Gen3 Marketing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder a company that facilitates a worry-free pet adoption management platform, designed to make placing a pet a peaceful and safe experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gen3 Marketing, and what were your goals?

We hired OPM Pros (Gen3 is the parent company) to manage our affiliate marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled our affiliate marketing channel by engaging with prospective affiliates and managing the platform.

What is the team dynamic?

We mainly spoke with our account manager and occasionally one other member of their team, so I can’t speak too much to their team dynamic.

How did you come to work with Gen3 Marketing?

OPM Pros (Gen3) was a preferred vendor recommended to us by our affiliate marketing platform.

How much have you invested with them?

Roughly $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship was terminated.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

Gen3 recently acquired OPM Pros and they are beginning to integrate the organizations in to a single agency.  A representative from Gen3 reached out to me to resolve this issue as they were unaware of what transpired with OPM Pros prior to the acquisition.  They offered a fair and equitable settlement.

How did Gen3 Marketing address the challenges that arose?

Gen3 personally reached out to me to offer a amicable resolution and I am happy with this offer.  Overall, we were happy with our relationship with OPM Pros until the final month of our contract which was exacerbated due to a transition in account managers.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on October 27, 2022. 

Co-Founder, Marketing Company

Retail

51-200 Employees

Annapolis, Maryland

Less than $10,000

Aug 2021 - Feb 2022

Project summary

Gen3 Marketing managed the affiliate marketing efforts of a pet adoption management platform. They monitored performance and promote the client's product.

Feedback summary

Gen3 Marketing barely contributed any success and growth in real life. They didn't meet their obligations but attempted to send collections for payment. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of PetPay, Inc. We facilitate a worry-free pet adoption management platform, designed to make placing a pet a peaceful and safe experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gen3 Marketing, and what were your goals?

We hired OPM Pros (Gen3 is the parent company) to manage our affiliate marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We received a list of recommended vendors from our affiliate marketing platform, Impact.com.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

Per our contract, they were to oversee daily affiliate management by utilizing our affiliate marketing platform, Impact.com.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We mostly only worked with our account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We saw very little success and growth with OPM Pros efforts in affiliate marketing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had bi-weekly meetings and would communicate via email as well.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They came recommended from our affiliate marketing platform. After meeting with them, they pitched us with some lofty goals.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! We had a contract with OPM Pros (owned by Gen3 Marketing) that was to end on 2/2/22. We provided notice on 12/27/21, that we will not be renewing their services. From that time of December 27th on, there was no account activity from our rep (the last contact was on December 14th), every scheduled meeting was missed by OPM Pros, and there was a complete lack of communication regarding our account. Per our contract, they were to oversee DAILY affiliate management.

Our affiliate management system that was used for this program, Impact.com, was not maintained nor accessed once by OPM Pros for the entire month of January 2022. We advised that they did not meet their obligations per the contract and we will NOT pay for services NOT rendered. Since then, they have attempted to send us to collections for payment. It was clear that the relationship was over and work had ceased on our account!

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 0.5

Quality: 0.5

Cost: 3.5

Schedule: 2.5

Willing to refer: 0.5

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Currently, I’m the director of partnership marketing for a fintech company, but I previously worked with a large bank and credit card provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gen3 Marketing?

We’re currently in the process of onboarding Gen3 into my current company to get help with affiliate marketing due to the great experience I had working with them in my past role.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I worked at my former company, Gen3 helped us improve our affiliate program, worked with us to attract profitable leads, and introduced us to key affiliate sites. They acted as an extension of our team, having the flexibility of speaking on our behalf, reaching out to various partners, and delivering reports; they were involved in a lot of projects.

For example, Gen3 helped us study the marketplace and aid us in the right contractual decisions. On the operations side, they kept us monitoring our results daily, and they informed us when they saw any red flags. Additionally, they provided us with some compliance services, constantly checking our brand’s health and monitoring us on the web to ensure that our company was being represented correctly.

In addition to those services, Gen3 maintained constant communication with us, especially when we went through some special campaigns or market tests. On those occasions, they were very involved in the process, and they provided us with additional reporting when requested.

What is the team composition?

We had three people from Gen3 working on our account at any given time, ranging from senior directors to senior associates. I primarily worked with the senior directors.

How did you come to work with Gen3 Marketing?

When I joined my previous company, they already had a relationship with Gen3, and I was introduced to them. During my onboarding period, I evaluated the relationship and thought that they were still a good fit for us, so I kept working with them and took our relationship to the next level.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $1 million per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together about five years ago. Now that I’m with a new company, I see a lot of similar areas of opportunity where we can use their help, so we’re actively evaluating how to onboard them as quickly as possible.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Gen3’s efforts substantially grew our affiliate program and provided us with quality and profitable leads that ultimately helped our business grow locally. After a lot of strategic conversations with them, our per-unit economics decreased, and our loan accounts increased.

