The affiliate market has long moved beyond mere competition over traffic and offers. Today, the key advantage is access to a strong community: it provides the speed, insights, and opportunities that are impossible to obtain alone.
Against this backdrop, the synergy between the CIS and “Burzh” (international/Western) markets is intensifying. CIS teams are becoming increasingly sought after globally, and the task of connecting these ecosystems has taken center stage. In this interview, we discuss how community is turning into a primary asset and the role the iGaming & Affiliate Conference (MAC’26) plays in this evolution.
An Interview with Vadim Korepov, Co-founder of MAC.
Why Community Became the Primary Asset
1. Why has community become the main asset in affiliate marketing specifically right now?
I believe community has always been a vital part of promotion and marketing. Companies with strong communities leveraged them ten years ago, but today it has become more critical because we live in the “influence era.” We are in a constant battle for human attention, and developing a community is the best way to capture and hold that attention.
2. What has changed in the market that makes growing without a community difficult?
Exactly what I mentioned—the era has shifted. Because we are fighting for attention and living in an age of influence, using old-school marketing approaches without a community makes growth incredibly difficult.
3. Is it possible to earn in affiliate marketing today while remaining outside the community?
Or is that a losing strategy? You can certainly still make money. I see companies that don’t work with the “community” in a broad sense, but rather work personally with their partners—sending gifts, hosting private events, etc. They aren’t very visible in the media space, but they have strong ties with their partners.
The main task is building these strong connections. You can do it through media and wide reach, or you can do it personally. And of course, you can earn without a community if you have a great product. Nothing beats a product that converts well and helps people make money; you can’t survive on great marketing alone. While the “media noise” and Reels views make things look easier now, a product with significantly better specs than the competition will always succeed, even without the hype.
What’s Really Behind the Word “Community”?
4. Many people call any chat or party a “community.” Where is the line between a community and just an audience?
It’s hard to give a precise definition, but I would point to the reliability of the connection between the company and its partners. Whether it’s a personal format or a brand talking to its Instagram followers, once that bond is established—when people trust you and follow you—that is a community.
5. What elements make up a strong affiliate community?
A high-quality community must provide value. This value can be practical—advice on processes or making money—but it can also be entertainment value. Some communities thrive on memes; people share them, laugh together, and discuss them. This provides emotional satisfaction. Value is key, but it comes in many formats now.
6. Why do some communities scale while others stay local and die out?
Many lose their value because they stop providing real benefit. MAC is an example of a community that has lived and evolved for nine years. Guests return because they get real utility: from “class reunion” style meetups with old friends to fresh practical knowledge and new contacts.
We constantly bring in speakers and companies that have never been represented at CIS conferences before. We know our audience and think about how to maximize their utility at every event. The world changes fast—what worked in 2017 won’t work in 2026. To stay alive, we have to keep our “ears to the ground” and adapt.
Community = Money
7. How does money get made faster within a community?
Is it insights, connections, or trust? It’s much easier to do business with people you already know. You might start by laughing at memes together, but when it’s time for business, you trust that person because you’ve already “lived” a bit of life with them.
Then there’s the information exchange. It’s no secret that some info isn’t shared publicly but is shared in private communities. The goal of a closed community is to create a format where members are motivated to share. If only one person gives and everyone else just takes, the community will collapse because the “giver” will burn out.
8. Can a community be valued as an asset?
Are there measurable metrics? Absolutely. Companies often buy communities specifically to gain direct access to loyal, high-value people. Community members are inherently more loyal, making it much easier to “enter” their circle compared to “cold” advertising. A community definitely has a capitalization value. While calculating it is complex and depends on many factors, it is 100% possible.
9. What is more expensive today: a strong team or a strong community around it?
I wouldn’t choose one. A strong team is the foundation. Even with the most active community, you need people to implement the knowledge and insights. The value of a community only manifests when there is a team capable of turning those insights into action.
The CIS Community Phenomenon
10. Why is the CIS community so prominent in the global market right now?
The CIS community is strong because of highly qualified specialists, especially in iGaming. If you visit any international conference, you’ll notice many companies were founded by people from the CIS. This attracts the global community to MAC—it’s the key entry point to the Russian-speaking market to find top-tier talent and real partnerships.
11. What is its real advantage over Western players?
The advantage lies in experience, expertise, and scale. When a community is both expert and large, it creates new approaches and effective methods that eventually get adopted in other countries.
CIS ↔ International: Problems and Opportunities
13. Is there a strong link between the CIS and the international (Burzh) market?
The strongest link is money, as cliché as that sounds. In terms of offline links, MAC is definitely that bridge. It’s the most popular CIS conference for international audiences. We have attendees from over 50 countries, including major market players and Tier-1 experts. Many “East meets West” partnerships start here.
14. What are the main barriers—language, culture, trust, or business approaches?
Barriers are shrinking every year. More international companies are hiring Russian-speaking specialists. At our Partnerkin HR agency, we see a massive influx of requests from global companies looking for CIS media buyers and managers. They realize they can’t ignore the CIS market if they want quality traffic. Mentality differences exist, but when money is on the line, everyone is ready to negotiate and adapt.
15. Who wins from this gap, and who loses?
Those who bridge the gap by hiring specialists and studying international business win. Those who do business the “old way” and ignore international colleagues lose.
16. Can you build a strong community without offline events?
Personal meetings allow you to truly “feel” a person, which is still vital in the digital industry.
18. At what point does an acquaintance turn into long-term value?
It’s a tough question, but I think you need to go through some ups and downs together—to “stress test” the relationship. Once you’ve seen each other in different situations, you reach a level of trust that allows for successful business.
MAC Conf as a Gathering Point
21. You are completely rebuilding the location—what is changing and why?
Simple: we don’t fit in our old location anymore. We are expanding to make it more comfortable. It’s an unprecedented move—we are essentially rebuilding an entire building for the conference. Years ago, we broke through a wall between two venues just to fit everyone into the afterparty; now we’re taking it to the next level.
22. What mechanics do you use so people don’t just exchange contacts but actually join the community?
The most important thing is ensuring comfort for both “veterans” and “newbies.” Newcomers want to meet anyone; veterans usually want to see old friends. We build the flow of the conference—with numerous lounges, formal and informal zones—so that people naturally bump into each other at “points of attraction.”
Final Thoughts
23. If you have access to a strong community, what is the main growth lever it provides?
Connections and knowledge. When a problem arises, these connections are usually how you solve it.
24. And conversely: what do those who ignore the community lose?
They lose exactly what I just mentioned—the ability to solve problems through collective expertise.
25. One piece of advice: how do you properly integrate into a strong community without remaining a bystander?
Communicate. Just talk and be open. If you don’t communicate within the community, you aren’t part of it.
