After months of behind the scenes planning and tinkering, finally we can announce that our brand new publication Hello Partner is live!

Hello Partner is your helping hand for building profitable partnerships. As the industry continues to grow and evolve, we aim to provide you with the essential hub for navigating the interconnecting worlds of performance marketing, affiliate marketing, influencer marketing and the creator economy.

These four categories will form the basis for all of our content, which will consist of even more juicy deep dives, insightful interviews with industry leaders, and breaking news. You can also look forward to new features, such as our ‘Movers and Shakers’ revamp ‘The Top Line’, which will focus more on new and exciting job positions, as well as key partnerships.

Our live events are all about connecting the industry and strengthening the sense of community across channels, and Hello Partner will function as a digital extension of this space. There will be more opportunity to voice your thoughts, opinions, and questions about the industry via features like ‘Overheard in the Partnerships Lounge’, where members of our Guild group can make submissions.

You can also look forward to more webinars, reports, podcasts, and round tables.

Explore our membership tiers to get the best experience possible out of Hello Partner. Paid members will receive access to not only the best content but also upcoming business intelligence reports, recorded sessions from PI LIVE and the Influencer Marketing Show, our exclusive networking event, and much more. Members also receive access to recorded speaker sessions from PI LIVE and the Influencer Marketing Show.

Sign up to our new newsletter for all the best content of the week, as well as the new section ‘Partnership of the Week’, keeping you up to date with trailblazing partnerships. Paid members will also receive three exclusive features in their newsletter: ‘Top Tip for Next Week’, ‘Top Three LinkedIn Posts of the Week’, and an agony aunt-style section titled ‘What’s Your Problem?’

To be clear, this isn’t the complete end of PerformanceIN. The site will remain active, and will evolve in the coming months. Keep watching this space, as there are exciting plans in the pipeline. But to keep up to date with the latest news and features, head over to Hello Partner.

So, come join us on this exciting new publication, and sign up to Hello Partner now!

The post Goodbye PerformanceIN, Hello Partner appeared first on PerformanceIN.

The acquisition comes on the heels of Incubeta’s recent big win at the Global Performance Marketing Awards, where the team took home the trophy for Best Performance Marketing Agency. Judges’ comments commended the “powerhouse” agency of over 800 employees for “supporting employees across all factors, driving business growth and maintaining client relationships.”   

The Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (“CETP”) platform will support Incubeta in accelerating its international growth plan through the development of its existing suite of services and acquisitions, as well as investing in the company’s commercial operations and proprietary technology. CETP has extensive experience in scaling technology and marketing services businesses through its partnerships with leaders in their respective markets, including companies such as DEPT, Work & Co, The Mill, and HSO.

Lars Lehne, CEO of Incubeta, said:

“We are very proud of the significant growth that Incubeta has achieved, having completed five acquisitions over the past two years and becoming a key partner in the Google ecosystem. We strongly believe Carlyle is the perfect partner as we take the next step in our growth journey, given its global presence, deep understanding of our sector, and extensive experience in scaling technology and marketing services businesses.”

Andrew Tan, Director in the CETP investment advisory team, said:

“Incubeta has all the hallmarks we look for in our investments – exposure to a market benefiting from strong tailwinds, partnership with an experienced and driven management team, and multiple levers for growth, including international expansion and service line extension. We look forward to partnering with Incubeta’s management team under the leadership of CEO Lars Lehne to help accelerate the next phase of the company’s growth as it seeks to become the leading global partner of choice in the fast-growing GMP ecosystem.”

The post Global Investment Firm Carlyle to Acquire International Marketing Agency Incubeta appeared first on PerformanceIN.

With a focus on Central and Eastern Europe, VIVnetworks helps e-commerce brands scale their performance marketing efforts and unlock growth in the regional market, as well as globally. The agency currently possesses a client portfolio of 900 merchants across 27 countries.

The integration of VIVnetworks with CJ will open up new opportunities for global brands and publishers to activate and grow within Central and Eastern European markets whilst also supporting those within the region to expand internationally.

VIVnetworks will be integrated into CJ’s continental European offering and operate under the leadership of Tobias Allgeyer, Senior Vice President EMEA, based in Munich. VIVnetworks’ founders, Vladan Hejnic, CEO, and Robert Studený, COO will join CJ’s executive management for Central and Eastern Europe.

