Expert Interview: Zeropark Welcomes two former TONIC. Business Development Directors (3)
04-26-2022 10:16 AM
#1
zeropark (Senior Member)
Expert Interview: Zeropark Welcomes two former TONIC. Business Development Directors
Expert Interview: Zeropark Welcomes two former TONIC. Business Development Directors
Hey guys,
On April 1st, 2022 TONIC. For Advertisers has been officially merged into Zeropark. The companies have operated under the same parent company, the CentralNic Group, for a whole year and gradually it became clear that the most beneficial option for both platforms was to join forces and make the most of each other's strengths.
These strengths include two very experienced Business Development Directors with immense experience in domain monetization, strategic partnerships, and product development. You might have even met them before at conferences and events, and if you haven’t, there’ll be plenty of chances in the future.
Jim Grace, previously a Business Development Director (US market) at TONIC. for Advertisers joined Zeropark taking on the same role.
Rudolf Schubert, previously Sales Team Lead in TONIC. For Advertisers, joined Zeropark also as a Business Development Director.
For almost a decade, Jim’s and Rudi’s experience and expertise helped in the expansion and success of the TONIC. For Advertisers platform and continuously boosted the company’s outreach and connections.
Now we welcome their skills and expert industry knowledge in Zeropark!
For this occasion, we’d like to help you get to know Jim & Rudi as well as hear their thoughts on the merger.
1. How did you begin your career in affiliate marketing/monetization?
Jim: I started at Revenue.net in 2004. Owned by Oversee.net, Revenue.net was an early 0-click PPC platform. I moved to DomainSponsor, which was Oversee’s parking platform, before Revenue.net was shut down. From DomainSponsor, I moved to DomainPower in 2012, then to ParkingCrew and DNTX, which was TONIC.’s predecessor, in 2013.
Rudi: Having worked in sales positions before, I wanted to work in the online marketing industry for quite a while and was bugging one of the Team Internet founders who I knew from the past several times if they had a job for me - which at one point finally was the case. So I got to join DNTX in 2014 and together with Jim, we took over the entire sales/account management/support/product tasks.
Rudi: Having worked in sales positions before, I wanted to work in the online marketing industry for quite a while and was bugging one of the Team Internet founders who I knew from the past several times if they had a job for me - which at one point finally was the case. So I got to join DNTX in 2014 and together with Jim, we took over the entire sales/account management/support/product tasks.
2. How has the industry changed since then?
Jim: Traffic quality has improved greatly, as many of the more suspicious players were forced out, while traffic volumes have increased as new ad types, like push, email, native, social media, etc. started to be monetized. Bottom line is that as long as the traffic converts, there will be an advertiser to buy it, whether they are an affiliate, ad agency, or aggregator.
Rudi: The age of gold diggers is over - affiliates who just tried their luck and got rich without having a plan or spending time on optimization are not a thing anymore. There are great opportunities in the business, but it takes more to compete with the smart players.
Also in the past, there were a lot of copycats - just copying landing pages and campaigns. Nowadays more creativity is needed, but again there are a lot of opportunities and as traffic and visitor behavior trends change more quickly smart people will always rule the affiliate marketing space.
Many ad types came, got hyped, and then stagnated or decreased, but our solid foundation combined with always being up to the trends make us strong and will keep us a key player in this exciting industry.
Rudi: The age of gold diggers is over - affiliates who just tried their luck and got rich without having a plan or spending time on optimization are not a thing anymore. There are great opportunities in the business, but it takes more to compete with the smart players.
Also in the past, there were a lot of copycats - just copying landing pages and campaigns. Nowadays more creativity is needed, but again there are a lot of opportunities and as traffic and visitor behavior trends change more quickly smart people will always rule the affiliate marketing space.
Many ad types came, got hyped, and then stagnated or decreased, but our solid foundation combined with always being up to the trends make us strong and will keep us a key player in this exciting industry.
3. Have you had a chance to meet the Zeropark team in the past?
Jim: Yes, I knew the key Zeropark team from their time at Elephant Traffic. I was the account manager for Elephant Traffic’s domain portfolio at DomainSponsor. And of course, I always visited Zeropark’s booths at the various shows.
