Paweł Mazurek is on a mission to transform online advertising - and he’s shaking up the industry along the way. In this episode of The Partner Marketing Podcast, host Matthias Stadelmeyer welcomes TakeAds CEO Paweł Mazurek for a comprehensive and thought-provoking conversation about the evolution of Partner Marketing. Their discussion explores Paweł’s rich professional journey, the founding and growth of TakeAds, their unique approach to advertising formats, and the company’s broader mission to make the internet a more user-friendly and monetizable space.
From Courtrooms to Code: Paweł’s Unconventional Journey
Matthias: "Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the Partner Marketing Podcast. My guest today is Paweł Mazurek, CEO of TakeAds. Paweł is at the helm of one of the most innovative companies in the Partner Marketing space. TakeAds has been making waves with its cutting-edge solutions. I'm excited to dive into the impact of their approach on the industry. Paweł, it's so great to have you on the show. Very warm welcome! Maybe we want to start by you introducing yourself so that our listeners know who you are, what you're doing, and give a little bit of a background to understand better?"
Paweł: “Thank you. Thanks for having me. Likewise, it's great to be here. So hi, my name is Paweł. I'm 44 years young. And I have what you might call business ADHD. It means that I do multiple things. But the one that brought me here to this podcast, which I'm very grateful for the invitation, is that I run a company called TakeAds. I'm the CEO, and we have worked in the affiliate industry for quite some time. We aggregate demand from multiple affiliate networks all over the world, and we use our own formats and other ones to spread them across the internet to bring the most value for the advertisers, of course, as you do, but also, we look closely at the monetization part, so at the Publisher business side. That is our, I would say, main goal."
Although Paweł is now deeply embedded in the tech and advertising industry, his original academic background lies in law. During his university years, he worked in a human rights-focused NGO and attended court proceedings, which led him to realize that law might not be his true calling. This realization prompted a shift to international relations and ultimately, to the online and digital business world.
His foray into the internet industry began around 2005, with a formal transition around 2010. Over the years, Paweł gathered significant experience in roles across several key organizations. At RTB House, he contributed to retargeting technologies focused on e-commerce and performance marketing. He also worked at Data Insight, which specialized in e-commerce research and launched significant studies on the Polish market. At the Dramatic Group, he ventured closer to the Brand side, running ad campaigns across Europe and in countries like Nigeria. However, when the war in Ukraine broke out, business priorities shifted, leading him to seek a new direction - which he found in TakeAds.
Aside from his professional work, Paweł also co-founded a company called MyArctic with his wife, who has worked as an Arctic guide for over a decade. The company, which organizes travel experiences to the remote island of Svalbard, began as a side hustle and eventually became a formal venture.
Founding TakeAds: A Response to a Broken Advertising Landscape
TakeAds was founded in 2022, with Paweł stepping in as CEO from the beginning. The company emerged from a recognition that traditional digital advertising had become overly cluttered and intrusive, harming the user experience. Paweł highlights that nearly half of global internet users employ some form of ad-blocking technology, a figure that was once limited to desktop users but has now expanded significantly into mobile devices as well.
With this context in mind, TakeAds operates under a dual model. On one side, it functions as a meta-network, aggregating demand from multiple affiliate networks and simplifying the experience for smaller affiliates who might otherwise have to manually manage relationships across many platforms. On the other side, TakeAds develops and distributes its own contextual, native ad formats that prioritize relevance and user-friendliness over volume and aggression.
The company’s core philosophy is to ensure that users are not overwhelmed by advertising, while still enabling both Brands and Publishers to derive meaningful value. Rather than relying on cookies or personal data, TakeAds emphasizes contextual targeting - placing ads that match the content of the page itself, ensuring alignment with user interest without violating privacy.
The Scale and Structure of TakeAds’ Operations
TakeAds works with an estimated 32,000 to 35,000 Publishers, a number that fluctuates daily. The Publisher base is diverse, ranging from small SME content creators to search engines, browser extensions, and mobile browser environments. Paweł explains that the company experimented with traditional news Publishers, particularly in the U.S., but found that such content - while valuable in terms of reach - rarely aligns with purchase intent. As a result, the most effective partnerships tend to be with Publishers whose content is closer to the e-commerce decision-making pipeline.
Quality is a critical criterion. TakeAds avoids illegal or adult content and prefers to work with websites that naturally align with product discovery and purchasing behaviors. Even small websites with around 5,000 monthly visitors are welcome, as long as the content is strong and contextually relevant.
