Outperform: The Acceleration Partners Podcast

On this episode, Jon Claydon, founder and CEO of Streamline Marketing (an Acceleration Partners’ company) sheds light on this issue and explains what it’s likely to mean for advertisers and their affiliate marketing programs. Show Notes What “cookies” are/do and how they’ve historically been used in marketing. How cookies have been used in affiliate marketing specifically. Changes in the world of web browsers and mobile device operating systems that are impacting tracking cookies. Alternatives to third-party cookies if/when they go away. What affiliate marketing’s future might look like in a cookieless world. Consequences for marketing channels that still use cookies to profile and track people. To listen to more Outperform episodes, visit the Acceleration Partners podcast page: https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resources/podcast/

On this episode, we discuss how brands are using Trademark Bidding and Trademark Plus within their affiliate programs to help prevent competitors from bidding on their branded keywords in paid search campaigns. Show Notes What Trademark Bidding is in affiliate marketing. Why Trademark Bidding/Trademark Plus is unique to affiliate marketing. How brands are leveraging their affiliate partnerships to effectively run Trademark Plus campaign within their affiliate programs. The process Jenn and our affiliate program management team follow to customize Trademark Plus campaigns for clients. How Trademark Bidding / Trademark Plus campaigns are helping brands prevent competitors from bidding on their branded search terms. Links related to this episode Episode Transcription Quick Guide to Trademark Bidding (one-pager) [Case Study] Increasing Revenue and Brand Control with Trademark Plus Affiliate Partnerships

On this episode, Michelle Morgan, Director of Publisher Development at Acceleration Partners, shares insights into what the future holds for affiliate partnerships and why this evolution is so valuable to brands. Show Notes What the affiliate partnership landscape looked like in 2020 Learnings from how brands have and are partnering with affiliates Surprising partnership challenges and opportunities What’s likely to lie ahead in 2021 and beyond for affiliate marketing partnerships What brand-to-brand partnerships are and how companies are leveraging them within their affiliate programs   Listen to additional Outperform episodes on our podcast page! https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resources/podcast/

On this episode, Brianna Stetson, an Account Director at Acceleration Partners, answers some frequently asked questions about affiliate marketing, the key players that make up the affiliate model and how brands measure success within their affiliate programs. Show Notes: What affiliate marketing is and how it works What performance-based means in affiliate marketing What an affiliate partner is and what they do for brands Traditional and nontraditional affiliate partners How brands know what types of affiliates to partner with in their program What affiliate technology is and their role in affiliate marketing How affiliate links work Common affiliate marketing key performance indicators (KPIs) Differences between affiliate marketing and influencer marketing What actions brands pay affiliate partners on How brands use affiliate marketing to generate high-value leads Affiliate marketing terms and conditions and what those are

On this episode you’ll learn about a growing global expansion trend in affiliate marketing that many brands are embracing. Our guest, Kevin Osborne, Sr. Vice President of Client Strategy at Acceleration Partners, talks about what brands have shared with him about this global expansion trend and why he thinks it will likely increase in 2020 and beyond.

In this episode of Outperform, you’ll hear Purple Carrot’s Marketing Project Manager, Allison Rolish, share how the plant-based meal kit company grew their business before and during the global pandemic with the help of their affiliate partners, as well as what they did to effectively keep up with the increased demand for their subscription-based service. Show Notes: How Purple Carrot’s affiliate partners were helping the brand grow their awareness and meal kit service prior to COVID-19. How the documentary Game Changers impacted Purple Carrot’s business and how their affiliate partners used the film to promote Purple Carrot’s meal subscription service. What Purple Carrot experienced in March when COVID-19 became a household name around the world. What Purple Carrot and their affiliate program management team did to facilitate their significant month-over-month order increases and not overwhelm their delivery team. How Purple Carrot handled the rapid increase in new affiliates wanting to join their program.

On this episode, Lindsey Scerba, an Associate Director at Acceleration Partners, explains how brands are using the affiliate model to efficiently and cost-effectively test the performance of their other marketing channels, such as search and retargeting. 

