In this episode of The Partner Marketing Podcast, Matthias welcomes William Hamer-Jones, Vice President of Partnerships at PartnerBoost, for an in-depth discussion about the dynamic world of Partner Marketing and the transformative role of Amazon Attribution. Over the course of the conversation, William reflects on his international career in Partner Marketing, explains how PartnerBoost is redefining the Amazon affiliate space, compares partner strategies across major global regions, and shares forward-looking insights on key trends shaping the industry.
William’s Career and Global Perspective
Matthias: "Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Partner Marketing Podcast. Today's guest here with me is William Hamer-Jones, VP of Partnerships at PartnerBoost. Will's had a great journey in Partner Marketing. He's worked at LTK in London, Impact and IPG in New York, and Ogilvy in Singapore. Will, it's awesome having you. Welcome to the show! Can you give a bit of an intro about yourself, sharing what you've done, where you're coming from, and who you are?"
William: “Hey, Mattias. Great to be here! Of course. My name is William. I've been working in Partner Marketing for 15 years. I've worked all sides of the business from Agencies, Publisher, Network, and I'm very fortunate that affiliate marketing has taken me all over the world. As you said, I've lived in London, I've lived in Singapore, I've lived in New York, and I've worked with some of the biggest Brands like Apple, Spotify, New Balance, Net-A-Porter, and yeah, fantastic industry to be working in."
William continues sharing that one of the most pivotal moments in his career came when he left the UK to take on a role in Singapore. This move was spontaneous and bold; he admits that at the time, he didn’t even know where Singapore was on the map. However, the experience became a major catalyst for personal and professional growth. It broadened his worldview, exposed him to new cultures, and gave him a firsthand understanding of how Partner Marketing operates differently across global markets. William emphasizes that his career has always been driven by the human element - meeting smart people, forming relationships, and building value collaboratively across borders.
What PartnerBoost Does and How It Is Changing Amazon Affiliate Marketing
As the conversation shifts to his current role, William introduces PartnerBoost as a pioneering company in the Amazon affiliate ecosystem. He describes PartnerBoost as the leading affiliate network built around Amazon Attribution, a relatively new tool that offers transparency and strategic control for Brands selling on Amazon. Traditionally, Amazon’s affiliate model relied on Amazon Associates, which William characterizes as a “black box” model. In that setup, Brands had little to no visibility into which partners were driving traffic to their listings, and they had no ability to communicate with or incentivize those partners directly.
PartnerBoost addresses this issue by building a technology platform that connects directly to Amazon’s Attribution API. This platform has allowed over 2,500 Brands - many of them large-scale sellers from China - to launch and manage Amazon affiliate programs in a much more dynamic and data-driven way. Brands can now establish direct relationships with Publishers, adjust commission rates, monitor performance in real time, and gain full transparency over how their affiliate programs are performing. William notes that more than 60% of the top-performing Amazon storefronts originate from China, highlighting the scale and momentum of this model.
William: "Brands didn't know what partners were sending them traffic. They weren't able to engage with those partners. They couldn't increase commissions. That is sort of the legacy of the affiliate side of Amazon's business. A couple of years ago, they opened up their API, and I said, 'Hey, we want to invite people to send us traffic.' Partner Boost built an affiliate network around that. And ever since then, we've scaled very quickly. As I said, we've got 2,500 clients. We've acquired them in the last 12 months. And now Publishers are joining our platform, and they can work directly with those Brands."
How Amazon Attribution Differs from Amazon Associates
William elaborates on the critical distinctions between Amazon Attribution and Amazon Associates. While Amazon Associates is still widely used, it lacks transparency and strategic flexibility. With Amazon Attribution, the landscape shifts dramatically. Brands can now engage directly with the partners who drive traffic, making it possible to personalize incentives, track granular performance, and scale affiliate programs with much more sophistication.
PartnerBoost operates as a layer on top of Amazon Attribution. It serves as a specialized affiliate network that enables Brands to run fully-fledged performance marketing programs tied directly to their Amazon storefronts. This is particularly valuable for Brands that previously could not run affiliate campaigns because they lacked a direct-to-consumer (D2C) website. William also emphasizes that PartnerBoost’s model is complementary to Amazon Associates rather than competitive. Publishers are free to use both models, depending on which is more commercially viable for them.
Another important development that William mentions is the Brand Referral Bonus program available in the United States. This initiative allows Amazon to pay Brands a rebate - typically between 5% and 10% - for any customer purchases that originate from affiliate traffic. This has proven especially attractive to Brands, as it not only offsets affiliate commission costs but also incentivizes increased investment in Amazon-based campaigns.
Regional Insights: How Partner Marketing Varies Across the Globe
The discussion then turns to regional differences in Partner Marketing strategies. William shares insights based on his firsthand experience working in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
He begins with the United States, where he spent several years living and working in New York. He describes the US market as highly mature, data-driven, and performance-focused. Partner Marketing is taken seriously as a core acquisition channel, often contributing up to 20% of overall revenue for major Brands. In sectors such as financial services, William notes that affiliate channels can account for up to 50% of new customer acquisition. US Brands frequently engage with specialized affiliate marketing agencies - there are around 400 to 500 such agencies across the country - and tend to integrate affiliate operations with their broader marketing, PR, and branding strategies. The US is often first to market with new innovations, which are later adopted in other regions.
