Hub Affiliations Co-Founder Sets Out Community-First Model for Affiliate Growth at SiGMA World 2026
Charles Herisson told a Rome panel that affiliates should move beyond traffic generation and build communities capable of launching their own products, citing Hub Affiliations' recent expansion into sports platforms and AI-driven gaming.
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Charles Herisson, Co-Founder of Hub Affiliations, set out his view of where affiliate marketing is heading during a panel session at SiGMA World 2026 in Rome. Speaking on the panel “Rethinking Customer Acquisition in Italy: New Affiliate Strategies”, moderated by RAI journalist Daniel Della Seta, Herisson argued that affiliates need to shift from pure traffic generation towards becoming strategic partners across product development, technology and audience engagement.
His central argument was that a strong community can serve as the foundation for launching new products, rather than the other way around.
Community-driven product development
Herisson pointed to projects under Hub Innovation, including SlotMatic and Pidiots, as examples of AI-powered game development built around existing communities rather than generic audiences.
He also referenced Hub Affiliations’ majority acquisition of Sporticos, a global sports platform reporting more than 10 million annual unique users with a presence across Europe and Latin America, as part of the group’s international expansion strategy.
From traffic to ecosystem
According to Herisson, affiliate marketing is moving away from a narrow focus on driving traffic towards a broader ecosystem that combines media, content creators, technology and product development. He highlighted AI-driven virtual tipsters as an emerging acquisition model offering operators greater control over messaging and communication standards.
Herisson also stressed the role of responsible gaming, training and compliance processes in building sustainable, long-term relationships with operators.
He pointed to Hub Affiliations’ network of more than 1,500 tipsters and influencers, alongside its editorial businesses and Sport Media Academy, as components of what he described as an integrated approach to engaging digital communities.
The comments were shared by Hub Affiliations via its communications team, with a fuller account of the panel published on the Hub Affiliations Magazine website.