Mayuresh Kshetramade, CEO at CJ, says of the acquisition:

“A decade ago, CJ started partnering with VIVnetworks to harness the agency’s vast expertise in affiliate marketing within Central and Eastern Europe. I’m pleased to say that continues to be a huge success. VIVnetworks have not only operated and developed expertise in the region, they’ve matured the affiliate industry. Now, under CJ’s unified umbrella, VIVnetworks and CJ will fully combine to help our clients—advertisers, publishers, and agencies—win in commerce with unparalleled regional and global performance marketing expertise supported by our internationally renowned capabilities in data, technology, and partnerships.”

Vladan Hejnic, Founder and CEO at VIVnetworks, comments:

“The integration of VIVnetworks within CJ marks a merging of expertise. CJ is a global performance network and technology platform with local expertise worldwide. By joining CJ, the VIVnetworks team will enhance that expertise, becoming a core strength in Central and Eastern Europe to benefit VIV, CJ, and Publicis Groupe’s global clients. In addition to CJ’s ability to offer our advertising brands action-based insight on trends, best practices, and local-level knowledge around the world, our brands will gain greater access to Publicis Groupe’s commerce transformation through CJ’s expert teams—data science, product, engineering, publisher development, and fraud prevention to name a few.”

We look forward to seeing how this acquisition will benefit clients of both companies.

The post Publicis Groupe Announces Acquisition of VIVnetworks – To Be Integrated with Performance Platform CJ appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Facebook founder, Zuckerberg, informed executives in a meeting yesterday (Tuesday 8th November) that since Meta has lost two-thirds of its share value, it is unfortunately necessary to make this intense cut. 

Meta isn’t the only tech platform that has cut its number of employees heavily over the recent months, as just this week, we saw the news break that Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, will be cutting the platform’s 7,500-strong workforce due to a warning of a massive drop in revenue. 

In September, subscription platform Patreon laid off 17% of its staff ahead of the anticipated recession, and online homeware retailer, MADE has also been top of conversation as it enters administration, putting at least 500 jobs at risk. 

This response, which is extremely unfortunate and disappointing for those directly affected, is a direct response to a decline in growth for these platforms, contrary to the growth and attraction they gained during the pandemic. 

The partnership marketing space hasn’t fallen under the radar during this influx of employment cuts. This summer, we covered the news that major partnership marketing agency and tech platform, impact.com, would be laying off 10% of its workforce. 

David A. Yovanno, CEO, and Per Pettersen, Co-Founder of impact.com were very honest about the fact that earlier this year the impact.com leadership team set aggressive hiring and growth targets, to achieve exponential scaling of the company.

In hindsight, it seems the decision made to significantly increase investment in hiring was ‘the wrong choice’, as, in David’s words, they “could not have predicted the full effect of the macroeconomic conditions we are all experiencing right now.”

With even the world’s largest tech companies being affected by the current state of the economy, it seems as though job security is far from guaranteed.

The post Meta Follows Suit as the Latest Tech Platform to Slash its Workforce appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Matthew Wood, Founder of the awards, gives advice: “The vibrancy and atmosphere at this year’s awards were one of the best I’ve seen – the incredible teamwork mostly during the pandemic was rightfully celebrated and rewarded. For next year, we have refined many of the categories and added new ones to the mix. The entry deadline is fast approaching so now is the time to get heads together, speak to your team and clients and put your best foot forward!”

Celebrate at Grosvenor House

We’ll be gathering once again at the glorious Grosvenor House venue for an elating evening of networking, dinner, and awards. You can look forward to being back surrounded by your peers, celebrating all the hard work and efforts that have gone into making this channel so effective and durable.

Study the entry kit for steps-to-enter, judge’s advice, mistakes-to-avoid and more.

Save the Dates!

• Earlybird Entry Deadline – 25/01/2023
• Regular Entry Deadline – 01/02/2023
• Last Chance Entry Deadline – 15/02/2023
• Shortlist Announced – 06/04/2023
• The Awards – 11/05/2023

For full details of the entry criteria, categories and deadlines download the entry kit.

The post Performance Marketing Awards 2023: Entry Kit Ready For The Performance Industry’s Oscars appeared first on PerformanceIN.

We adhere to the mantra of helping you ‘Build Profitable Partnerships’, which is why for the first time, PI LIVE Miami will kick off on Sunday with some fun networking activities to set you up for the conference. Influencer marketers, you don’t have to miss out either, as the event will close with an Influencer Marketing Show takeover, giving you a taste of what’s to come at IMS NYC later in 2023… 

To ensure that no one has to miss out on the chance to connect with changemakers, e-commerce-led brands, creators, and publishers at PI LIVE Miami, tickets are now available at a super early bird price, in limited quantities, to allow you to save your dollars ahead of the fast-approaching holiday season! 