Generally speaking, Gen3 went above and beyond their scope on multiple occasions, which was not expected but very much appreciated. We also appreciated their compliance work, and our experience was very good, so I would love to continue our relationship in my current role.

How did Gen3 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Gen3 outlined every step of the project and helped us plan ahead. They also had great trackers in place, which they updated as tasks were completed, keeping us on a good pace to ultimately succeed in our goals. We mostly communicated via email and shared spreadsheets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Gen3 has deep knowledge and expertise in the affiliate space. They worked very well, and they were very diligent in their processes. Additionally, they were true to themselves, staying nimble and focused throughout the project. It was a pleasure working with them, and I look forward to continuing our relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of Gen3’s limiting factors is that they’re a small company and don’t have many resources at their disposal. Still, they make up for it with their hard work and general expertise. Becoming a bigger organization while maintaining the same work level would help them in the long run.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your due diligence, see other competitors, and evaluate your needs to find the best fit for your project. Reading reviews like this one is part of that due diligence, and I hope my comments help other organizations make the right decision for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We service clients as a media agency, and we primarily offer programmatic advertising and consumer data analysis. I’m the company’s associate director for strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gen3 Marketing?

Affiliate marketing wasn’t something we did in-house. As a result, we contracted partners like Gen3 Marketing to do that on behalf of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The specific campaigns and strategies that we conduct for our clients come from our internal team, and in those projects, Gen3 Marketing focuses on the affiliate marketing space. The team puts together plans, and they come back to us with a few ideas.

Sometimes, they work with publishers to do write-ups on our clients to try to sell the products to specific audiences. On top of that, they send reports, which include the ROI, conversation rates, and revenue. They show the clicks that have been generated from any of the placements they’ve implemented, too.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact is their account manager who’s in charge of facilitating everything.

How did you come to work with Gen3 Marketing?

They were referred by one of my co-workers.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them $13,000 a month, and they run $3 million worth of affiliate marketing strategies.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2020, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They’ve increased the company’s return on ad spend (ROAS) by 100%. Overall, Gen3 Marketing’s performance has been excellent.

How did Gen3 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a perfect management process. We communicate using phone calls, email, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very strategic in their thinking; they're not just looking to book placements for us that will put money. In addition, they don’t choose only what’s going to give us the best results immediately. Instead, they’ll choose an option that’s going to give us great results for a long time. Above all, we’re impressed that they’ve put a lot of effort into knowing our business, which allows them to do their job better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their account management is not poor, but we only have one account manager. Sometimes, if our account manager is on vacation or out sick, we have a hard time figuring out who to reach out to. Other than that, they’ve exceeded our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very communicative because Gen3 Marketing is really interested in getting to know your business. Giving them all of the information they need will also enable them to do their jobs well. Last but not least, make sure you know your project’s objectives to get the most success from the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead growth marketing for Curiosity Stream, a streaming service with non-fiction titles on nature, history, science and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gen3 Marketing, and what were your goals?

We engaged Gen3 to run our affiliate program through Commission Junction. Goals were to increase revenue, traffic to our site, and improve the quality of affiliates in our program.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I went with Gen3 because I've used them with terrific success throughout my 15 years of digital marketing. They've never failed to push the envelope and deliver outstanding results. More specifically, they've never failed to substantially increase affiliate revenue and traffic.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

Scope of the engagement includes: Prospecting for high-quality affiliates that deliver value vs. just traffic arbitrage Managing affiliate concerns Redesigning our payout structure to improve ROI for us Reporting

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 Account Director 1 Senior Account Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

In year 1, traffic and revenue increased very, very substantially.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow is perfect - we slack/email as needed, and meet bi-weekly. We'll meet/communicate more often during Q4 of course.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Gen3 hits targets - I never have to worry about whether affiliates are getting what they need or if we're doing everything we can to push our program forward. They're a perfect partner—they've hit the goals with no headaches and babysitting.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No I don't think so.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a B2C and B2B tea company. We have a matcha brand, and we mainly sell our products to the foodservice industry. In addition, we make custom grades of matcha for large food and beverage companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK Digital?

We needed someone to build our affiliate program to help us generate more clicks and acquire more customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OAK Digital manages our account on ShareASale, which is our affiliate network. They approve and reject affiliates and also generate lists of prospects. Then, they organize the affiliates using a tier system that ranges from premium publishers to bloggers.

