Connect SG: Mastering commerce content in a dynamic market

We were delighted to host our latest Skimlinks Connect Event in Singapore.

With a dynamic mix of industry experts from publishers, advertisers, and affiliate networks in the room, the morning was filled with vibrant discussion, thought-provoking insights, and fantastic opportunities for networking too.

The highlight was an engaging panel discussion on “Mastering commerce content in a dynamic market,” led by our insightful APAC Director Jade McDade. 

The panel included three industry experts:

• Eric Tan, Director, Ads Ops & Product Planning, MediaCorp
• Leo Wang, Senior Director, Commercial, Asia at Rakuten Advertising
• Pauline Edme, Affiliate Director, APAC, Neo Media World
  

We’ve summarized some of our key takeaways from our panelists below:

Affiliate marketing is a growth opportunity in Singapore

Pauline highlighted Singapore’s competitive affiliate marketing landscape. Advertisers are not only competing on CPA but also against marketplaces. This phenomenon is more pronounced in APAC, where marketplaces have more influence.  She recommends linking out to both marketplaces and advertisers, to ensure sales are driven across both channels. Overall the channel is a growth opportunity in Singapore. Despite the strong shopping culture and advanced e-commerce infrastructure, there is a need for more education on affiliate marketing for future growth.

Balance editorial integrity with commercial optimization for affiliate success

Eric shared that publishers are still learning and keen to explore what more mature publishers and markets are doing. Inspiration from mature markets focuses on added value from commerce content and maintaining trust with the audience as well as advertisers. MediaCorp focuses on its core principle: creating valuable and relevant content. This audience-first approach prioritizes relevant content over short-term monetary gains. The emphasis is on a balance between commercial optimization and editorial integrity to ensure long-term success.

Communication is key for merchants

Eric advised advertisers to share their product’s unique selling points with the editorial team, as if speaking directly to their target audience. What sets their product apart from competitors? How does it benefit their target audience? The more context you can give publishers the greater the chance of coverage. 

While people appreciate a good deal, the effectiveness of a discount depends on the website. Some readers are deal hunters, while others are less interested and advertisers should think about different promotional strategies for different kinds of publishers.

Beyond the Budget Battle? Bringing internal sales team, agencies and affiliate networks together

Jade noted that many publishers are uncertain about how to allocate budget for affiliate marketing. She also mentioned that some publishers encounter challenges within their internal sales teams when dividing budgets between their internal sales team and the affiliate team. The panelists agreed that ongoing collaboration through open communication is essential among all groups, including agencies.

Selecting the right partner ensures transparency

Leo emphasized the significance of transparency in building trust between publishers and advertisers in Singapore. He discussed the importance of Skimlinks and Rakuten’s work  championing transparency globally. Many publishers in Singapore lack transparency for merchants, making it crucial to collaborate with platforms like Skimlinks that prioritize and provide full disclosure at domain-level to advertisers. By doing so, merchants can offer more compelling deals to publishers like MediaCorp, who drive substantial value.

Conclusion

Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, mastering commerce content in a dynamic market will require continuous effort from all of us in this region. The insightful advice from our panelists can serve as a guiding light as we continue on this exciting journey: 

• Affiliate marketing in Singapore is a competitive environment, but there is significant growth potential if publishers and advertisers can take advantage of the opportunity here

• Balancing editorial integrity with growth is the key

• Advertisers should give publishers clear, compelling product information.

• Transparency builds trust between publishers and advertisers

• Publishers should diversify their merchant coverage to counter Google algorithm risks

• Strong partnerships offer insights and support for agile action