Rudi: TONIC. and Zeropark have always been competitors - but there was always a friendly, fair, and professional relationship which I valued a lot. We often met for a chat & drinks at conferences and I got to visit the Codewise offices a few years ago already. I was always happy to work with Zeropark in the past which made the recent transition feel like joining old friends.
Rudi: TONIC. and Zeropark have always been competitors - but there was always a friendly, fair, and professional relationship which I valued a lot. We often met for a chat & drinks at conferences and I got to visit the Codewise offices a few years ago already. I was always happy to work with Zeropark in the past which made the recent transition feel like joining old friends.
4. What are your responsibilities now that you’ve transitioned from TONIC. For Advertisers to Zeropark?
Jim: I will be working on growing Zeropark’s presence in the US market, looking for new business opportunities, while helping grow existing accounts.
Rudi: Supporting Zeropark in expanding existing and establishing new partnerships across all ad types, plus evaluating partnerships on a corporate level. I will also help as a connector between the two sister companies in case any introductions or exchange of information is needed.
Rudi: Supporting Zeropark in expanding existing and establishing new partnerships across all ad types, plus evaluating partnerships on a corporate level. I will also help as a connector between the two sister companies in case any introductions or exchange of information is needed.
5. What’s your experience with the affiliate marketing community?
Jim: I have been regularly attending conferences, such as Affiliate Summit and Affiliate World, meeting with affiliates, listening to their concerns, and helping them buy TONIC. traffic to send to their offers. And I had an ongoing goal at TONIC. to test the various affiliate platforms with TONIC. Traffic.
Rudi: We have met a lot of people over the years, at numerous conferences around the world which I love attending (and it never gets old!). Some of them even became my friends… Our industry consists of a fun mix of smart, lovely, and also some crazy people with uncountable backgrounds. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy my job so much.
Rudi: We have met a lot of people over the years, at numerous conferences around the world which I love attending (and it never gets old!). Some of them even became my friends… Our industry consists of a fun mix of smart, lovely, and also some crazy people with uncountable backgrounds. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy my job so much.
6. What is the biggest advantage of the merger from your point of view?
Jim: The biggest advantage is now you will have the combined talents of both the TONIC. and Zeropark teams. Advertisers moving from TONIC. to Zeropark will have access to additional traffic, including both new sources and new ad types such as push. And Zeropark advertisers will have exclusive access to ParkingCrew traffic.
Rudi: Merging the two former competitors who have both developed their key competencies over so many years forms an incredibly strong player. With our combined knowledge, connections, and experience we are THE place to go for various kinds of traffic that everyone in the industry should know.
Rudi: Merging the two former competitors who have both developed their key competencies over so many years forms an incredibly strong player. With our combined knowledge, connections, and experience we are THE place to go for various kinds of traffic that everyone in the industry should know.
7. What’s one thing that you’ve learned at TONIC. that will be useful when establishing relationships with Zeropark clients?
Jim: We can’t assume that media buyers or affiliates will immediately understand our traffic or how to use our platform so it is important to provide support once they start building campaigns. Like any business, it all boils down to customer satisfaction. In our business customer satisfaction equals customer success - winning traffic that converts.
Rudi: Systems and work mode of TONIC. and Zeropark are not that much different - best practices that developed over a long time span. The domain traffic expertise plus the network we have established are a perfect match with the sophisticated Zeropark platform and our partners will definitely benefit from this merge.
Rudi: Systems and work mode of TONIC. and Zeropark are not that much different - best practices that developed over a long time span. The domain traffic expertise plus the network we have established are a perfect match with the sophisticated Zeropark platform and our partners will definitely benefit from this merge.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Jim & Rudi. The Zeropark team is excited to have you on board & we’re really happy with what you’re bringing to the table!
👉 In case you have any questions for our experts, share them in the comments and we’ll pass on the answers!
Magda
Congratulations!
Amy
Sent from my iPhone using STM Forums
I already had an account at Elephant Traffic many years ago, maybe I should give direct/zero click traffic another try 
Home > Vendors >