Profile of a Growth Marketer: Khai Pham, Candid

Profile of a Growth Marketer is an ongoing series where we feature partner marketing industry leaders from around the globe.

We sat down with Khai Pham, Director of Strategy and Operations at Candid, to learn more about what got him interested in working for Candid, how Candid is disrupting the oral healthcare industry and how the affiliate channel has positively impacted Candid’s marketing approach.

What is your role at Candid, and how would you describe what you do to your family and friends?

I’m the Director of Strategy and Operations at Candid and I focus on a variety of projects ranging from growth, operations and revenue. Within growth specifically, I focus on the affiliate channel, as well as emerging channels such as TikTok.

What got you interested in working for Candid?

The two aspects of Candid that I found most enticing were:

1. The mission to empower individuals with self-confidence by democratizing access to orthodontia. As someone that went through braces, I know firsthand the impact of having a smile you don’t feel ashamed about.
2. The massive market opportunity that exists in the orthodontic space. With the market for clear aligners taking more and more market share away from traditional braces, Candid is poised to fully capitalize on the shifting consumer behavior.

How is Candid disrupting the oral healthcare industry?

The clear aligner industry has grown into a multi-billion-dollar market quickly, yet despite the size of the market, there are still large strides to be made. Previously, customers have had to make a difficult trade-off between price and clinical oversight.

Remote aligner companies offered significantly lower prices than their in-office counterparts, but they lacked the security and oversight. At Candid, we are pioneering a new model in remote orthodontics by leveraging technology to provide patients with incredible levels of oversight all at less than half the price of in-office aligners.

How did you get involved in the world of affiliate marketing?

At Candid, we simply couldn’t ignore the power and efficiency of the affiliate marketing channel. We recognized that the channel was driving incredibly high-quality customers. As a result, I dove into the affiliate marketing world so I could learn how we could scale this channel up even further and capitalize on the massive potential lying beneath the surface.

From your experience, how has the affiliate marketing model added value to Candid?

The affiliate marketing model has allowed us to diversify our marketing approach not only in how we are reaching the customer, but also when. This has led to a new pipeline of high-quality customers for Candid to acquire.

Additionally, the affiliate marketing model has led to a significant increase in customer reviews for Candid. The value of customer reviews and third-party reviews cannot be overstated, especially in an industry that requires such a large degree of trust between the consumer and the brand.

What has surprised you most about the affiliate marketing model?

The level of relationship building required to truly succeed in this channel caught me off guard. I’d consider that the most distinguishing aspect of affiliate marketing. The need for strong business development is core to the channel.

What are some advantages to working with Acceleration Partners?

Given the significance of relationship building and business development within the channel, Acceleration Partners has helped in two large ways:

1. Sourcing new affiliates and leveraging the Acceleration Partners network to find new affiliate opportunities for Candid to invest in.
2. Autonomously operating and managing our extensive portfolio of affiliate partners.

Throughout your career, what is one of the largest shifts in marketing trends that you’ve witnessed?

The increasing need for channel diversification. It is no longer sufficient to be adept at digital marketing only on Facebook or Google. In order to remain competitive in today’s day and age, companies need to be proficient at marketing on a variety of channels in order to sustain long-term growth.

About Candid

Candid is a digital platform for oral healthcare. Coupling the expertise and attention of private practice orthodontics with the convenience and affordability of telehealth, Candid delivers the best of both worlds. Our patent-pending approach to treatment planning (CandidRx™), and our intuitive ecosystem of hardware and software (CandidOs™), offer superior care and outcomes. We are on a mission to redefine orthodontics and unlock self-expression for all our customers.

Check out many of the other leading brands who trust our team to manage their affiliate programs on our Clients page.