In the fast-evolving world of affiliate marketing, few leaders have managed to stay ahead of change as effectively as Ariel Basson, a seasoned professional with over 10 years of industry experience. As a driving force behind Active Revenue, Ariel has built a reputation for championing transparency, control, and data-driven decision-making in performance marketing. His deep understanding of technology, media buying, and partner growth has positioned Active Revenue as a trusted DSP for serious buyers worldwide. In this interview, Ariel shares his insights on the industry’s biggest shifts, the role of automation and transparency, and how Active Revenue continues to redefine performance marketing in the modern era.
Q. From your perspective, what are the biggest shifts happening in the affiliate marketing and performance marketing ecosystem right now?
Ariel: Right now, the industry is undergoing major shifts around transparency, privacy, and control. With cookies disappearing and major platforms tightening their grip, advertisers and media buyers are losing patience with black-box models where they can’t see where their money goes. Everyone wants predictable CPA or CPL outcomes, but those models are only as strong as the network’s honesty. At Active Revenue, we’ve leaned into this shift by building a fully transparent model — buyers set their own bids, access real-time data, and optimize directly without middlemen. That’s where the industry is heading, and it’s exactly where we’ve built our edge.
Q. Active Revenue is focused on driving growth in the affiliate marketing space. What strategies or technologies have you found most effective in optimizing campaign revenues?
Ariel: The fastest path to revenue growth is returning control to the buyer. Campaigns scale when buyers can instantly adjust bids, segment by carrier or OS, test landers, and cut out wasted spend. On top of that, our anti-fraud technology blocks bots and ensures traffic is intent-driven. This combination consistently delivers stronger results. Instead of locking buyers into rigid models, we give them the tools to optimize — which leads to smarter campaigns, higher margins, and sustainable growth.
Q. In the affiliate marketing environment, what role does technology play in helping Active Revenue scale and deliver value to partners? Are there specific tools or platforms that have been game-changers?
Ariel: Technology is the backbone of our growth. Our self-serve DSP is designed for transparency and speed, giving partners direct access to push, pop, video, redirect, and in-app traffic across all geos. Anti-fraud systems filter out low-quality clicks, while integrations with tracking platforms like Voluum and RedTrack give buyers instant, actionable insights. The real game-changer has been real-time visibility combined with automation. We’re not a “traffic-in-the-dark” network — we’re a platform that empowers buyers to scale campaigns with full control, just like traders manage financial markets. And this is something Swaarm also strongly advocates for — technology is the core of the adtech ecosystem, and when paired with transparency, it enables buyers to scale campaigns like traders, with full control over every lever.
Q. As you scale, what are the biggest operational or technical bottlenecks you’ve faced, and how do you overcome them?
Ariel: One of the main bottlenecks in the affiliate marketing space is mindset. Many advertisers stick to CPA or CPL because it feels safer, but it ultimately puts control in someone else’s hands. We flip that narrative: the billing model doesn’t matter as much as whether you’re achieving your conversion goals at scale. Another challenge is education — a lot of buyers don’t know how to optimize CPC/CPM traffic effectively. That’s why we provide dedicated account managers who teach optimization strategies, so partners not only buy traffic but also learn to run it profitably. On payments, we stay prepaid for security but remain flexible enough to let buyers scale smoothly.
Q. Channels like search arbitrage, rewarded ads, and mobile apps are evolving fast. Where do you see the most untapped potential for monetization?
Ariel: While search continues to capture much of the industry’s attention, we’re also seeing a clear shift toward push, pop, redirect, and in-app channels, which still hold significant untapped potential. Rewarded ads and installs are evolving rapidly, particularly in gaming and betting, where intent is strong and volumes are massive. At the same time, platforms like Swaarm are creating new opportunities in this space with their own rewarded app connected to their tracking platform — a solution that helps players in the industry leverage gameplay for deeper engagement and monetization. The real opportunity lies in combining scale with precision, and that’s exactly where our DSP gives buyers the competitive edge.
Q. What’s next for Active Revenue in terms of innovation and growth, and how do you see the role of measurement and automation evolving in that journey?
Ariel: We’re doubling down on innovation and automation. Next, we’re expanding video and in-app traffic globally, strengthening our anti-fraud filters with smarter intent scoring, and making integrations with measurement platforms like Swaarm seamless. The vision is clear: buyers should be able to move from setup to optimization with zero guesswork. Growth for us means giving buyers more control, faster insights, and cleaner traffic. As automation evolves, Active Revenue will remain the platform where serious buyers scale profitably — without the politics of traditional networks.
Q. Looking back, what key habits, decisions, or mindset shifts have been most critical to your success in growing Active Revenue? What would you tell someone aiming to lead revenue growth in a similar space?
Ariel: Our success comes from being relentless but clear. We don’t wait for deals — we chase them — and we never hide behind excuses like “we only do CPA.” Persistence matters: if a buyer drops off, we dig into the objection and solve it. Another key habit is staying data-first. Every decision — from bids to landers to targeting — is tested, measured, and optimized. And most importantly, we treat partners as traders, not passive buyers, which builds trust and long-term relationships. That mix of aggression, transparency, and data discipline has been crucial to our growth
Q. What are the core value propositions that differentiate Active Revenue from its competitors? How did you validate product-market fit, and have there been any pivots?
Ariel: We’re not a black-box network. Our edge is transparency, control, and scale. Buyers set their bids, see their sources, and run campaigns in real time — no gatekeepers, no hidden margins. We validated product-market fit by focusing on high-performance verticals like gaming, betting, dating, e-commerce, and crypto — industries where transparency and scale matter most. Over time, we’ve pivoted from being “just another source” to becoming a DSP powerhouse, trusted by serious media buyers who value ownership of performance. That’s what sets us apart: we don’t hold the keys — we hand them to you.
For more information: https://join.activerevenue.com/?ref=263314
