Rakuten Advertising launches A 5-Stage Blueprint for High-Performance Affiliate Marketing
Leading advertisers and publishers highlight how affiliate marketing’s strategic position demands a structured approach
London, 15 September, 2021 – Rakuten Advertising has launched A 5-Stage Blueprint for High-Performance Affiliate Marketing, designed to educate and inform both advertisers and publishers about the strategic role that the affiliate channel is now playing in marketing strategies.
The blueprint is based on input from members of the Rakuten Advertising International Collective (RAIC), comprised of affiliate marketing specialists from leading advertisers and publishers around the globe.
For advertisers, the blueprint demonstrates how different affiliate models can be combined to enable them to find and influence new customers throughout the customer journey, from discovery to conversion. For publishers, the blueprint offers guidance on how they can enhance, extend and further monetise their offering, building deeper relationships with existing advertisers and attracting new advertising partners.
Including insight from leading advertisers and publishers – including fashion retailer 24S, Microsoft, Reward, Beyond China, RetailMeNot and others – the blueprint offers practical insight into the integrated use of different affiliate models by brands of all types, across the entire customer journey.
Rakhee Jogia, Managing Director, International, Rakuten Advertising, said: “Our goal in creating RAIC, and bringing together some of the leading thinkers in the affiliate industry, was to unlock insights and best practice that would be of benefit to the broader marketing industry. The fact that the first global meetings of RAIC provided the basis for the blueprint has already proven its value.
“It was striking in the meetings how open and willing to share their own experiences advertisers and publishers are, and also how keen both are to work in close partnership to meet their respective commercial objectives. The blueprint really does demonstrate the steps to building a modern, high-performance affiliate marketing programme.”
Drawing on the experiences of advertisers and publishers in Europe, the US, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, the blueprint defines the key steps to building a high-performance affiliate programme aligned to commercial objectives:
- Stage 1: Aligning affiliate KPIs to business objectives
- Stage 2: Making the best use of the available data
- Stage 3: Aligning affiliate strategies to the customer journey and brand positioning
- Stage 4: Integrating existing and emerging affiliate models
- Stage 5: Analysing, learning, testing, optimising and proving
Stephen Gardner, Global Director of Retail Partnerships at bank customer engagement specialist Reward, commented: “The recent RAIC meetings have been a great way to connect with other publishers and advertisers from across the globe – the openness of the members made it a real learning experience for all of us. With the Blueprint consolidating much of the discussion into a practical guide for both publishers and advertisers, it feels like we’ve created an opportunity to share these insights with as broad an audience as possible. All boats rise with the tide, as they say, and promoting the strategic value of affiliate will benefit us all.”
“A 5-Stage Blueprint for High-Performance Affiliate Marketing” is now available to download here.
About Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising connects leading agencies, brands and publishers to active and engaged consumers around the world. With access to Rakuten’s diverse media properties and audiences, combined with an award-winning performance network and proprietary consumer research, Rakuten Advertising creates the right conditions to reach new customers and sustain long-lasting loyalty. Its foundation of advanced technology, data and strategic services positions Rakuten Advertising to offer a differentiated suite of marketing and advertising solutions, while constantly pushing the industry forward. It is a division of Rakuten Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading Internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, CA, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM and North America. Learn more at www.rakutenadvertising.com.
Press Contact
Chris Owen / Andree Latibeaudiere
The Hoffman Agency, Europe for Rakuten Advertising
RAEU@hoffman.com