Tickets will then be rolled out as follows… 

If you’re with a retailer, you may qualify for a complimentary ticket to PI LIVE Miami. Be sure to check our eligibility criteria.

Will you be joining us in The Magic City? If so, we look forward to seeing you at the Hyatt Regency from April 2-4 2023.

The post Join Us in The Magic City – Secure Your #PILIVEMIAMI23 Tickets appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Now fully settled into the event, it was great to see so many conversations taking place across the Networking Village, impact.com’s Prosecco Lounge, Webgains’ Sports Bar, and for those wanting a quiet space to finalise those all-important deals, the Nookery Zone was the hot spot.

Myself and fellow journalist, Sol Wilkinson, were busy throughout the day conducting interviews with speakers and attendees. It was great to be able to sit down with speakers after their sessions to dig a little deep into the insight they hoped attendees would gain. We also did some digging and asked about trends and predictions for 2023. Keep your eyes peeled, as we will be reporting these findings on our brand new publication, Hello Partner, in the coming weeks.

Some of the sessions you missed

Influencers, Live Shopping & Social Commerce: Affiliate is the Ultimate Conversion Tactic
As we become more privy to the convergence between influencer, affiliate, and performance marketing, and with 74% of shoppers making buying decisions based on social recommendations and this kind of behaviour is not to be ignored, the discussions that took place during this panel were a real sign of the times.

If influencer marketing is something that piques your interest, our sister event, the Influencer Marketing Show, will be hosted at Old Billingsgate tomorrow – and it’s not too late to grab a ticket!

Until then, here are some of the top learnings from the session: 

• If you’re considering implementing influencer marketing into your social shopping strategy, do it! But make sure you track each and every process, don’t wait until the end of the campaign to draw your reports. 
• When looking at influencers to partner with, don’t automatically go for the macros with millions of followers. Mid-tier and micro influencers who target niche areas are often going to drive the best results and engagement. 
• There are risks when working with humans rather than technology, you can’t treat an influencer like a billboard. But to ensure that you achieve what you want to achieve by allowing the influencer a sense of freedom, make sure those contracts are in place at the beginning, and thoroughly understood. 

Fireside Chat with Boohoo: The Value of Unlocking the App for Affiliates

The majority of affiliate campaigns continue to drive users to mobile websites, rather than apps, where the user experience is limited, engagement is poor, and conversion rates aren’t what they could be. Edith Batchelor, Senior Affiliate and Partnerships Manager at Boohoo, shared how the fast fashion brand worked with Branch to “unlock the app” for affiliates in order to properly track and credit app conversions, and turn their app into one of their highest-performing channels. 

Some of the key takeaways from the session included:

• Apps can benefit different brands in different ways. An e-commerce brand like Boohoo may make an app that has the same functionality as its website but with a more seamless process to conversion, whereas a fintech brand may develop an app as a companion to its web platform. 
• Excellent tracking is essential to nail when developing an app for your brand. When you can rave about your app’s tracking capabilities to your affiliates, this is what will keep them coming back. 
• If there is a tech provider that can train and advise you to develop the best app possible, take all the help and advice you can get!

Lessons from 2008: What’s Next for the Recession-Era Affiliate Marketing Industry

Each year, PI LIVE is the ultimate hub for forward-thinking and discussions about the industry’s future. In order to future-proof your strategies, sometimes it’s helpful to look back in time. In this panel featuring professionals brimming with knowledge, we took a look at how we can apply lessons from 2008’s rescission to the current economic climate.

I was able to grab speaker Ben Helyar, from NetRev after the panel to dig a little deeper into the learnings, so stay tuned for our interview. If you can’t wait until then, here are some of the session key takeaways: 

• We can expect to see an emphasis on the ‘lipstick effect’ as the recession looms. Consumers will still want to treat themselves to luxuries, but instead of investing in a Chanel bag, for example, they may instead go for a Chanel lipstick. So brands, make sure it’s the lipstick that you’re promoting.
• Even though it may seem like the most natural reaction to a decline in the economy, what you SHOULDN’T do is cut your investment in marketing. Those that keep on investing during testing times are those who remain strong and achieve lifelong brand value. 
• Making sure that you’re aware of, and present on review sites will encourage consumers to trust your brand. Just be sure that you have a plan in place to avoid fake reviews and bots.

