This week, the team returned from CreatorFest, a jam-packed two-day extravaganza, zoning in on all things creator and influencer marketing — Hello Partner Creator team, you did a stellar job putting together such a fascinating event. Working in the affiliate and performance space, it was also interesting to step inside this world and reflect on how these two ecosystems are increasingly connected.
I spoke to a whole range of influencers and creators to hear about their stories, what’s important to them and how they’re using their platforms, and sat down with Metapic’s Niklas Schwake, Kantar’s Vera Sidlova, Creator Entrepreneur Grace Andrews, LinkedIn Tea’s Fatima Khan, and LADBible’s Alex Hick for some industry deep dives. Keep an eye out for those interviews.
But this week, we’ve also got our first Industry Voice piece from industry veteran Brook Schaaf, insights from Neguin Farhangmehr on how to cut through the noise at the GPMAs and interviews with Partnerize’s Matt Gilbert and Sean Sewell.
As for me, I’m heading off on holiday to Devon this evening, and I can not tell you how excited I am for a few days of good food, great books, countryside walks and a big old chill out. Catch you on the other side.
Now, let’s get into the news.
In today's newsletter:
- Pick of the day: Affiliate Marketing Needs to Get Ratio’d.
- Trending: “A Gold Entry Showcases Breakthrough Thinking”: Neguin Farhangmehr on What it Takes to Win at the GPMAs.
- Industry Insight: Auditing Program Compliance — It's Important.
Pick of the day
Affiliate Marketing Needs to Get Ratio’d
In his first Industry Voice column, Brook Schaaf delves into how affiliate marketing puts itself on more equal footing with channels that “routinely claim credit for sales they can only infer.”
Brook has a proposal.
“Using the next generation of tracking technologies, now available with, for example, Partnerize and impact.com, affiliate reporting comes to regularly include two numbers: deterministic tracking (clicks, coupons, etc.) and a contribution or influence number (AI inference, other uncredited touch points).”
This, he says, will demonstrate to advertisers that they are getting more than they are paying for.
Trending
What's hot on Hello Partner right now
Partnerize’s Sean Sewell Talks Influence, Measurement and Shifting Strategy
Partnerize’s CRO Sean Sewell says the industry is moving from visibility to economic infrastructure.
“The Click Was Never the True Measure of Value”: Matt Gilbert on the Machine-Mediated Market and Connecting Outcome to Influence
Although affiliate has traditionally been siloed, there is an opportunity to reposition as the "economic infrastructure" of the machine-mediated market, says Gilbert.
Creators as CEOs - Turning Content into a Sustainable Business
In this session, Marygrace Tropeano, a London-based Marketing Strategist, Model, and Digital Entrepreneur, brings insight into how creators can position themselves as businesses, scale their personal brands, and craft campaigns that not only resonate visually but also deliver measurable impact.
“A Gold Entry Showcases Breakthrough Thinking”: Neguin Farhangmehr on What it Takes to Win at the GPMAs
Farhangmehr’s advice? Every entry needs to stand on its own.
Offer Quality and Trust Key Factors in Golden Quarter Shopping, Research Shows
The research from Reward Gateway | Edenred reveals that offers via affiliates can drive incremental revenue.
Industry Insight
Stay at the top of your game
This week, we hear from Annabel Gray, who’s delving into fraud.
Digital ad fraud is now costing the industry a pretty penny: over $100 billion globally this year — and it’s across every paid channel, Annabel says.
But while it’s not just affiliate, its outcome-based model makes it a target.
Catching this fraud, however, can be difficult. Why? It doesn’t always look like fraud. In affiliate, Annabel says it’s often “dressed up” as normal performance.
At the same time, Annabel outlines the checks you can conduct to review compliance.
The first is ensuring you’re monitoring and responding to changes in publisher performance.
“It's great when performance goes up - if it's real. If it's credit being claimed for sales that would have happened anyway, that spike costs you rather than makes you money.”
When there’s no explanation or response to the uplift, results get disputed.
Next is brand bidding, and it goes beyond just stipulating in your rules. Without checks, this could lead to cookie hijacking. Automated tools can be a reliable tool here, she says.
Finally, there’s a third-party network review. Although they can be “powerful partners” for scale, there are caveats. “They can also be a back door for partners who aren't brand-aligned.”
So, regularly auditing the situation can keep non-transparent subnetworks at bay.
Amusing Affiliates
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Until next time,
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Madaline Dunn Community Editor Email me Connect with me on LinkedIn |
