It's hard to put into words the rewarding afterglow that comes from attending live industry events, and I don't just say this because I work at PI LIVE or because I was a partial sponsor of Partnerize's Partnership Day.
It’s simply true that attending such events, especially if they’re as great as our recent Partnership Day, can be incredibly rewarding in many ways – at least, I’ve never had a bad experience at such an event.
Partnerize’s Partnership Day saw the team host a truly fantastic event, full of insight and enthusiasm, providing a much-needed boost during the doldrums of mid-year.
From the fascinating keynote speech by Flavilla Fongang to the enlightening brand panel and various problem-solving sessions held during the afternoon roundtables, attendees were left with a vast amount of knowledge.
Interestingly, there were some standout revelations and themes that caught our attention.
Longer interviews with speakers and attendees are referenced throughout this article, so stay tuned for the full conversations to be published on Hello Partner over the coming weeks.
The element of surprise
Flavilla Fonghanfounder of BLACK RISE, kicked off the day with a humorous and humane look into all things marketing and branding.
She outlined four key elements for effective marketing across all channels: innovation, delight, surprise and partnership. According to Fonghan, if you can deliver these to your customers, you'll be on the right path to success.
Exceeding customer expectations is also important to keep them coming back, she said, giving the example of how Five Guys adds extra fries to bags.
It may be a little easy to imagine how these strategies relate to traditional advertising, but what about affiliate and performance marketing?
We met with Von Gunn after the keynote speech and asked him this question.
“You see a lot of affiliate marketing on TikTok, but it's very subtle. Affiliate marketing really works when you see the results of someone using or experiencing the product. There are a lot of girls selling teas and protein shakes. You see them saying, 'My belly is flatter.' You think, I want this, I want this experience. It's about tapping into envy and lust. Instead of focusing on the actual affiliate marketing, focus on the end result.”
The last point is especially salient. In his keynote, Von Gan emphasized the centrality of product and experience. Marketing doesn’t end once a sale is made or a commission is received. As long as affiliates and advertisers ensure their customers’ experience is still outstanding, rear If a customer purchases something (a great product, a valid coupon, or the best deal), this could be the most powerful marketing tool available to them.
This fosters brand loyalty, word-of-mouth recommendations, and trust in your affiliate channel, making it a valuable resource for any publisher or advertiser.
Leveraging partnerships for global expansion
CMO of THG Adam Nappy A conversation with Partnerize co-founders Shawn Sewell For a fun fireside chat.
During the session, Nappy shared many valuable pieces of wisdom, but one idea that particularly stood out to me was around leveraging partnerships to enter new markets.
“Many companies overlook the value of partnerships when expanding globally,” he says. “Investing in TV and paid media in new regions can be prohibitively expensive. Affiliates are an affordable way to enter new markets.”
Why? As you know, affiliate marketing works on a performance basis and is a proven strategy when it comes to digging down to the cent. But it also harnesses the power of local talent. Partnering with local, specialized publishers not only helps with bottom-funnel sales, it also helps drive brand awareness at the top of the funnel, putting your brand in front of new audiences.
“A big part of our success has been partnering early on with the right audiences and audience owners in multiple different markets,” Nappy said.
He adds that the best way to approach partners is to help them solve their problems. If you can identify their pain points and find ways to meet their needs, a partnership will naturally blossom for both parties, leading to greater benefits in the long run. “Give before you think about receiving,” he sums up. “This is fundamental if you're thinking about international expansion.”
A real funnel refresh
Similar themes were covered on the affiliate brand panel, which featured guest speakers from MandM Direct, Harvey Nichols, GoCity and LoveHolidays.
Speakers discussed how brands are leveraging affiliates for top-of-funnel activities, such as content partners that can be leveraged for acquisition and ROAS is not the only priority.
Makeda SeatonAn affiliate executive at LoveHolidays, she explained that their business used to be performance-driven but has now become brand-driven, but they still see a lot of value in the affiliate channel. She says that closed user groups are particularly effective in this area. Phil TwiggThe head of digital at MandM Direct said the company is using cashback to retain customers.
We hear a lot about how affiliates are moving further up the funnel, but it was interesting to hear directly from the people involved how brands are using affiliates in different ways. It raised the question of whether it's possible or advisable for a brand to base their entire marketing efforts on affiliates. It seems like a great option for small businesses and startups.
Tracking remains one of the industry's biggest challenges
In the afternoon, TopCashback James Little We hosted a great roundtable on affiliate tracking. Similar roundtables Late last year Moonpull hosted a conference with many of the UK's biggest publishers, which was also attended by advertisers, so it's encouraging to see such conferences continuing. Tracking is a little-known and somewhat confusing aspect of affiliate marketing. It's explained in arcane jargon, and it's easy to throw up your hands and not want to get involved. But tracking is arguably the foundation of this whole industry.
As Little succinctly puts it, affiliates drive traffic and sales to advertisers and get paid for it. The link between the affiliate referral and the action is tracking. Without tracking, the affiliate doesn't get their commission and in some cases (such as in the case of cashback) the intended action doesn't work for the consumer.
With the great people at Moonpull and APMA Kevin EdwardsLittle has been working on affiliate tracking for some time now. Partnership Day is the first of its kind for Edwards, Little and Moonple. Stephen Brown To find out more about the developments and future of this issue.
We had a long and meaningful conversation that will be published on Hello Partner soon. For now, you can watch Little and Brown discuss whose responsibility it is to solve the affiliate tracking problem:
as a whole
We had a great time at Partnerize's Partnership Day. We came away with lots of notes and ideas. Thank you to Partnerize for inviting us and to everyone who attended the sponsored drinks reception, we hope you enjoyed it! See you at our next event!