Join us in Miami

PI LIVE London may be over, but open your diary and grab a pen, as we will be headed to the US for the first edition of PI LIVE Miami in Q1 next year! The show will take place from 2nd-4th April 2023, with the US Partnership Awards ceremony taking place post-show on the 3rd (you can now explore the entry kit to get ahead of the game).  

If you can’t wait until then, we would love for you to join us tomorrow at the Influencer Marketing Show, where there will be not two, but THREE stages with content covering all things influencer marketing and creator economy. 

Influencers and brands being our top two demographics in attendance, so you’ll be sure to find heaps of potential partners and countless opportunities to forge new relationships and nurture existing ones.

PI LIVE London attendees are entitled to a 15% discount on IMS London tickets, just use the code PI LIVE at checkout.

The post Here’s What You Missed at PI LIVE London Day Two appeared first on PerformanceIN.

As well as a great selection of keynotes, fireside chats, and panel sessions covering the two stages, the networking opportunities were, as always, a great highlight of the day. DJ Viv May was spinning tunes during lunchtime on the terrace, and post-show as attendees grouped together with their peers to share a happy hour drink pre-party at Proud Embankment. 

Brand new for this year is the Partnership Lounge – an exclusive space dedicated to hosting meetings that will strengthen profitable partnerships. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the lounge today, swing by tomorrow to access private tables and seating along with drinks and refreshments. Be sure to schedule your meetings for tomorrow using the Event Hub to get all of those all-important conversations solidified. 

Some of the sessions you missed

Brand-to-Brand Partnerships: The Ultimate Convergence of Brand and Performance

Panellists from brand, agency, tech, and publisher sides took to the pyramid stage to discuss the ever-growing ability to combine brand-building and consumer trust-lending, with trackable ROI. Brand-to-brand partnerships are no longer the new kid on the block!

Some of the stand-out takeaways included:

• Collaborative content created as a part of your partnership can be utilised across multiple channels to drive ROI long-term. 
• Tech has come a long way in regard to aiding brand-to-brand partnerships, but the desire for a human element will always be there.
• Large brands shouldn’t rule out partnerships with smaller brands. Smaller brands often have niche audiences that can drive better results.

AT YOUR OWN RISK! 30 Mins Inside the Mind of an Integrated Creative

Jo Arscott, an Awarding-winning Creative Director who has worked with global retailers including Coca-Cola, P&G, and Walmart, fuelled attendees’ minds pre-lunchtime. In her keynote, she opened the audience’s minds to how stepping away from the data, forecasts, research, and just being yourself, can bring surprising business opportunities, ideas and results.

Jo put a heavy focus on how technology doesn’t have to be a hindrance to the creative mind, but the power of humanity cannot be underestimated. She said, “The fact is, digital data runs the world, but imagination does too, and the two have to work together.”

State of the Industry: 2022 Affiliate and Partner Marketing Trends

How do advertisers and agencies feel about the affiliate and partner marketing channel? The IAB conducted an insightful report about the current state of the affiliate marketing industry and presented the results today at PI LIVE. Some of the key learnings that really stood out were that:

• The most popular choice of affiliate model to grow revenue over the next year amongst survey participants is editorial/content, closely followed by influencers.
• The main reservation participants said they have when investing further into the affiliate channel is the lack of publisher diversity.
• Survey participants believe that during the cost of living crisis, the affiliate marketing channel will be significantly more important and valuable than it was previously.

Day two of PI LIVE London kicks off tomorrow with breakfast and coffee at 8am (much needed after tonight’s after-party!) leading into another day of not-to-miss sessions featuring speakers from Boots UK, TikTok, Buzzfeed, and many many more huge names…

The post Here’s What You Missed at PI LIVE London Day One appeared first on PerformanceIN.

The partnership has generated a “new industry standard platform” that will provide advertisers with accurate results by measuring individual consumers’ journeys to purchase. A selective group of TV viewers, representative of the UK population, will be incentivised to download ViewersLogic’s state-of-the-art panel-based app, which will then track individuals’ journeys from viewing ad to purchase. 

The app collects relevant data from user activity across “linear TV, mobile and tablets, as well as geographical location and offline purchases.” Brands can then use this data to accurately measure the uplift in their KPIs that have come about as a result of a TV campaign. 

This in turn allows brands to compare the performance of current campaigns with past ones, as well as those of their competitors.

The platform will initially be offered to selected clients who advertise on Channel 4.

