects on knowing when to persevere, when to change course, and why entrepreneurs shouldn't always rush to follow the latest trend. Sometimes, he argues, it pays to let your competitors test an idea first.Mike also explains why ethics and fairness have become fundamental to the way TopCashback operates, and why success today is about more than simply growing the business - it's about using that success to make a positive impact.Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel for more episodes of Lessons from Losing, founder stories and expert insights from across the world of digital marketing.#GetAWinWithAwin

What's it really like building a business with your life partner?In this episode of Lessons from Losing, Ray Wright, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of uFurnish.com, shares the setbacks, difficult decisions and lessons behind building the UK furniture discovery platform alongside his wife and co-founder, Deirdre.From the hiring mistakes that proved costly in the early days, to seeing a major retail partner suddenly collapse and leave a significant hole in the business, Ray reflects on the realities of startup life, the importance of strong relationships, and why some ideas only reveal their value after they fail the first time.He also discusses the unique dynamic of founding a company as husband and wife, why curiosity is one of the most important qualities for any entrepreneur, and how his definition of winning has evolved from chasing short-term results to building something sustainable for the long term.Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel for more episodes of Lessons from Losing, founder stories and expert insights from across the world of digital marketing.#GetAWinWithAwin

What if failure is just another way of finding out what works?In this episode of Lessons from Losing, Ciaron Dunne, co-founder of Genie Ventures, reflects on more than two decades of building businesses - including plenty of ideas that didn't quite go according to plan.From seeing Google wipe out years of hard-earned search traffic and launching businesses that never took off, to losing £40,000 on a campaign on the same night his team won two industry awards, Ciaron explains why learning to laugh at failure, keep experimenting and know when to persevere has been fundamental to Genie Ventures' success.Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel for more episodes of Lessons from Losing, founder stories and expert insights from across the world of digital marketing.#GetAWinWithAwin

How does it feel to abandon all you’ve ever known to start something new?In this episode of Lessons from Losing, Hannah Wharrier, Co-Founder of Affilifest, explores all the trials and tribulations of going it alone in pursuit of something bigger. Hannah’s brave decision to step away from a director position at one of the UK’s biggest event companies to build Affilifest from the ground up made for a perfect conversion. Along the way, from Snoop Dogg contracting COVID to failed international expansions, her lessons have shaped an incredible career and growth mindset.  Lessons from Losing is an interview series from Awin, where we sit down with founders and business leaders to uncover the slip-ups, setbacks and struggles behind their success.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Awin's YouTube channel for more episodes of Lessons from Losing, founder stories and expert insights from across the world of digital marketing.#GetAWinWithAwin