Lab6 Media
At Affiliate Summit West 2015 the owners of GTO Management and Custom Tailored Marketing announced a merger of the companies into the newly formed Lab6 Media.
We recently sat down with Karen Garcia and Angel Djambazov to find out more about Lab6 Media.
AFP:. Who are the principles behind Lab6 Media?
Lab6 Media: The Lab6 Media co-founders are affiliate industry veterans Angel Djambazov, Karen Garcia, and Joel Garcia
Karen, Lab6’s resident Mad Scientist (aka Operations and Client Services), has a background in physics, a passion for numbers and has been actively managing affiliate programs since 1999. She spent three terms on the PMA Board of Directors as an officer and was awarded by ShareASale for her work as an industry advocate.
Angel, Lab6’s master of Mayhem (aka Marketing and Business Development), started his professional career in journalism before transitioning to online marketing. He has won multiple industry awards for his work in affiliate management including an industry advocate award. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Performance Marketing Association.
Joel, Lab6’s crazed Button Pusher (aka Technical Lead), has a wide-ranging background in programing and graphic design and has been involved in the affiliate industry for the past decade. His expertise is in creating innovative technical solutions for our team that empower us to generate greater results for our clients.
AFP: How was Lab6 Media formed and what was the motivation behind it’s inception?
Lab6 Media: Creative minds often are often drawn towards collaboration. In the case that collaboration came naturally through mutual friendship and love of good food. Each of Lab6 Media’s co-founders has a broad wealth of expertise and experiences as well as a complimentary skill set that they bring to the company.
AFP: What services do Lab6 Media offer?
Lab6 Media: Lab6 Media specializes in affiliate program management, search management, and mobile marketing. We also offer quick setup services for new affiliate programs as well as auditing services for existing affiliate programs that need a boost.
AFP:. There are many internet marketing and OPM agencies available to merchants today. What differentiates Lab6 Media?
Lab6 Media: The focus of Lab6 Media is niche retail. Our extensive experience with retailers encompasses a wide variety of markets including fashion, sports, food/beverage, pets, and entertainment. That varied experience allows us to quickly determine the unique and significant challenges faced by an advertiser in their respective niche and in turn helps us lay out a path toward growth and sustainable ROI.
AFP: What should a merchant look for when choosing an outsourced program manager (OPM) or search agency?
Lab6 Media: Choosing an outsourced program management team or search agency can seem daunting, but the one thing we always recommend considering in the selection process is the level of transparency. What we do is not magic, but is instead a time-tested and intensive vocation built on previous experience and analytics. Our goal with every client is to create a long-term relationship and part of that is helping the client’s team understand just what it takes to make their affiliate program successful.
AFP: If a merchant is just starting or is considering starting an affiliate program, what advice would you give them to improve their chances of long-term success of their affiliate program?
Lab6 Media: This is not a one size fits all industry and no two advertisers are the same. We believe that the key to a successful affiliate program is incorporating the affiliate channel into the advertiser’s long term marketing strategy. Part of that is understanding the channel’s strengths, like excellent return on ad spend and strong content focused campaigns, and what its weaknesses are, such as not necessarily being a high volume channel when compared to other forms of marketing. Long term success requires planning and careful channel management, which is where our expertise comes into play for our clients.
AFP: What does the formation of Lab6 Media mean to the existing partners (merchants and affiliates) of GTO Management and Custom Tailored Marketing?
Lab6 Media: The combining of forces from our two successful companies into Lab6 Media allows for a greater increase in our capacity to serve our existing clientele and to serve them even better that we have before. With Lab6 Media, we can offer new services to all our clients and we have the opportunity to be even more creative on their behalf, leading to even greater long-term success.
