Today, digital marketing goes far beyond advertising campaigns: it is a growth strategy, brand reputation, and the ability to build partnerships. Kostiantyn Shurupov, an expert with over ten years of experience in affiliate marketing and digital fields, works at the intersection of marketing, analytics, and communications. We spoke with him about the transformation of the industry, the main challenges, and the future of the profession.
Kostiantyn, you started with technical support for partner networks. What did this initial immersion give you?
— Actually, a foundation. When you work on the technical side, you see all the processes without embellishment: where the system breaks down, which requests come most often, what partners expect. This allowed me to understand the industry “from the inside” and not lose touch with practice when I moved to business development and partner management.
You cover several areas at once: marketing, partnerships, analytics, communications. How do you manage this without losing quality?
— The key is that all these areas are interconnected. If a marketer does not understand partnership schemes or analytics, their decisions will be superficial. And if an analyst does not feel the creative component, the numbers remain dead. Therefore, I have always strived to be a universal specialist: this makes it easier to see the whole picture and make strategic decisions.
Today, the market is oversaturated with advertising. How can one stand out in such conditions?
— There is no “magic button.” A combination of factors works: an honest message, the right choice of channel, and constant testing. Users quickly adapt to standard formats, so brands that experiment and speak to the audience in their language win.
What role do you assign to analytics in a modern marketing strategy?
— Analytics is a compass. Without it, any movement turns into chaotic wandering. But it is important to remember: numbers should not replace intuition and understanding of context. The best decisions are born when data confirms a hypothesis, not when it dictates it.
What surprises you about the current dynamics of the digital market?
— The speed of change. A campaign that yesterday brought hundreds of leads can be completely ineffective tomorrow. Technologies change monthly, social media algorithms every week. This forces constant learning and keeping the team on alert.
You mentioned the importance of working with bloggers. What mistakes do brands most often make here?
— The most common mistake is buying reach rather than an audience. Numbers in statistics are not always equal to real influence. It is much more important to choose those influencers who organically incorporate the product into their communication. People instantly feel artificiality, and it kills effectiveness.
And how does the role of creativity change in conditions where more tasks are automated?
— Creativity becomes the center. Automation removes routine: procurement, optimization, reporting. But no algorithm can invent a story that evokes emotions. In the future, the value of creative teams will only grow, because they are the ones capable of turning “dry” advertising into a cultural code.
What qualities, in your opinion, distinguish a strong specialist in digital marketing?
— Curiosity, system thinking, and communication skills. Without curiosity, it is impossible to develop in such a rapidly changing industry. Without system thinking, one cannot manage complex campaigns. And without communication, you cannot build partnerships. Everything else can be learned.
Finally: how do you see digital marketing in the next decade?
— It will become even more personalized and “invisible.” Advertising will stop being perceived as a separate element; it will be embedded in the scenarios of our lives: from the content we watch to the services we use daily. But along with this, the role of ethics will increase: users will demand honesty and transparency. Marketing of the future is trust multiplied by technology.