Case Studies

Rakuten Advertising & stylink

Conquering new markets to drive growth

The Results

The stylink team leveraged Rakuten Advertising’s global footprint to expand into new markets and increase affiliate partnerships with the world’s leading brands. Since 2020, stylink has seen exponential growth across the Rakuten Advertising affiliate network:

+950% Increase in brand partnerships
+800% Growth in commissions
+1,020% Increase in orders
+920% Lift in clicks
+120% Growth in network sales

A true partnership with stellar account management, insights, strategies, and a roster of global events from the Rakuten team has facilitated stylink’s successful expansion into Australia, Benelux, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

About the Brand

stylink is one of Europe’s largest fully managed influencer platforms for creators and brands. With a strong community of influencers and YouTubers, they connect creators with well-known online brands.

stylink empowers micro-influencers to create and share affiliate links to endorse their favorite brands and products. Through their campaigns, stylink helps brands to strategically achieve their goals with precision.

The Story

Rakuten Advertising has been an important part of the stylink journey from early on. When the team expanded its global footprint, it turned to Rakuten Advertising for world-class support. stylink wanted to offer the world’s best brands access to:

An ‘always on’ partnership, enabling their influencer community to promote their favorite brands and products.
Provide a wide range of campaigns that increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost sales through their global influencer community of more than 180k creators.

The Rakuten Advertising Solution

Rakuten Advertising helped the stylink team establish connections with brands seeking to engage with micro-influencers through the affiliate channel. The Rakuten team streamlined client relationships, creating new opportunities for collaboration. The pre-evaluation of the brand’s needs helped establish relationships at a good pace, negotiate CPOs, pitch campaign ideas, and optimize performance.

The team also provides stylink with network and market insights, including an overview of local shopping behaviors and trends, relevant programs, and new partnership opportunities. stylink has a dedicated Rakuten account manager in each region that provides in-depth support and facilitates relationships with local brands.

Additionally, Rakuten Advertising has provided a plethora of opportunities for stylink to build awareness in new and existing markets through:

In-office spotlights and planning sessions with client service teams

Branding and networking at hosted events like DealMaker Europe, the US, and Australia

Speaking opportunities at hosted and industry events

Co-marketing opportunities such as blogs, newsletters and thought-leadership

Finally, stylink is a founding member of the Rakuten Advertising International Collective (RAIC). RAIC allows partners to network with other publishers and brands, discussing challenges and effecting change within the affiliate marketing industry.

We’ve built strong, long-lasting relationships with our wonderful Rakuten team over the years. As a company, we truly feel supported by Rakuten Advertising and appreciate the transparent, prompt communication. The ease of establishing contact and connecting with the biggest brands in the world, along with their global reach, has made Rakuten Advertising essential to our success.

Michael Elschenbroich
CEO