With entries open for October’s inaugural International Performance Marketing Awards (IPMAs), this Q&A series looks back at the winners of the Awards’ ceremony last year, gathering insight into the some of the past winners and inspiration behind the industry’s newly-decorated campaigns and companies.
Today we’re speaking with Anthony Capano, managing director, Europe and APAC at Rakuten Marketing who won the award for Best Performance Marketing Technology.
Tell us about winning an International Performance Marketing Award?
AC: Winning Best Performance Marketing Technology at the International Performance Marketing Awards was a great achievement for Rakuten Marketing. We were honoured to receive this award and to be recognised by the industry for our dedication to developing our cross-channel, cross-device attribution and insights platform, Cadence. Winning the award gave us a valuable opportunity to showcase our digital expertise globally across multiple channels (affiliate, display and search).
Where does the value lie in winning Best Performance Marketing Technology?
AC: We’ve championed the need for brands to measure their marketing performance across channels and devices for several years now and made a commitment to develop and deliver a best-in-class solution to do that. The award reaffirms that our solution truly delivers visibility into the experiences that drive performance – online, offline, in-store and across devices – allowing our clients to maximise the value of their digital marketing efforts. Transparency into marketing performance shouldn’t be a luxury to those with large marketing budgets, which is why we also offer Cadence to all of our clients at no additional cost.
Has anything changed for your company since winning the award?
AC: This is a great question. In short, yes. We’ve absolutely been able to leverage the award win to bolster our mission in challenging the mindset of the traditional, siloed marketer. We want to ensure that they think beyond their channel-responsibilities and what possibilities lie ahead in measuring, strategising and optimising across their digital ecosystem. Marketers using Cadence have complete transparency into the customer journey and are able to identify the channels and strategies that are driving true performance.
In your opinion, what kind of attributes stand out in succeeding in such regions including, APAC, LATAM and MENA?
AC: There are many factors and attributes that are essential for international success including a global and consistent technology platform and the reach and depth of partners in respective markets. Expanding internationally has become easier through the development of technology, however, there are still challenges as the culture, geography and languages differ greatly across each market. Having an open mind and experienced local support in each region is essential for success.
What’s your take on the IPMAs as a vital aspect of driving the industry forward on a global scale?
AC: The IPMAs is a solid, global platform to recognise and reward innovation and celebrate success in the performance marketing sector. The awards provide a showcase for the great work being achieved across the globe and what can be achieved when you challenge the status quo. We’re looking forward to seeing what this year has in store!