Last week, Awin and ShareASale were thrilled to return to Affiliate Summit West and Creator Economy Live. It was amazing to witness the performance marketing industry has grown and developed over the last 12 months, and seeing thousands of advertisers, publishers, and agencies attend both events is a testament to the valuable resources and opportunities ASW and CEL afford their participants. For the Awin Group, these events offered equally high-caliber experiences and crucial opportunities to meet with partners face-to-face.
Unable to attend ASW and CEL? Here are our top takeaways from the events.
Debunking myths and spotlighting opportunities in affiliate marketing
Kicking off the Awin and ShareASale sessions across ASW, Awin Group COO David Lloyd was joined by Mike McNerney from Martech Record to debunk senior marketers’ misconceptions around affiliate marketing and uncover how they’re already realizing value in the channel.
Lingering questions about the reception of affiliate marketing among online brands were answered as David and Mike explored the threat posed by big tech platforms, advertiser’s concerns around compliance and data privacy, affiliate’s contribution to brand awareness, and more.
These insights were part of an exclusive sneak peek into a study Awin recently commissioned Forrester Consulting, which will be released on February 6. Sign up for your free copy here and be one of the first to receive the study once it’s available.
Staying ahead in this lightning-paced industry is non-negotiable
Next up, Awin and ShareASale’s Vice President Marketing, Lisa Chaikin joined five other women C-level affiliate marketing titans at All Inclusive Marketing, CJ, impact.com, Partnerize, and Rakuten Advertising for a discussion into the pivotal role affiliate marketing plays across the entire customer purchase journey.
The group deep-dived into the fusion of affiliate and influencer channels and unraveled the shifts redefining partnership marketing today. Further, Lisa and her fellow CMOs got candid about the impact of AI and cutting-edge technologies, before discussing why staying ahead is key (and, more importantly, how to do it).
Brand partnerships are worth the investment
Unlike the leading retail media networks, where there is a substantial cost of entry, Awin Group Partnership Development Lead Stephanie Appel sat down with representatives from Tyviso, Acceleration Partners, and impact.com to discuss why brand partnerships offer an opportunity to retailers of all shapes and sizes, thanks to their cost-effectiveness from employing a traditional pay-on-performance model.
Across 30 minutes, Stephanie offered insight into how Awin and ShareASale have been leading the charge in this space, before discussing some practical applications for brands that are both looking to be promoted (i.e. occupy that traditional advertiser role in the affiliate models) or be the promoter (take on the publisher function and generate an additional income stream).
Traditional customer touchpoints are not as effective
There are between six and 50 customer touchpoints leading up to a single sale, influencer marketing presents a huge new opportunity to fill a void where traditional touchpoints are not as effective.
Leading brands are integrating influencers and creator content in each stage of the funnel as well as using influencers to support other internal teams in their business.
Our Influencer Partnerships Lead Carissa Flinders joined a very talented panel to talk through how leveraging influencers for a holistic brand integration delivered more quality touchpoints.
If you missed us at this year’s Affiliate Summit West or Creator Economy Live, you can reach out to our team here. Congratulations to Clarion Events, the brains behind ASW and CEL, on a successful conference. We look forward to seeing our clients and partners again at other events throughout the year, including at Awin & ShareASale ThinkTank this April 29-30 in Chicago.
