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Welcome to another Affiliate Pulse!
This week, we've got big M&A news, insight into shopping behaviours (and how to tap into them), and a look at a partner type that's potentially underutilised in affiliate marketing.
​Publicis Groupe is pushing forward with its acquisition of LiveRamp, expanding its data capabilities — a move that comes against a backdrop of mass AI adoption and a challenging global context.
​Meanwhile, new data from Reward Gateway | Edenred shows that shopping habits are changing and offers are now a baseline expectation — providing the opportunity to drive incremental revenue for brands.
​Our Industry Voice columnist, Rachel Said, shares her take on the role of YouTube creators in affiliate marketing. Spoiler… you could be missing out on untapped potential.​
Not just that, we've also got tips on how affiliates secure budget.
Now, let’s get on with the good stuff.
Prime Day is in June this year – shorter runway, same budget pressure.
If you're advising brands on channel mix right now, last year's data should inform where you're pointing them — before they lock spend.
Across 390 brands, two channels moved in opposite directions during Prime Day 2025:
- Amazon paid media ROAS fell 12.5%
- Affiliate ROAS climbed 5.3%
The brands that pulled ahead weren't outspending anyone. They had affiliate programs running across the full event window — before, during, and the week after — when paid compressed and affiliate held.
Levanta's Prime Day Affiliate Benchmarks Report shows exactly where the gap opened and why. If you're making channel recommendations before June, you're either working from this data or you're guessing.
In today's newsletter:
- Pick of the day: ​Are YouTube Creators the Next Big Partner Type in Affiliate Marketing?
- Trending: Offer Search is Becoming Standard Shopping Practice, New Research Shows
- Industry Insight: Don’t Be Afraid of Saying No.
Pick of the day
Are YouTube Creators the Next Big Partner Type in Affiliate Marketing?
Our Industry Voice columnist, Genie Goals’ Rachel Said, shares her take on the role YouTube creators can play within affiliate marketing.
According to Rachel, from repurposing content for paid advertisements and high LLM rankings to strong brand associations and the ability to showcase detailed product demonstrations, there are a lot of unique benefits they offer.
“My experience is that YouTube partners thrive in the affiliate channel when engaged correctly. Their format and “always-on” nature make hybrid commercial models — combining flat fees with strong CPA — a highly viable option,” says Rachel.
Trending
What's hot on Hello Partner right now
Offer Search is Becoming Standard Shopping Practice, New Research Shows
The report found that offers provide a key opportunity to drive incremental revenue.
Publicis Groupe to Acquire LiveRamp for $2.2bn in Agentic Drive
According to the French advertising group, the deal opens up agentic opportunities.
Why Affiliates Miss Out on Budget, and How to Change It
Affiliate marketing generates some of the best ROI in digital marketing, yet it is often overlooked in favour of other performance channels. Understanding where the differences versus other channels are will help publishers and affiliate marketers secure more budget and drive better performance for their clients. This session shows you how.
Industry Insight
Stay at the top of your game
This week, our industry insight comes from Frederic Jean-Bart, and it's all about navigating the word no.
In a LinkedIn post, Frederic shared that in two weeks, he'd turned down three prospects, all for different reasons: a questionable background, low conversion on cold traffic and one opting for performance-only deals.
Frederic shared that in the last two years, his approach has changed. While back then, he would have said yes to all three, his team now takes a more selective approach, taking on clients that the team genuinely believes they can help.
And this requires honesty and transparency.
For the brand with 0.8% conversion on cold traffic, Frederic said he told them the truth.
"Top media buyers need 1.5 to 1.7% to make the economics work. They'll test your offer. See the numbers don't work. Move on to a brand with a better funnel."
Meanwhile, for the prospect opting for performance only, he shared that these deals "don't stabilise revenue" and attract clients who aren't fully committed.
"Saying no protects our reputation. Protects our team's time. And it makes room for clients who are actually ready to scale."
Readers, I'd be curious to hear a way you’ve changed your approach to business? What triggered the change and what was the outcome?
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Until next time,
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Madaline Dunn Community Editor Email me Connect with me on LinkedIn |
