In this episode of The Partner Marketing Podcast, Matthias welcomes Marcel Chaudron, a seasoned Partner Marketing consultant, for an in-depth conversation exploring the development of Partner Marketing over the past two decades. Marcel, a well-respected expert in the industry since 2002, brings unique perspectives from his diverse career across network, agency, Brand, and consultancy roles.
Throughout the episode, the two discuss critical themes ranging from technology and transparency to consumer behavior, the evolving role of networks, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry. The discussion balances personal anecdotes with strategic insight, offering listeners a nuanced understanding of where affiliate and Partner Marketing stands today - and where it is heading.
Marcel’s entry into Partner Marketing and early days in the industry
Matthias: "A very warm welcome to the Partner Marketing Podcast. My guest for today's episode is Marcel Chaudron. Marcel is an all-time Partner Marketing rock star in the industry for over 20 years. Hello Marcel, it's great having you here today on The Partner Marketing Podcast. Welcome!"
Marcel: "Good morning, Mattias (…). Thanks for having me on this exciting podcast."
Matthias: "You've been in the Affiliate and Partner Marketing space for so long. What are the biggest changes you've seen over this time?"
Marcel: "The biggest change is, you know, from the beginning up to now, it's really the technology that we've been seeing."
Marcel began his journey in Partner Marketing in 2002, transitioning from a traditional advertising agency in the Netherlands to a role at Tradedoubler. He initially encountered the limitations of manual campaign tracking while working on a university campaign that required tracking open day sign-ups via banners placed on various websites. To monitor performance, Marcel and his team created individual landing pages for each site - a labor-intensive but informative solution. This rudimentary system made him realize the pressing need for better tracking tools.
Upon discovering Tradedoubler's platform through a former colleague, Marcel was immediately impressed by its capabilities and applied for a role at the company. Within weeks, he was hired as an account manager. This moment marked the beginning of his long-standing involvement with the evolving world of performance and Partner Marketing.
The evolution of the Affiliate and Partner Marketing landscape
Reflecting on over two decades in the industry, Marcel identifies technology as the single most transformative force. The tracking capabilities that seemed revolutionary in the early 2000s are now baseline requirements. Early innovations like the rise of search engine marketing and price comparison models - once driven by affiliate Publishers - were eventually absorbed by Brands and Agencies. The introduction of programmatic advertising in the early 2010s mirrored this trend. However, in recent years, affiliate models like Google CSS and price comparison have re-entered the affiliate space, reaffirming its value in the mid-funnel of the conversion journey.
Marcel also notes a stark shift in the profile of partners. In the early days, many affiliates were individuals operating from their bedrooms. Today, the space is dominated by professional operations, some employing hundreds and forming fully-fledged businesses. He recalls instances from the early 2000s where a single Publisher going on vacation could cause noticeable dips in performance - a scenario almost unthinkable today.
Marcel: "I think what changed a lot is the size of the Publisher. The size of the partner. In the beginning, we sometimes talked to 15-16-year-old people living in their parent's house and doing all their search activities from there. And now, I listened to some other podcasts of yours; you know how big those kinds of Publishers are these days, right? How professional they are. They're hundreds of people now, they're full businesses and I think the big evolvement is that everything has become much more professional."
The role of networks: From tracking to strategic partnership
The conversation turns to the evolving role of Partner Marketing networks. Marcel believes the most valuable aspect of a network lies in the very term itself: Tnetwork of connections it can offer between Brands and Publishers. While most networks now offer similar technological solutions and access to major Publishers, Marcel argues that service and proactivity are the primary differentiators.
He outlines his key expectations from a network partner. First, client service must be fast and competent. Second, networks should offer proactive support in discovering new partners and identifying growth opportunities through tools like benchmark analyses and gap identification. Third, and perhaps most importantly, networks should help Brands manage long-tail partners by serving as the first line of communication, particularly when internal client teams are too small to cover all active relationships.
Marcel: "For me, the key point of a network is the proactivity of finding, and connecting, and growing the partners. I think that is because they work with multiple clients; they have even more knowledge than some of the clients or even myself about all new partners, and that's what I really like."
In his own consulting work, Marcel has seen networks introduce valuable innovations, such as influencer collaborations and new affiliate models, reinforcing their strategic value. Ultimately, networks should act not only as technology providers but also as strategic growth enablers.
Integrating Partner Marketing into broader marketing strategy
One of the major themes in the discussion is the increasing integration of Partner Marketing into a Brand’s broader marketing mix. Marcel notes that in the past, different marketing departments operated in silos, often competing for attribution. Today, he observes more collaborative environments where Partner Marketing teams work closely with paid search, programmatic, and CRM teams to create cohesive user journeys.