A precarious issue is unfolding related to affiliates – specifically Amazon Associates—who are enthusiastically attempting to join brands’ affiliate programs right now. On this episode, Bob Glazer, Acceleration Partners’ founder and CEO and Scott Ginsberg, Vice President of Client Development at BrandCycle, share what’s happening between brands and these Amazon Associates who are looking for new brands to partner with.   Show Notes Who Amazon Associates are and what makes them such valuable partners. What’s happened recently to change the relationship between these associates/affiliates and Amazon – and why that’s a massive market share opportunity for brands. How brands are responding to this new partnership opportunity and why it’s confounding and frustrating partner marketing agencies (Acceleration Partners), affiliate networks, SaaS platforms, sub-affiliate networks and Amazon Associates (affiliates). The short- and long-term consequences brands are likely to experience by turning away affiliates from jo

In these challenging and uncertain times, we’re seeing some brands and technology platforms not treating affiliates with the respect or regard they deserve. On this episode, Acceleration Partners’ founder and CEO, Bob Glazer and Michelle Morgan, Acceleration Partners’ Director of Publisher Development, discuss what they are seeing right now between affiliates, the brands they partner with and the affiliate technology platforms who administer payments to those publishers. Show Notes: How payment changes made by brands and affiliate technology providers (affiliate networks and SaaS platforms) put affiliates at a higher risk, especially now in these challenging economic times. How some brands and affiliate technology providers are communicating to affiliates at this time and why it’s problematic in the short- and long-term. What brands and affiliate technology providers need to know and understand about how their decisions – and how they are communicating those decisions to affiliates – will have consequences

Our guest on this episode, Veronica Gauthier, Senior Director of Key Accounts at Acceleration Partners, explains why it’s so important for universities to be including the affiliate model in their marketing and business course curriculum and the value that will offer to students and the business industry as a whole. What MIT students wanted to know about affiliate marketing when Veronica was invited to teach a class on the model. How Acceleration Partners’ Affiliate 101 education initiative is designed to help improve the level of information universities provide to their marketing students on the affiliate model. Why it’s so essential for universities to include a robust section on the affiliate model to their students who are seeking a marketing and/or business degree.   Hear more Outperform episodes at https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resources/#podcast. 

Brands hire partner marketing agencies for a variety of reasons, but most all want the same thing—solid performance from their partner program. In this Outperform episode we discuss what’s needed for a strong client-agency relationship and what helps a partner marketing agency drive the best performance for a brand. Show Notes What a brand should do or communicate to their agency even before they become a client. How this information can result in better performance once they become a client. What a brand should clearly communicate after they become a client and why. What a partner marketing agency should be doing to offer the most value to their client. Real examples of how the how misalignment and miscommunication can negatively affect performance. Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/  

In this Outperform episode we discuss what the term “Partner Marketing” means to most brands, why and how the term is changing and what the future holds for this evolving marketing channel.  What is happening that’s shifting brands' perspectives on the term Partner Marketing. How the wants and needs of both brands and Performance Partners® are changing. Bob and Helen’s perspective on whether Partner Marketing is synonymous with Affiliate Marketing. How Partner Marketing is likely to evolve in the coming years and what that will look like. Challenges that could arise to slow the evolution of performance-based Partner Marketing. Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.  

Josh Lapidus, Manager of Paid Media Strategy and Performance Partnerships at Home Depot, joins us on Outperform to discuss how the concept of “partnerships” has evolved over the last few years and how brands like Home Depot are identifying new types of partnerships, testing campaigns with them and how these types of partners tend to differ from “traditional” affiliate relationships. Show Notes How the affiliate model has evolved over the past few years in terms of partnerships formats and compensation models. Home Depot’s perspective on affiliate marketing vs partner marketing. Why it’s so important for brands to dedicate time and effort to building quality relationships with partners. Tips for cultivating relationships with new types of partnerships, especially when doing so requires resources and support from other in-house teams. Internal and external challenges that can arise when expanding new types of partnerships. Why the potential of partner marketing is so high and what brands can and should be doin

In this episode we discuss loyalty partners and explore what they do, how they add value to brands and what makes these marketing partners unique. Show Notes What loyalty partners are and do. The types of brands that tend to work with loyalty partners. How leading brands are leveraging the user data provided by loyalty partners. Misconceptions around working with loyalty partners. What loyalty partners look for when determining whether to partner with a brand. Why it’s not a matter of if you work with loyalty partners but how.  Tune in to more Outperform podcast episodes at https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.

