By Justin Tan
Image: Bibi Pace/Unsplash
The region’s digital economy is booming, and consumer behaviour is shifting rapidly. Building meaningful partnerships has never been more critical. At the forefront is Cris Tan, Associate Director of Publisher Development (SEA) at impact.com, a global leader in partnership management.
With over a decade of experience in digital transformation and performance partnerships, Tan is helping Malaysian brands — and the wider region — harness creator commerce, influencer marketing, and affiliate strategies for measurable growth.
For Tan, leadership begins with values. “Work should matter not just to the business, but to the people behind it,” he says. His approach blends authenticity, empathy, humility, and a focus on outcomes, shaping how he builds teams, collaborates with partners, and supports brands in a digital-first era.
FROM VANITY METRICS TO REAL IMPACT
Image: TheRegisti/Unsplash
Tan emphasises a key shift: partnerships are reshaping growth across Southeast Asia. Consumers trust creators, peers, and communities more than traditional advertising. In such a diverse region, sustainable growth depends on ecosystems rooted in trust and long-term collaboration.
“We’re not just another tool,” Tan explains. “We help brands move beyond vanity metrics to partnerships that drive performance, sales, and retention. Most importantly, it’s about building trust.”
Brands are increasingly embedding creators into campaigns, prioritising discovery, conversions, and loyalty over likes and views. Impact.com’s attribution tools track influence across the customer journey, transforming collaborations into measurable growth engines.
MALAYSIA’S DIGITAL LANDSCAPE
Cris Tan, Associate Director of Publisher Development (SEA) at impact.com.
Malaysia offers immense opportunities but presents unique challenges. With over 70 per cent of the population active on social media and creators thriving on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, authenticity is essential.
“Trust is central to how Malaysians shop,” Tan notes. “Brands aren’t speaking to a single audience, but to layered identities. That brings both challenges and opportunities.”
Some brands have embraced creator-led commerce, while others remain tied to siloed strategies that fail to account for fragmented, multi-platform journeys. The lesson is clear: partnerships must be approached as long-term strategies, not short-term tactics.
PERFORMANCE-LED CREATORS
Image: Olivier Bergeron/Unsplash
Creators are increasingly performance marketers. Tan highlights YoloFoods, a healthy meal provider that used the platform to revamp its programme. By partnering with pro-bodybuilder Danial Azman, YoloFoods achieved 7x ROI, grew web traffic by 30 per cent, and doubled sales during its Birthday Sale.
“Trust is central to how Malaysians shop. Brands aren’t speaking to a single audience, but to layered identities. That brings both challenges and opportunities” – Cris Tan
A streaming platform also leveraged creators to review shows by genre, boosting subscriptions and engagement. “With our tracking, they identified which creators and formats worked best,” Tan says. “These aren’t one-off campaigns; they’re sustainable engines built on long-term partnerships.”
SUSTAINABLE COLLABORATIONS
If creators are performance marketers, brands must rethink engagement. Instead of controlling content, they should empower creators to speak authentically. “The best results happen when brands allow creators to use their authentic voice,” says Tan.
Sustainability is key. Impact.com helps brands move beyond one-off campaigns by providing tools to find and vet creators, track results, and scale relationship management without losing the human touch. Aligning incentives with performance builds rewarding, lasting partnerships.
Image: Carlos Muza/Unsplash
As creator commerce becomes mainstream, Tan believes local brands can stand out by embracing cultural uniqueness while scaling regionally. The most successful brands combine authentic storytelling with data insights, adapting quickly and expanding across borders without losing local identity.
“With rising media costs and diminishing returns, partnerships are becoming one of the most powerful growth channels,” Tan predicts. “It’s about creating ecosystems where brands, partners, and consumers all win together.”
BUILDING GROWTH
Performance partnerships are set to take centre stage in Malaysia. For new brands, they drive awareness and customer acquisition without intrusive ads. For established brands, they ensure relevance with younger audiences while reinforcing core values.
Tan’s advice to future leaders: “Partnerships aren’t built overnight, and neither is trust. Stay authentic, value the people behind every metric, and balance performance with purpose.”
In a field often obsessed with quick wins, Tan offers a model rooted in empathy, curiosity, and authenticity. As Malaysian and Southeast Asian brands embrace the next era of partnerships, his message is clear: the future belongs to those who turn influence into impact — and partnerships into long-term growth.