He emphasizes the importance of building bridges between departments, citing examples where CSS campaigns were jointly strategized by affiliate and search teams. This collaborative approach helps Brands align on objectives, reduce redundancy, and improve overall return on investment.
Marcel: "Partner Marketing is not only partnering with client agencies and affiliates, but it's also partnering up with the rest of the team, partnering up with the rest of all the channels because the ultimate goal of a client is to drive sales, you know, against the best robots for example, and maybe people disagree, but you can't do that if all the channels are starting to compete with each other, right?"
Putting the consumer at the center
A key insight Marcel offers is that successful Partner Marketing must start with a deep understanding of the consumer. He regularly begins client engagements by asking them to describe their ideal customer - a question that often catches them off guard. Without this foundational insight, Marcel argues, Brands risk deploying campaigns blindly.
He explains that consumer behavior is increasingly complex, involving as many as 20 different touchpoints in a typical purchase journey. Understanding these behaviors helps Brands select the right partners and touchpoints to influence buying decisions. However, the challenge lies not in the availability of data, but in interpreting and activating the right data points amid the noise.
Strategies for different Brand sizes and program stages
Marcel distinguishes between strategies for established Brands and lesser-known startups. While big Brands benefit from name recognition, they must still compete for attention on affiliate platforms. Smaller Brands, by contrast, face the challenge of building trust with partners who may be hesitant to promote them on a pure CPA basis.
To address this, Marcel recommends that smaller Brands explore hybrid models, such as CPC or tenancy fees, to incentivize initial collaboration. He also advises setting realistic expectations around ROI and program ramp-up time, emphasizing the need for patience and continuous optimization.
Whether working with new or mature programs, Marcel believes that the fundamentals remain the same: solid technology, strategic partner selection, transparent tracking, and above all, strong human relationships.
The impact and limitations of AI in Partner Marketing
As the conversation shifts to artificial intelligence, Matthias poses the question of whether AI could finally enable full automation in Partner Marketing. Marcel is cautiously optimistic but realistic. He acknowledges that AI already offers significant efficiency gains in areas like content generation, automated reporting, and email drafting. He cites examples where AI tools are used to create product descriptions or generate client emails, thereby freeing up time for more strategic work.
However, Marcel does not believe that AI can replace the human relationships at the heart of Partner Marketing. The channel’s success depends on negotiation, trust, creativity, and shared understanding - qualities that machines cannot replicate. While AI may eventually impact consumer search behaviors (e.g., by becoming the interface for finding deals or prices), he does not see it radically transforming the channel in the immediate future.
Marcel: "So, that's really great because then we have more time to optimize and create a great relationship. Many of these things are about efficiency. But really, I do not see in the short term that AI will replace me, for example, or replace the affiliate manager or the contact at a partner. What it can do is create the content. So, if there is a product release, we can be in discussion with a partner where, in the past, they probably needed to write. Well, we send them a briefing. They write content. Now, they're probably going to use AI. And, of course, they need to rewrite it and check it. So that can save some time. But I don't think that AI will replace the whole relationship."
Understanding every Publisher’s contribution
Marcel shares a story from 2005 when he mistakenly removed a large group of “inactive” partners from a program because they hadn’t generated sales. Unbeknownst to him, many of those partners were contributing to first-click attribution. The program’s overall sales dropped, even among top-performing partners. The experience taught him a critical lesson: never remove a partner without fully understanding their role in the user journey. Today, attribution and data tools help avoid such mistakes, but the memory remains a powerful reminder of how Partner Marketing is as much about nuance as it is about numbers.#
Conclusion
Marcel’s insights reinforce that while Partner Marketing has become more sophisticated, it remains fundamentally a people business. The success of any program depends on strong relationships, thoughtful strategy, and an ongoing willingness to adapt to both technological advancements and consumer behavior. As the landscape continues to evolve, particularly with the advent of AI, one thing remains clear: the Brands that thrive will be those that view their partners not as transactional vendors, but as true collaborators in driving shared success.
Listen to the entire episode on Spotify, Apple Podcast, our website, and all other podcast platforms.
About The Partner Marketing Podcast
The podcast brings together thought leaders and professionals from across the globe. In each episode, our host, Matthias, sits down with guests to discuss the evolving world of Partner Marketing and share personal stories.
For more details, please visit www.tradedoubler.com/podcast