Working in FOREO: Frank Ravanelli, Head of Affiliates Asia & EMEA

Learn all you ever wanted to know about affiliate marketing straight from the expert’s mouth.

Today we interview Frank Ravanelli, Head of Affiliates for FOREO. If you’re an affiliate marketer, an influencer, a content producer or even just as a passionate beauty fan, you should read on with great care!

First of all, what is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a form of online marketing, where a publisher (also known as affiliate) sends visitors to an advertiser (also known as merchant), being rewarded on a performance-based merit: a percentage of sales, a flat amount for each sale, etc.

Affiliate marketing is not about reselling, nor multi-level marketing. The end consumer pays the merchant, who takes care of everything: getting the products, shipping, handling customer service, etc. The affiliate sends potential consumers to the merchant, without taking any inventory.

That covers the basics, but how did you end up being an affiliate mastermind?

I started to do internet marketing back in 1995, working for a local internet service provider in Italy during summer, then on a project basis. In 1999, I started to do affiliate marketing.

Then, I joined an Internet startup that went from a small team of five people to be acquired by one of the main European internet groups of that time. Thanks to my internet and affiliate marketing skills, I have been able to live in many nice places around the world, including London, Malta, Estonia, USA, Canada.

Since 2006, I have been working remotely for most of my time. Most of the places where I worked were growing substantially, and often exponentially, I think that’s the environment that attracts me. Smooth sailing is not that popular in my dictionary.

What was it about FOREO that made you want to join the team?

I like to connect people that offer perfectly designed solutions. It is exciting to be part of a company that keeps growing so fast on a quarterly basis, with talent from all around the globe.

 So how is affiliate marketing applied to luxury, beauty and skincare brands?

 Affiliate marketing has been applied to eCommerce since the 90ies, when Amazon launched its affiliate program. An increasing number of luxury brands is investing more in affiliate marketing, because it allows to aligns the interest of many stakeholders.

With flat-fee or PPC online marketing, publishers often tend to focus more on what they offer (clicks, mentions, etc.) then on the benefit for the advertiser, who pays no matter the sales results. With affiliate marketing, the publishers have a very strong incentive to be effective with their advertising, because their earnings are proportional to the sales delivered.

How can affiliates and influencers identify a good affiliate Program?

Before partnering with a merchant, they need to ensure the brand resonates with their audience, and that the affiliate program uses a reputable tracking partner, as a unified point of contact with affiliates: to signup, check stats and send newsletters.

How can someone interested in collaborating with FOREO get in touch?

If you want to give yourself an edge while doing affiliate marketing for beauty and skincare, partner with a fast-growing, independent beauty brand on FOREO affiliate program.

How can affiliates and influencers know more about the opportunities offered by FOREO?

 Our affiliate marketing team would love to meet you at affiliate events. I’ll be speaking about hybrid influencer marketing and moderating some sessions at Affiliate Summit APAC in October. I’ll be joined by my team member, Bryan, who will teach one session at the “Affiliate University”. Also, in December I’m speaking at Affiliate World Asia in Thailand, and at Digital Marketing Leaders in Hong Kong.

What are the plans for 2019.?

 In 2019, we expect mature markets like UK to keep going strong. The key growth areas will likely be Asia, France and MENA. So, we look forward to welcoming affiliates from all area, and especially from these fast growing markets.

I also look forward to seeing my amazing team members presenting and attending industry events across EMEA and Asia, to become visible reference points for affiliates and to help to educate the industry at large about affiliate marketing potential and good practices.

Last but not least, how are you enjoying your experience in FOREO?

I love it, and I look forward to many more years of sharing this meaningful journey with my team members and colleagues in general. Through innovation, excitement, surprises, happy customers and affiliates.

Working with FOREO is also giving me a lot of inspirations for my third book that will show how the spiritual principles of the Italian Renaissance can be applied to one’s life, to kickstart a renaissance on a personal and social level. Only side effect: work leaves very little time to write the book, so the more time passes, the shorter the book expected page count gets. But I will complete it eventually :-).