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September 14, 2020

Ad Purp Profiles: Account Director, Eidan Schahaf

The person I interviewed in this piece has long been overdue for a profile, but he’s not one to demand recognition or toot his own horn even while being widely considered one of the key contributors and leaders within the agency.

I watched as he effortlessly and effectively grew into his role, gathering promotions, and mentoring and helping to develop countless people in the account management department to be able to take on leadership roles themselves.

Speaking with Eidan, it readily becomes apparent how cerebral he is as well as how much he cares about this company and specifically, his team. I think an event that kind of portrays that more effectively than my words was his brainchild; a hilarious and fun casino night which he put together with his direct-reports.

Photo evidence that it was thoughtful, creative, and a blast below…

The fact that, even over Zoom, he was able to bring his team closer and give them a reason to smile at a time when that’s not the easiest thing is a key indication of his leadership qualities. He’s a major contributor to our award-winning culture and he provided an innovative way for that to ring true even in quarantine.

So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy his interview below:

Q: Eidan, please tell me a little bit about yourself, your family, where you’re from and what makes you who you are!

A: My family is from Israel, but I was born and raised in Los Angeles. However after I got my bachelors degree, I moved to Israel and lived there for 7 years because I wanted to experience living in another country. Lived out my dream, met my wife, and I moved back with her and our dog!

Q: How did you find out about Advertise Purple, originally?

A: Honestly a lot of my work experience comes from other types of marketing, so I wanted to add something new to my skill set. That’s when I found Advertise Purple on my own and read about affiliate marketing, which has proven to be one of the best new skills that I can learn and develop for my career.

Q: What about affiliate marketing attracted you most?

A: With the direction of our world, even more relevant this year, I quickly saw the potential in affiliate marketing and realized how important it is for businesses to use this. I thought it was crazy that there are so many companies out there that don’t capitalize on this type of marketing. When you look at a company like Amazon who has a robust affiliate program, they also saw the crazy potential in it so I’m a big believer in its effectiveness and necessity for every company today.

Q: What have you learned about the affiliate channel that you may not have known at first, before working extensively in the field?

A: That every type of business and vertical can have a successful affiliate program. There are so many different types of businesses and companies, and even the most niche ones can have a huge affiliate program depending on the strategies that are implemented – but I’ve seen many brands that didn’t expect to see the type of success they saw.

Q: What about Advertise Purple makes it a success, in your mind?

A: The goals and initiatives that AP sets out for itself, it reaches. It’s a collaborative effort though, because everyone truly works hard to achieve these goals and it’s only going to keep soaring.

Q: Can you describe the culture at Ad Purp?

A: As someone who has experienced different types of cultures at other companies, I definitely appreciate the type of culture Advertise Purple has. Everybody wants everybody to succeed and I really try to bring that quality to my own team. We all rely on each other to bring about the best quality of work that we can, while also being open and communicative with anything that is going on. It’s really rare to have such an open and caring environment, but that’s truly how it is here.

Q: What are you looking for in a potential hire or someone you’d like on your team?

A: What I always look for in a new hire is someone that is willing to learn and listen. Just as I did when I first began, you have to be open to hearing new strategies, advice and more on how to succeed in your new role. Everyone can make mistakes in the beginning, but it’s how you learn from those mistakes and develop that truly makes for a great employee. There is so much to learn and absorb from others, you just have to be open and not afraid to ask questions.

Q: Time really flies here, as we know, but where do you see both yourself and the agency in the next 2-3 years?

A: Oh man, I always love this question. I really see Advertise Purple and myself just shooting for the moon, because why not? I truly believe this agency will continue to be a leader in this space and to me that means it’ll continue to develop being a leader in so many different ways. It’s fun to watch this agency evolve so much in such a short amount of time, so in 2-3 years I see huge moves. As long as I get to evolve with it and work with all these great people, I see myself buckling in for the ride.

Q: What is the most challenging aspect to the job here?

A: I think the most challenging aspect to the job here is how crazy fast the affiliate space itself is growing. There are a lot of industry news, strategies, technologies, concepts, etc that develop in this space and it’s important to keep up with all of it.

Q: As a manager and mentor, how do you help colleagues overcoming challenges like the one you mentioned?

A: Explore the new technologies that affiliate networks implement, read their blogs and keep track with how the industry is trending. Keeping up with the industry can keep you level-headed and prepared for anything that comes your way.

Q: What’s been your favorite experience working at Ad Purp?

A: Hands down it has to be managing my team and leading the Account Management department together with the other Account Directors. I’m in a position where I get to come up and implement strategies that can best help them grow affiliate programs, so I take advantage and love that.

Q: You’re a married man! What’s advice would you give anyone looking to start a family and what’s it been like for you?

A: Yeah, I love being married to my best friend. My advice is always to not wait too long. Life is short, and if you believe you’ve found that person that you want to spend everyday with, then don’t be afraid to make the big move. My wife and I make each other better in the best ways, so I have no doubt that we’ll achieve everything we want out of life together.

Q: Ok this is vaguely controversial but… prediction for when we’ll be back in the office?

A: Really tough to say..this year I’ve been saying ‘expect the unexpected’, so I’m always hopeful but realistically I think not until next year.

—

Thanks so much Eidan! Really appreciated hearing from you. Keep crushing it, my dude.

Are you getting started in affiliate marketing or looking to improve your current program?

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