In this episode, we unpack what CPA means in the world of affiliate marketing and why affiliate partnerships typically result in one of the lowest CPA marketing options for brands. Show Notes: Why the cost per action compensation model is a key differentiator in affiliate marketing. Why affiliate programs tends to be a natural next step for younger brands that have been primarily leveraging paid social and paid search marketing to acquire clients and build brand recognition. What larger, more establish brands tend to want from their cost per action compensation structures. How CPA plays into how larger brands are testing campaigns and strategies with new partnerships as well as optimizing their existing partnerships. How a brand’s affiliate team worked with their public relations team to align their influencer marketing campaigns within the affiliate model and pay those influencers on a cost per action basis. What makes it possible for brands to know when a compensation-worthy action has been taken and refin

In this episode of Outperform we discuss return on ad spend (ROAS), its role within affiliate marketing and why affiliate’s CPA model tends to equate to a higher ROAS. Show Notes: Why ROAS has become more of a focus for brands in recent years. New partnerships brands are entering into via their affiliate program and how that’s impacting return on ad spend. Challenges some brands face when trying to increase their return on ad spend – in their general digital marketing and within their affiliate programs. Why ROAS is typically higher with affiliate marketing. Insights from a leading direct-to-consumer meal delivery company on why they’re moving the majority of their digital marketing budget to affiliate. ROAS misconceptions with affiliate marketing. Hear more affiliate marketing industry insights on our Outperform podcast at https://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/. 

In this episode of Outperform we discuss customer lifetime value in affiliate marketing and what brands -- especially those with subscription or reoccurring services -- need to do to effectively maximize that performance element in their affiliate programs. In this episode you'll learn: Why customer lifetime value has increased in importance for most brands. How understanding customer lifetime value helps brands get a better return on their ad spend. Types of partners brands can work with via their affiliate program to extend their customer lifetime value. What brands can do with all the customer lifetime value data they’ve acquired to reinforce and promote desired behaviors from the consumer via their affiliate program. Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at http://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.

On this episode of Outperform, Joelle Hargadine, Senior Account Manager at Acceleration Partners, shares her simple and insightful role categorizations for three different types of client contacts and what each role type needs to get the most out of their affiliate program management agency partnership. Show Notes What the three role categorizations are for different types of client contacts. The descriptions and characteristics of each of these three role category types. What each role category type needs to get the most out of their affiliate agency partnership. Why it’s so important for affiliate client contacts to self-identify what role category they fall into and communicate that to their affiliate agency partner. Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at http://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.

On this episode of Outperform, Acceleration Partners’ Senior Director of Performance Partnerships, Alison Chew, shares insider insights about: 3 teams within your company that can help attract new, high-value partners in your affiliate program. Specific examples of how these teams can do that.  How the affiliate marketing model plays in helping you grow, streamline and optimize these partnerships. Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at http://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.

Aron Ain is the chief executive officer of Kronos and author of WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work.   His book chronicles the Kronos employee engagement journey and imparts lessons Ain has learned for senior leaders, HR professionals, and people managers to turn employee engagement into a strategic weapon. Aron joined us on Outperform to discuss: What having an engaged workforce means and how that plays out day-to-day throughout Kronos. What “My Time” is and how it was implemented at Kronos. How to expand a happy and engaged work culture as you grow globally. What Aron sees as missing or lacking in workplaces today in terms of management and leadership and creating a place people really love to work. A management/leadership mistake Aron’s made that he’s learned the most from.