The OAK Digital team conducts various outreach activities to help us generate customers. They manage coupons, organize promotional events with our affiliates, and so on. The team is in charge of creating all of the content within these outreach efforts.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four people, including Trey (Senior Account Manager), a premium content manager, a junior account manager, and a mid-level affiliate manager.

How did you come to work with OAK Digital?

The team had worked with one of my closest friends, who then recommended them to us. They had produced some really great numbers, so I considered working with them. I interviewed several firms, but OAK Digital was the most competent.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2021 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

OAK Digital has increased our revenue by a considerable amount. We’ve also seen a boost in affiliate sales. The team has built a highly comprehensive database for us and created a pipeline to help us grow even more.

How did OAK Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent. OAK Digital does what they say they’re going to do and adheres to the timeline they set. 

To communicate, we used email and Google Workspace. They also give us Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to show their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s rare to find a team that delivers on their promises and sticks to deadlines, so we’re satisfied with OAK Digital. 

The team is highly skilled at what they do — they possess a profound understanding of affiliate marketing strategies and how to leverage them to build a company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they could do better. They’ve done a great job so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend having a solid knowledge of e-commerce, sales, and web traffic. This type of marketing might not work for every kind of business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of digital for HATCH Collection, a B2C e-commerce company and omnichannel maternity company. We sell maternity clothing, beauty and wellness products, and publish a maternity publication.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK Digital?

We hired them specifically to increase revenue from our affiliate channel and optimize it for partnerships

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage inbound requests, payments, partnership discussions for our affiliate brand. They’re managing each platform and report on sales and commissions for each channel. They also work with other publishers to sell our product.

What is the team composition?

At a minimum, we have two people working with us every week. At different points in our engagement, we’ve worked with as many as five people depending on what we needed.

How did you come to work with OAK Digital?

I think it was a referral from someone who used to work on our team. When I came on board, we decided to keep working with them because they are experts in the things we needed support on. They also kept us very organized so we can track everything we need so we can grow.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in September 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The affiliate channel is matching if not beating the total growth from the rest of the business. We’ve seen year-over-year growth in our partnerships with premium publishers and our average order value (AOV). We’ve tracked the AOV relative to the rest of the business in the same time period.

I’m definitely satisfied with our partnership. We collaborate to determine goals and how we can meet them. They often go out of their way to think outside the box

How did OAK Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always very responsive. They do a good job of keeping our team accountable. They often are proactive and remind us of what we owe them. Every week, they deliver quality reports with analytics so we can discuss it. They’re always ready to answer the questions we expect them to.

Right now, we use phone calls and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by the extent of their knowledge and how they apply it to our business. We’re a high-end maternity brand — our prices aren’t low — but they make sure we diversify our partnerships. They help us collaborate with partners we wouldn’t normally work with. They present unique ideas, but they make sense for our business. As a result, we often see substantial customer engagement from these partnerships that we wouldn’t have made on our own.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If there’s anything to improve, they could collaborate more with us and our PR agency. They so well, but they could probably go a step further to bring in more premium partners. But that’s a tough ask.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be extremely clear and open about your marketing calendar for the entire year. It could also help to give them a quick recap of what has and hasn’t worked in the past. They’re very well-versed in the market, so context helps them tailor their services and determine what to tackle first. They’ll ask all of these questions upfront, but you should treat them more like a partner and not just part of your marketing team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a multi-brand holding company, where I run paid marketing and growth. We have teams for traditional digital channels and social, so I handle all of our other channels across email, affiliates, and other channels we test for our brand marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK Digital?

We wanted to start driving a more efficient cost of acquisition across our main offer types. Our team also was aiming to increase business awareness through content placement.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our entire affiliate channel, partnering with me across various affiliate partner categories. That includes premium content publishers, loyalty sites, deal sites, bloggers, PPC partners, influencers, YouTube influencers, and more. They’re owning much of the strategic development after strategic planning is set on my end. 

Following that, I don’t need to be super involved with them because they handle day-to-day negotiations, onboarding, and new partner search to expand our brands into additional markets. We started with two brands, but we’re hoping they continue to expand our other brands into global markets as our partnership continues.  

What is the team composition?

There are about 7–8 people working on our project at this point. As we expand into new markets, we have additional people onboard to our account. Our team with them has grown over time.

How did you come to work with OAK Digital?

I was thrown into a relationship with their company at a previous job and appreciated their understanding of how digital marketing works with and impacts other channels. They have an arm of their business that’s focused on premium publisher content, which was very compelling. I felt that they could support PR efforts there. At that job, I developed a strong relationship with them. 

