Rakuten Advertising Hires Veteran Affiliate Marketing Executives

SAN MATEO, Calif.July 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Rakuten Advertising has hired Macy’s alumni Mike Chin and Ceres Cueva as SVP of Client Services North America and VP of Publisher Partnerships North America, respectively, to advance the company’s strategic services and increase partner and client collaboration. Together, Chin and Cueva bring more than three decades of retail and affiliate marketing expertise. While at Macy’s, Chin most recently led digital media for the global retailer and Cueva drove the brand’s affiliate monetization strategy.

“Mike and Ceres bring a deep client-side viewpoint that, coupled with a strong history in affiliate marketing, will help us identify and build new ways to drive growth for our clients,” said Nick Stamos, CEO at Rakuten Advertising. “During their time as our partner at Macy’s, we saw both Mike and Ceres really change the dynamics of a vendor-client partnership, and we know they will extend that same high level of collaboration and understanding to our brand and publisher clients across our portfolio.”

While at Macy’s, Chin and Cueva’s campaigns were regularly recognized by Rakuten Advertising and both received the company’s “Affiliate Manager of the Year (Advertiser)” award. Chin was also honored with Rakuten Advertising’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” For driving outstanding results in affiliate marketing, Cueva and Chin received “Make Magic” awards from Macy’s. Prior to joining Macy’s, Chin and Cueva both served in a variety of roles at Commission Junction.

“Rakuten Advertising’s strengths across both the buy-and sell-side are one of the reasons we saw so much success in our partnership at Macy’s,” said Ceres Cueva. “My first priority is to amplify that and increase the collaboration across brands and affiliates to help our clients reach their goals even faster. More than ever, collaboration and transparency are required for publishers and brands to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape, and I look forward to building on our strong foundation.”

“Retailers, brands and publishers are grappling with truly unique challenges,” said Mike Chin. “At the same time, consumers’ shopping habits are changing – what they’re shopping for, how they’re buying, and how they communicate with brands is constantly evolving. Affiliate marketing provides the adaptability and flexibility that advertisers and publishers need to reach these audiences and drive high-value traffic. We have a significant opportunity to help them adopt strategies to engage these audiences, directly contribute to sales, and deliver greater value from their marketing mix.”

Chin and Cueva will be based in the company’s San Mateo, Calif. headquarters.

About Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising connects leading agencies, brands and publishers to active and engaged consumers around the world. With access to Rakuten’s diverse media properties and audiences, combined with an award-winning performance network and proprietary consumer research, Rakuten Advertising creates the right conditions to reach new customers and sustain long-lasting loyalty. Its foundation of advanced technology, data and strategic services positions Rakuten Advertising to offer a differentiated suite of marketing and advertising solutions, while constantly pushing the industry forward. It is a division of Rakuten Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading Internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, CA, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM and North America. Learn more at www.RakutenAdvertising.com.