Smarter, cleaner, user‑first – Podcast with Tradedoubler

In this article, we recap how Partner Marketing Podcast host Matthias Stadelmeyer sat down with Pawel Mazurek, CEO of Takeads, to discuss building less intrusive ad formats, expanding affiliate reach, and the practical challenges of monetizing content in a world of ad blockers.

The conversation covers Takeads’ product approach, publisher partnerships, integration options, and where native advertising should head next.

Pawel has been active in the online industry since around 2005, with a background in law and international relations and experience teaching marketing. He describes Takeads as a meta network that aggregates affiliate demand while developing contextual, non-intrusive ad formats and publisher tools. 

Matthias Stadelmeyer is President and CEO of Tradedoubler. He reflects on the company’s journey since 1999 and emphasizes global teamwork, long-term partnerships between brands and publishers, and delivering services across partner marketing, influencer marketing, and other online channels.

What’s driving Takeads’ approach to ads and publisher monetization?

Pawel argues that the internet is overloaded with advertising and that publishers and ad tech need to stop irritating users. That has two practical consequences for Takeads: build formats that fit content and context, and focus on monetizing a broader set of publishers without spamming their audiences. He explains that contextual targeting – placing ads based on page content rather than cookies – is central to that work. 

Takeads also sees a business opportunity in reaching publishers that either do not use affiliate marketing yet or are underserved by local networks. By aggregating offers and serving relevant links, Takeads aims to create additional, incremental revenue streams for small and mid-sized publishers. 

How many publishers and what kinds of sites are you working with?

The catalogue fluctuates, but Pawel notes an active publisher base in the low-thirty thousands range, with the exact number changing day to day. He stresses quality over scale: even a tiny site with 5,000 monthly visitors can be valuable if the content maps to purchase intent. The company works with a variety of publishers: content sites, search engines (other than Google), browser extensions, mobile browsers, and some news publishers – though Pawel observed that general news content often lacks purchase intent for performance campaigns. 

What product integrations and ad formats do you offer?

Takeads supports two main integration flows: a JS snippet that publishers add to their pages, or a fuller API/catalog integration for meta-network style workflows. On top of that, the platform runs multiple ad formats and verticals: cashback offers, tech deals and coupons, search-style monetization, and a non-intrusive link/unit that surfaces contextual offers without disturbing the content experience. Pawel explains that these formats let Takeads target users at different points on the path to purchase while minimizing intrusiveness. 

What are the biggest challenges, and how do you measure them?

Ad blocking is a core challenge. Pawel points out that a high share of users run ad-blocking tools and that the industry must avoid provoking further adoption. Takeads measures blocking in practical ways: they historically used a “snippet” to fire a benign ad and see whether browsers load it, which gives a signal about ad-block penetration per site. The company’s rule of thumb is simple: if the format does not alter the site’s look and annoy users, it’s less likely to be flagged by ad-block lists. 

How does your business model work with publishers and networks?

Most of Takeads’ supply and demand is CPA-based: they receive CPA offers from affiliate networks and pass them through to publishers on CPA terms where possible. For some smaller or experimental publishers, alternative models like CPC/CPM are used, but Pawel emphasizes CPA for alignment. He recognizes the onboarding friction: publishers used to CPM revenue may take time to accept a CPA approach that prioritizes quality over immediate yields. 

Where do coupons and deals fit into the funnel?

One notable product push is Takedeals, which aims to place coupons and discount offers higher in the purchase funnel – in the consideration phase rather than only at checkout. Paweł sees an opportunity to serve discount codes contextually on content pages where users are researching products, provided that discounts align with the advertiser’s strategy. This is part of a broader effort to make coupons strategic drivers of awareness and consideration. 

What’s next for native advertising and publishers?

Pawel is realistic about the market: big global platforms still capture a dominant share of ad spend, and growth is not as explosive as in earlier decades. His bet is on better user experience, contextual relevance, and publisher models that reduce user irritation – including paid subscriptions and more respectful native formats. He argues that the industry must move toward non-intrusive, user-first ads or risk further audience loss to ad blockers. 

Practical takeaways for brands and affiliates

• Prioritize context: serve offers that match page intent instead of generic links.

• Test CPA-first models on targeted content verticals: even small niche sites can drive qualified conversions.

• Measure ad-block impact per site and adapt formats to reduce false positives.

• Use coupon inventory strategically: move discount codes into consideration moments where they add value, not just as last-minute incentives. 

Final notes and a human touch

Pawel also shared personal notes during the episode: he co-runs a Svalbard travel project called MyArctic, recommends Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of a Happy Family, and says Strava is his go-to app. The episode is a useful blend of product details and pragmatic advice for anyone considering publisher monetization, native formats, and how to keep advertising both humane and effective.

If you want to explore how contextual, user-first formats or coupon placement could work for your inventory, Takeads is actively onboarding publishers and experimenting with integrations – reach out to learn more.