For some, the term "affiliate marketing" can connote images of relentless cashback promotions and endless voucher codes, sparking a very poor reaction. Yet this is not how affiliate marketing began, the word affiliate traces back to the late 1980s when William J. Tobin, the founder of PC Flowers & Gifts, established the first recognised affiliate program on the Prodigy Network. His initial model was simple yet revolutionary, setting the stage for an industry that would evolve at the pace of the internet itself.
As digital landscapes grew throughout the 1990s, so did affiliate marketing. Amazon’s Associate Program, launched in 1996, brought a spotlight on the strategy, offering website owners a chance to earn commissions by promoting books. This expanded into various sectors, promoting mutual benefits for advertisers and affiliates. However, the rapid growth of affiliate marketing soon outstripped the regulations in place, leading to practices that many would deem questionable. The early 2000s, often likened to the "Wild West," were marked by a lack of oversight that allowed deceptive advertising, spamming, and other underhand tactics to flourish, marring the sector’s reputation.
Today, despite a successful movement towards transparency and ethical practice, the memory of these early errors remains. For many, the word "affiliate" still evokes thoughts of a world of aggressive discounting, spamming, and last-ditch clickbait, overshadowing the strategic and creative potential that affiliate marketing can offer and originated with.
What does the future look like?
Modern tracking allows us to have better transparency, accuracy and control. We’re also able to reward partners in a diverse range of formats. With supporting tech like Publisher Discovery and Impact.com we can now see new opportunities that would otherwise not have been manageable at scale. Here’s a look at some of the new models we’ve been focusing on with our clients over the last few years.
More content please: Content-rich websites are another type of affiliate partnership. From detailed product reviews to niche advice columns, these platforms attract audiences seeking in-depth information. They are ideal for higher-consideration products. By affiliating with these content sites, businesses can position their products within content that helps consumers make informed decisions, therefore driving traffic and sales through informed consent rather than impulsive discounts.
Accessibility & reward: Reward and cashback sites can be used to promote good news messages for the brand. Sites like NHS Blue Light card, Discount for Teachers, Discount for Carers and Defense Discount Services promote helping key workers, which is a positive image for the brand. These good news messages can be promoted across your website and social media providing awareness to the brand also. These are also all closed user groups, meaning that there is less chance of code leakage, and the discounts are only available to small groups of people, rather than the wider public. Sites like the above are middle-of-funnel affiliates. This is as, people might not be looking for a specific brand or product, but they are researching the awards that are available to their community.
Influencers are everywhere: Anyone with a large online following can be an affiliate, particularly influencers. By partnering with influencers whose brand values align with theirs, businesses can tap into this trust, driving sales through authentic and relatable content. Whether through Instagram stories, YouTube videos, or TikTok clips, influencers can seamlessly integrate product mentions and reviews, providing a human touch to affiliate promotions.
Partnerships: Partnerships are another type of affiliate that can be overlooked. Brand partnerships with the likes of airline, mobile and network companies allow brands to access their pool of consumers. This can all be tracked through affiliate networks and paid on a CPA meaning there is no risk of investing in unsuccessful partnerships. This can be a pre-existing partnership that is tracked through affiliate networks but paid for on a retainer basis. Without CPA payments it is still useful to track the effectiveness of partnership campaigns.
CPC partner types: Another type of affiliate partnership are CPC partnerships. This is a similar model to the one above, yet payment is per click, and they can still be tracked through affiliate networks. Linkby is a platform that creates content partnerships on a CPC. They allow for brands to select content publishers and pay for the content on clicks. Affiliate networks can be plugged into Linkby to see how many sales are generated, allowing brands to track this back to a CPA. This is an easy way to gain PR for your brand, without PR Agency retainers.
Let’s get physical: Physical location partners can also work as affiliates. An example of this is dog walkers and vets handing out leaflets to their customers for dog food. This can be tracked via a QR code or link that the customer will enter in their browser and can be used across verticals. Hairdressers and car garages are other examples of professions that can become affiliates through this method. The QR code or link will then link to your affiliate and track sales.
Media Buyers: Media buyers can act as affiliates by earning commissions on campaigns they are running. This can be done by promoting certain products and services on a CPA, meaning that they are only paid when a consumer purchases rather than on a retainer model. This is an innovative way to run campaigns more cost-effectively.
Tech Partners: Many types of tech partners can act as affiliates, for example, having cart abandonment technology paid on a CPA means that you only pay for the technology present on-site when a sale occurs. Many types of technology can be used this way, from customer service assistants to page abandonment software. This is a cost-effective way of utilising additional tech on the website, but only paying when a consumer purchases.
By broadening the definition of an affiliate, businesses can create strong, comprehensive campaigns that attract diverse consumers. This approach not only aligns with current shopping trends but also sets the stage for more sustainable growth and brand loyalty in the long term. To keep up, brands need to rethink how they operate and embrace this change in thinking towards affiliates. This means being open to new ideas and making sure their affiliate partnerships stay both successful and sustainable.
So, should “affiliate” still be a controversial word?
Affiliate marketing used to mean aggressive discounts and spam, hurting its reputation. But today, the industry is more transparent and ethical.
With better tracking, flexible rewards, and partnerships with influencers, content sites, and even physical partners, affiliate marketing has evolved. By aligning with brand values and using new technology, brands can build strong, effective, incremental programs.
This modern approach matches shopping trends and boosts brand loyalty, proving that "affiliate" no longer deserves a bad name.
Find out how to unlock these new school partnerships here.
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