Sietse Sander on Nova's past, present & future.
“It’s not about ideas, it’s about making ideas happen”. I’m Sietse, Director of Nova Network, and I love to kick off with cheesy quotes, which are pretty damn accurate.
Since our start in March 2020, the idea has been simple, a fresh affiliate network that operates in a transparent and agile way and offers exclusive Dating products. However, gaining trust from business partners in a world which is closed due to covid, and in a market that is highly competitive, is not the easiest thing in the world. However, thanks to the team’s hard work and dedication together with our partners’ trust in us, we have been able to build a strong brand and we showed the industry that Nova is here to stay!
In 2021 we were finally able to meet our partners in person, during the European Summit in Marbella and Prague, which was absolutely great. Besides that, we launched exclusive white labels with amazing results especially in DE, AT, CH and BE. If you haven’t tested these products yet, make sure to reach out to your AM.
For 2022 we have more exciting news coming up! We are planning to launch four new exclusive white label products and yes, the United States will be on that list as well! Our main focus will be the expansion of our products and our team, in order to serve everyone in the best possible way and with the best converting Dating products out there.
1 - We’re at the beginning of yet another exciting year at Nova. Can you tell us a bit about what happened in 2021?
We knew that 2021 was the year in which we had to show the industry that we are here to stay and not just another random network that pops up and disappears again. When we launched Kiss2day in Germany together with our partners, we had the feeling that this could become a highly competitive product and that was the case. Currently, we are planning on launching a new brand for the DACH market and we are confident that the performance will be great for our partners.
Besides the success with Kiss2day, we also launched successful products in the Belgian market. We are currently exploring more GEOs and in Q1 2022 we expect to be active in DE, AT, CH, FR, BE, CA. We also have been expanding the team throughout the year, which is always exciting. Furthermore, we are planning to grow the team further and that shows our future ambitions for Nova.
2 - What are you most proud of this year? / 3- What was the biggest highlight for you in 2021?
That’s an easy one, I’m most proud of the team 100%. Since the start of Nova, we were forced to work in ‘the new normal’, but we all know that ‘the new normal’ is nothing like it used to be. Then it’s extremely important that the team doesn’t lose enthusiasm when things are not going as expected. They showed motivation, flexibility, and resilience, which were absolutely key to our success.
There were many highlights, but I think TES Prague was definitely one of the biggest highlights for us. The show was not extremely busy, but the vibe was amazing. We attended the conference with the whole team and it was great to see how everyone was rocking it and showed the Nova spirit. Besides building brand awareness and meeting business partners, conferences are also great for creating memories with the team and that’s what we did for sure!
4- Did anything surprise you?
I hate to make this question Covid-related, but the most welcoming surprise was the sense of normality that we had in the Netherlands during the summer months. This is something that automatically boosts positivity and creativity. It also gave us the opportunity to celebrate milestones properly, which was hardly possible before, which makes it extra special in my opinion.
5- What did Nova change during 2021?
In the first year, we have been working a lot on building a new company and everything that comes with it. This was challenging during the start of the pandemic, but we managed. For 2021 we focused on bringing more exclusive products to the market, which are competitive with the big players in the industry, knowing that would be crucial for us in order to build a strong brand. This came with quite some changes in our internal and external communication and workflows. I’m sure this will be a never-ending process of finetuning, but it’s safe to say that we managed it very well.
6- What is your expectation regarding the conferences for next year?
Hard question, it really depends on the regulations that will happen in the countries where the conferences will be organized.
Our first planned conference is TES Sitges in February. After that, we will fly directly to Dubai for Affiliate World Global. Then we will have some time to catch up and prepare for MAC Moscow and WMA in Amsterdam during spring 2022. After that, we planned to attend AWE in Barcelona and TES in Prague.
As you can see, our agenda this year will be pretty packed and hopefully, all conferences will be happening, because (finally I’d say) it’s time to introduce Nova to the world!
To conclude, what can your partners expect from Nova in 2022?
Our partners can expect the same Nova’s transparent approach and swift service.
With regards to advertisers, we will continue to look for the best traffic/product fit for their brands and we will continuously be in touch with them to achieve the best outcome.
For affiliates, we will focus on optimizing our exclusive brands and offer them the biggest possible ROI, providing them with the best landing pages and brands.
As I mentioned earlier, we will also expand to at least four new countries in 2022, so our partners have more opportunities to monetize their traffic with our brands!