Coffee and Cake with Isabella Gazzola

In this month's Coffee & Cake series, we speak with Isabella Gazzola, Key Account Manager at Commission Factory in Sydney, Australia.  

Tell us a bit about yourself?   

I started my career wanting to be a language teacher after completing a Bachelors degree in languages and studying foreign languages on exchange in Italy and Argentina. So learning languages will always be a big passion of mine. However, I have always had an interest in eCommerce and a massive admiration for brands who started their businesses online, which led me to my career in Digital Marketing. Having been with CF for almost four years, I can safely say there’s never been a dull moment. 

How do you have your coffee?    

Very strong and multiple times a day! 

What is your favourite cake and why? 

My favourite cake is the baked ricotta cake from Pasticceria Papa in Haberfield. I grew up with that cake for every single birthday. I am also a massive Brunetti fan in Melbourne. So any cake or dessert they produce is amazing.  

What does your job involve? 

I work in the Advertiser Management team, so my role is client-facing. I have a portfolio of brands. My main responsibility would be to ensure they get the best out of the affiliate channel, including ongoing admirable results, thorough strategy planning, reaching and surpassing goals. This means I’m always looking for the best affiliate opportunities for them, managing their affiliate partnerships (new, existing and prospecting), reporting on campaign results, creating and implementing strategies for their program, and monitoring competitors. 

What excites you about your role?   

The industry is constantly changing and evolving. There are so many new, different and unique affiliates out there, particularly within specialised Tech. I also get to work with a cool range of brands that I love. In general, the industry is fun, social and rapidly progressing in Australia. 

What do you see as the biggest developments in the industry?   

One of the biggest developments is ongoing tech solutions and how tech providers can partner with brands on the CPA model. I’ve also always been a fan of omnichannel optimisations. Brands can now partner with other brands in the bricks-and-mortar space, and that’s been rolling out over the last few years. 

What would you say are the biggest challenges, and how can the industry look to overcome them, in your opinion?   

One of the biggest challenges is sales attribution and how we track those vs other online channels. However, we can overcome many challenges we face with ongoing interaction with the channel and the knowledge we gain.  

Do you have any interesting facts about yourself that people do not know about you? 

Despite being born in Sydney, English was not my first language, and I first picked it up when I started pre-school. 

Do you have a book, podcast, or film recommendation for our readers?   

I do love some of the Marvel films, especially both Deadpools and Black Panther. Black Panther has a fantastic soundtrack if you are a Kendrick Lamar fan!  

Who is your most played artist now?   

The most obvious answer here is Drake and The Weeknd, especially albums circa 2012-2013. Also, if anyone plays anything even remotely aligned to the ‘old school Hip Hop and R&B' categories, I’m there! 

What do you love about the industry? 

I love the people within the industry. I’ve learned so much from them, and I admire how much can change and advance in a short period, especially when it comes to tech developments, capabilities within reporting, and how we choose to run affiliate activity. 

What's the most surprising thing about the industry?   

It has changed so much since I started back in 2017, and that it can be pretty unpredictable in terms of what the next 'big thing' will be, what trends will come about, and what the next big affiliate category will be. 

Any final words? 

I’m keen to see where the channel takes us and where we are in a year from now!  

If you would like to join the team, check out our career page.  

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