Paweł: “I think at the moment, with the state of the industry, the most important part is to get quality content and quality advertising possibilities on quality content. So, my Publisher sales team is way bigger than my Advertiser sales team, simply because we know that the focus is over there. We need to bring as many quality Publishers as we can with good content. If it's a nano website with 5,000 visitors a month, but the content is good, I still want them in.”
Formats, Failures, and Learning from Mistakes
Paweł continues explaining that TakeAds supports a variety of ad formats, including offers for cashback and coupons, contextual ad widgets, and a flagship product called “Take Word.” This tool allows specific words within a piece of content to be turned into affiliate links. However, Paweł is candid about the learning curve involved in developing such technologies. For example, an early failure involved the system linking the word “book” in a book review article to Booking.com, an obviously mismatched result. These experiences have informed a robust and evolving R&D process that now incorporates AI to improve contextual matching.
The company uses content scraping and AI to understand a page’s topic and then serve ads that are highly relevant. This reduces user irritation and improves engagement. Paweł notes that while many companies claim to use AI, in TakeAds’ case it is essential for maintaining speed and relevance across thousands of sites.
The Ad Block Dilemma: Fighting a $50 Billion Problem
Paweł states that ad blockers remain one of the greatest challenges facing the digital advertising world. He estimates that Publishers lose approximately $50 billion annually due to blocked ads. TakeAds addresses this through clever technical strategies and by ensuring their ad formats are non-intrusive. They even employ tools that track whether a browser is blocking a request, helping them measure the extent of the issue.
Still, this dynamic often feels like a constant arms race between ad platforms and the AdBlock community. Paweł respects this community and its values and believes that avoiding irritating formats is essential to gaining long-term user trust.
Expanding the Market: CPA Models and Cross-Border Monetization
TakeAds operates primarily on a CPA (cost-per-action) model, working with partner networks to receive CPA offers from Brands and then distributing these to Publishers who also work on a CPA basis. However, for some high-quality or hesitant Publishers, TakeAds occasionally offers CPM or hybrid models.
One unique strategy involves helping Publishers monetize cross-border traffic - such as Slovak websites receiving Polish visitors — which often goes unmonetized in traditional setups. TakeAds fills this gap by providing local affiliate offers to match that traffic segment, creating a win-win for both sides.
Paweł acknowledges that convincing traditional CPM-focused Publishers to embrace CPA is challenging. The revenue might be smaller initially, and the model is unfamiliar to many. Yet, he views this as a long game of education and relationship-building.
Global Growth and Strategic Expansion
Since its rebranding in 2023, TakeAds has expanded into over 10 markets, including Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other Western European countries. Paweł explains that international expansion is relatively easy if there is brand demand in a given market. The company targets geographies where Partner Marketing networks already operate, thus ensuring that the infrastructure is in place to support TakeAds' offerings.
The use of virtual communication tools like Zoom has made international outreach even more efficient, removing the need for frequent travel and allowing rapid scaling of their Publisher base.
Paweł: “In my experience, if you have the demand from the Advertisers, then you have the key thing that is in demand on the market: Money. Because you have the budgets of the Advertisers. And then all that's left is to find the proper market, to look at the average prices, of course, the wealth of the population, the size of the population, the key players on the market, and just go into the market to pitch your idea.”
The Native Advertising Landscape: Growth, Definitions, and Misconceptions
The conversation then turns to the broader native advertising market, which currently stands at around $127 billion. While growth has slowed somewhat, native ads remain a vital part of the digital marketing ecosystem. Paweł critiques how the term “native” is often misapplied - sometimes even to banners with minimal styling to make them blend in.
True native advertising, he argues, must be non-intrusive, contextually relevant, and embedded seamlessly within content - criteria outlined by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau). He emphasizes that unless the industry aligns around these principles, it risks pushing more users toward ad blockers and subscription models.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for Sustainable Digital Advertising
Looking toward the future, Paweł predicts a rise in user acceptance of paywalls, driven by dissatisfaction with disruptive advertising. He believes that users will increasingly support high-quality Publishers directly, rather than enduring invasive ads. The advertising industry, therefore, must pivot toward respectful, privacy-preserving, and user-centered models.
Despite the dominance of Google and Meta in the digital ad space, Paweł sees opportunities for alternative platforms like TakeAds to differentiate through integrity, innovation, and a commitment to a better internet experience.
Conclusion: Toward a Smarter, Kinder Internet
This episode offers much more than a peek into the mechanics of Partner Marketing. It delivers a thoughtful, forward-looking vision of how digital advertising can evolve without sacrificing user trust or content quality. Paweł Mazurek combines technical savvy with philosophical clarity, arguing convincingly for a model of performance marketing that respects the user and empowers the Publisher.
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