00:00 Intro: Meet Stefano De Cubellis
01:10 First steps in affiliate marketing
02:20 Trying YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
04:16 Scaling an info business to 7 figures
05:44 Starting an ad agency
06:49 Selling the company and joining Adcon
08:27 Building the team and merging companies
09:25 Affiliate marketing scene in Italy
10:13 Growing up in a small Italian town
11:16 Why many Italian affiliates come from the South
13:20 Building a community and personal brand
16:11 Popular affiliate verticals in Italy
16:36 Starting globally instead of only in Italy
19:00 Learning English and entering global markets
21:43 First international conferences with zero English
24:09 Speaking on stage and personal branding
25:38 What Adcon does in simple words
26:59 Helping media buyers scale ad spend
27:54 Solving account bans and platform issues
29:01 Building an all-in-one adtech platform
30:05 AI media buyer: the future of media buying
30:31 Why AI will not replace media buyers
31:31 Building AI tools for campaign launching
34:29 Predictions for AI and media buying in 2026
36:10 The future of media buying stability
37:20 Working with different verticals
38:44 Why people still matter more than tools
41:52 Sales, people and the human side of business
43:52 How Stefano uses ChatGPT
46:42 Voice messages, AI and productivity
48:22 Affiliate mastermind trip in China
49:33 First conference experience in Ibiza
50:18 Best affiliate conferences: Bangkok and Dubai
51:23 Why conferences are key to success
53:15 Women in affiliate marketing
54:32 How to pronounce Stefano correctly
54:47 Final thoughts and outro
In this episode, Stefano shares his journey from a small town in Italy to building a global affiliate marketing and adtech business. Starting with zero experience and no clear path, he entered the world of affiliate marketing at a young age and went through years of trial, failure, and experimentation.
We talk about how he scaled to millions in ad spend, built and sold his company, and became part of a large group and become business partner of an holding, focus on tech solution for affiliate marketing. Stefano breaks down how affiliate marketing really works, what media buying is, and why scaling ads is the core of the business.
A big part of the conversation is about AI in media buying — how automation is changing the industry, what the future looks like, and why AI won’t replace media buyers but will transform their role.
We also discuss:
– How to start in affiliate marketing.
– The reality behind making money online.
– Why networking and conferences are key to success.
– The affiliate marketing scene in Italy.
– Building teams and scaling globally.
– The future of adtech, AI, and media buying.
This episode is perfect for beginners and experienced marketers who want to understand how the affiliate world really works and where it’s heading next.
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