In contrast, Europe is characterized by its diversity, complex regulatory landscape, and relationship-centric culture. William highlights the UK and Germany as particularly important affiliate markets in the region. While Europe is catching up to the US in terms of scale and sophistication, it is more fragmented. Only around 5–10% of European Brands work with affiliate marketing agencies, compared to about 30% in the US. He also mentions the increased cross-pollination of ideas between Europe and North America, particularly at industry events like PI Live.
When discussing Southeast Asia, William paints a picture of a mobile-first, influencer-driven region that is evolving rapidly. Countries like China, South Korea, and Singapore are embracing affiliate models, though some markets are still in their early stages. William recounts his experience launching partner programs for Apple in China and Korea, where the market was largely unfamiliar with the affiliate model. He mentions a unique ad-buying metric he encountered in the region - Cost Per Day (CPD) - which is used to "take over" media properties for a day. In China, where cities like Shenzhen boast over 100,000 Amazon sellers, the scale and speed of innovation is astounding. However, the market is notoriously difficult to penetrate due to regulatory hurdles, political dynamics, and infrastructure challenges. Many international companies instead operate out of Hong Kong or Singapore when engaging with the Chinese market.
William: "How things get done in China and Asia as well is very quick. You know, they work very hard, and if there's an idea, it gets scaled very, very quickly. We recently did an event in Shenzhen and that completely opened my eyes. That side of the world and how things are done; there are a hundred thousand Amazon sellers just in Shenzhen, right 100.000 Amazon sellers in Shenzhen alone; I was blown away absolutely! It's literally the cornerstone of Amazon. You know, every second thing you buy from Amazon comes out of this one city, which is insane."
Matthias: "Would you say that this is mainly a CPC market instead of the CPA market that we have in Europe and the US?"
William: "It's changed. I was in Asia eight years ago. They didn't know what affiliate marketing was. And my client at the time was Apple. Exactly. And it was difficult, right? It was a lot of groundwork that we had to do. But affiliate programs have become global. With Apple, we were in 60 different markets, so technologies have become more global, partners have become more global, and agencies have gone into new regions as well. APAC is very much a growth market, but when you see the number of zeros on everything, you want to get out there. When I was with Apple, we went into China, we sat down with people, and we're like, 'Okay, how do we do this? This is outcome-based marketing.' And there's a lot of hand-holding, but that market, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia – really is seeing a lot of traction now, and is a very exciting place to be working."
Key Industry Trends and the Convergence of Channels
Later in the discussion, William and Matthias explore some of the most important trends shaping the future of affiliate and Partner Marketing. One standout trend is the convergence of influencer marketing with affiliate marketing. Influencers are becoming increasingly comfortable with outcome-based compensation models and are evolving into performance-driven partners. William recalls a time when fixed-fee influencer campaigns were the norm, but today’s influencers - and the agencies that manage them - are leaning toward hybrid models that combine reach with measurable ROI.
William also addresses the continued relevance of cashback and coupon partners, which remain crucial components of many affiliate strategies despite occasional skepticism. These partners represent a significant portion of affiliate-driven revenue - between 30% and 50% for some Brands - and are becoming more sophisticated by leveraging consumer data for personalized targeting and conquesting campaigns.
Another rising trend is content commerce, where traditional media and content Publishers are shifting away from display advertising in favor of affiliate monetization. William notes that Publishers are increasingly seeing affiliate as a sustainable revenue stream. He also sees promise in Brand-to-Brand partnerships and B2B affiliate programs, which are gaining traction and expanding the scope of what Partner Marketing can encompass.
As for technology, William believes the future will be increasingly shaped by AI-driven tools, improved attribution models, and more advanced fraud prevention systems. He highlights the importance of ongoing innovation in data analytics and targeting to optimize partner performance and enhance campaign results.
Personal Reflections, Career Advice, and Community
Toward the end of the episode, William shares some of his personal insights about what makes a career in Partner Marketing so rewarding. He emphasizes that the most underrated skill in the industry is relationship management. Partner Marketing is a relationship-driven business where long-term connections can open doors to future collaborations. William values the tight-knit nature of the Partner Marketing community and notes that many of his peers and collaborators have been in his professional network for over 15 years.
He also reflects on one of the most rewarding campaigns of his career - working with Apple to launch affiliate programs in new, complex markets. This project challenged him to understand different cultures and consumer behaviors while introducing a performance-based model to regions unfamiliar with the affiliate concept. The campaign was not only successful but also deeply formative for William as a professional.
To those just starting out in Partner Marketing, William advises staying current with industry trends, being proactive in networking, and being open to global opportunities. He shares that he began his own journey with a background in computer programming and entered the affiliate industry during the 2008 financial crisis. The industry, he says, is incredibly accessible, dynamic, and full of opportunities for those who are curious and willing to learn.
Conclusion
The conversation highlights how the affiliate landscape is no longer just about links and commissions - it’s about data, relationships, agility, and strategic alignment across marketing channels. As Partner Marketing continues to evolve, the role of networks like PartnerBoost and innovations like Amazon Attribution will be instrumental in shaping scalable, performance-driven ecosystems that connect Brands with today’s digital consumers.
Listen to the entire episode on Spotify, Apple Podcast, our website, and all other podcast platforms.
About The Partner Marketing Podcast
The podcast brings together thought leaders and professionals from across the globe. In each episode, our host, Matthias, sits down with guests to discuss the evolving world of Partner Marketing and share personal stories.
For more details, please visit www.tradedoubler.com/podcast