When I moved to my current position, we were looking to onboard a team for this project. Our founders didn’t have much familiarity with affiliate marketing, so we entered an RFP process. OAK Digital was part of that process and helped us move forward with their focus on premium publisher opportunities. Other companies we interviewed just focused on traditional affiliate tactics, but they were on the next level. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since around December 2019. Our scope with them has continued to expand, especially in the fall of 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We measure their success by looking at order volume and revenue volume as well as our general growth month over month. Our team also examines our customer acquisition cost (CAC) for the brand that we’re using free trials to drive. For brands that don’t involve free trials, we look more at the ratio between average order value (AOV) and CAC because these brands offer higher price-point products. 

In our tracking of their performance, we’ve been very satisfied with their work. I recommend them to most people I know who’re in search of affiliate agencies. I’d use them in future roles as well.  

How did OAK Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re super communicative, generally responding in a few hours. We use Impact as our affiliate platform for commissioning, and they’ve taken over all of the day-to-day management of the tool. When we’re upgrading that platform, they make sure that they collect all the necessary information for us to make a quick decision. All we need to handle is final sign-off and tech integrations. They take a lot of ownership by wanting to hit our goals and align with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a great partner that feels like an extension of our team. Because they take our goals to heart, they can align closely with us and focus the strategy as effectively as possible. Overall, they’ve done an excellent job of supporting our growth and taking up a diligent approach. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to determine your goals and set expectations. From there, their team can do a strategic analysis of what you need to do from a partner perspective to meet your goals. As long as your expectations are clear, they’re willing to communicate what can be realistically accomplished and execute on reasonable requirements. They focus very closely on relationship management, and it’s hard to find agencies that are willing to push back when needed or have more difficult strategic conversations to make sure your approach is as strong as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO at Basepaws, a cat DNA testing company. We sell our product online through our website and Amazon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK Digital?

As an e-commerce startup, we were trying to find the best strategy to sell our product through social media campaigns, optimize our cost-per-acquisition, find the most relevant segments, and generally increase our ROI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OAK Digital ran our Google PPC campaigns and social media paid ads on Facebook and Instagram. They also did freelance marketing for us. They worked with affiliate networks, premium publishers, and influencers. The main KPIs were to keep our cost-per-acquisition low and grow our revenue month-by-month.

What is the team composition?

We had three dedicated managers for Google Ads, social media, and affiliate marketing. Another member was responsible for reports.  

How did you come to work with OAK Digital?

I’d heard good things about Anthony (Founder) from other brands in the pet industry, and we had a call with him. We kicked it off from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The total spend for a year of work was $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with OAK Digital in May 2019. We changed our plan after COVID and decided to create an in-house team. 

I’ll definitely reach out to Anthony if there’s another opportunity for us to work together. I’m actually thinking about starting a new affiliate program.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

ardingggggggWhat evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

With OAK Digital’s help, we grew our affiliate channel 10 times by the end of the year, and our revenue stream from affiliate marketing grew accordingly. Paid social and paid search also grew with them.

There are always ups and downs, but the project was successful. Our product is seasonal, but OAK Digital figured out how to keep it on the same level across the year.

How did OAK Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

The process was streamlined with weekly and monthly reports and calls. We also exchanged a lot of emails. OAK Digital was always available whenever I needed them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their results and the way they worked as a team were the most impressive things about OAK Digital. Their strategic thinking and proactiveness make them a well-built team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be clear about the goals they set up for the team. What helped me was always being honest regarding the goals. I set up expectations properly for both sides, including for myself.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO of FITE, the premiere global platform for sports and entertainment. We specialize in combat sports but recently have expanded into everything from motorsports to soccer to films to basketball to music. We’ve learned to do the the pandemic pivot and use our energies to maximize our strengths in this challenging time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire OAK Digital?

Oak Digital was hired to help us grow our new affiliate network. We were very impressed with their pitch and capabilities, and they have been awesome!

What were your goals for this project?

Acquire more publishers, engage our favorite media partners and influencers and create some breakout experiences.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The owner blind pitched me - and I was intrigued. I used to be in sales long ago and I really appreciate a good pitch. We had such a compelling call that I knew we had to give it a try. Oak is everything they said they were - that’s kind of rare - and we engaged and enjoy the ongoing relationship.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Great deep dive into who we are and where we wanted to go...helpful guidance in building our affiliate program. They were very collaborative and an excellent cultural fit. Excellent and highly granular reporting each month on our progress with monthly strategy meetings that I look forward to.

What was the team composition?

Input from the top guy on down....account specialist and strategist who are easy to reach, always with with a solution on hand....a strong work ethic from everyone I’ve worked with, which matches our style.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our affiliate performance in May 2020 - in a global pandemic - was our most successful to date.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

A great match. Detail as needed but only the important stuff. Suggestions; ideas...people who think...love it!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their people stand out — it’s always the people who make a great company, don’t you think?

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind - a pleasure to work with.