Ewan Douglas, Head of Sales & Business Development at Channel 4, said he feels “incredibly proud” of the partnership’s developments, and believes the platform will “transform how the market can attribute the success of a TV campaign.” Douglas also commented that whilst the platform is currently exclusive to Channel 4 advertisers, he hopes to see the technology eventually spread throughout the sector.

Hassan Khan, VP Sales at ViewersLogic, states that the platform will be “driving the future of linear TV advertising”, as advertisers can “finally” be provided with an “accurate understanding of the actual effectiveness of their TV campaigns.”

The post New Channel 4 Partnership Provides Improved Performance Tracking for Advertisers appeared first on PerformanceIN.

The group’s new offer type – Green Offers – is powered by a partnership with environmental organisation Ecologi, which has offset over 2.2 million tonnes of CO2e by supporting reforestation projects in countries like Madagascar, Mozambique and Uganda.  

In a typical campaign, brands will pledge to plant ten mangrove trees in return for the customer completing their purchase. Green Offers are delivered by RevLifter’s RevConvert technology, which uses real-time signals like the customer’s exit intent, their current spend, and cart contents, to inform the delivery of personalised incentives through native overlays. 

RevLifter believes Green Offers can help to close the ‘intention-action gap’ that prevents the majority of customers from making positive contributions to the environment. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that 65% of shoppers want to buy from purpose-driven brands with strong sustainability credentials, but only 26% find a way to do so. 

Simon Bird, RevLifter’s Co-Founder and CEO, says: “As RevLifter is the link between the brand and the consumer, we knew we could devise something that helped each side bring positive change to the world. 

“Green Offers provide a way for the consumer to turn everyday actions into something that has a measurable impact on the planet. On the retailer’s side, it’s an opportunity to facilitate that contribution, but also drive sales through a totally discount-free method, and resonate with audiences that value more than just price.” 

PerformanceIN spoke to Simon to understand more about Green Offers and what they can do.

How exactly do green offers work?

Green Offers is RevLifter’s way of helping e-commerce brands drive more sales while making a positive impact on the environment. 

In a typical scenario, a brand will use our RevConvert technology to display a Green Offer via a native overlay. Most retailers pledge to plant ten trees in exchange for a sale (e.g. ‘Buy now and we’ll plant ten trees in your name’), but customers can also be rewarded for increasing their spend, subscribing to a mailing list, or another brand goal. 

Once the customer redeems the offer, the baton is handed over to RevLifter’s sustainability partner Ecologi to action the tree-planting process. This involves making a contribution to a reforestation project to deliver on the original pledge. Meanwhile, the consumer is made aware of their contribution through a link to the brand’s very own ‘virtual forest’, where they can see their trees the moment a purchase is made.

Obviously, we think Green Offers are a positive move in the long term, but they’re also an ideal consideration for brands that want to become greener while making the necessary changes to their supply chains and packaging. It shows an instant intent to the customer and something they can implement right away. 

Why is this something that is important to RevLifter?

Like most companies, we felt that it was important to reevaluate our own impact on the environment to see whether we could become more sustainable. We were already looking into ways of reducing our carbon footprint before the discussion turned to creating positive change through our day-to-day actions. 

The seeds for Green Offers were sown after one of Team RevLifter pointed to a study from Harvard Business Review, stating that 65% of consumers want to shop with green-minded brands but only 26% find a way to do so. As RevLifter is the connection between brands and consumers, we felt it was important to make better use of this position. We wanted to do more for the planet while giving brands and consumers the chance to do the same, all through a simple action. 

How do you expect consumers will react to Green Offers versus a regular discount?

It’s an interesting scenario and one we’re currently testing. Among a certain segment of shoppers, a Green Offer might be even more effective than a conventional offer. Research shows that two-thirds of consumers will pay more for sustainable products. We expect Green Offers to resonate highly with this audience. 

It’s also worth noting that Green Offers tend to be well-received by brands that aren’t looking to discount – either due to brand policy or to safeguard their margin. It means there isn’t always a decision to be made regarding whether to run a ‘10% off’ or a Green Offer. Pledging to plant trees is a great way to drive a full-price sale.

Why did you choose to partner with Ecologi?

When assessing our options for sustainability partners, one of the biggest factors was the scale required to power Green Offers. Ecologi has already planted over 39 million trees through its partnerships with over 12,000 companies, equating to 2.2 million tonnes of CO2e. We want brands to be ambitious when setting their tree-planting goals and Ecologi definitely has the operation to support this.   

We also placed great focus on transparency and measurability – two qualities that are absolutely vital for any sustainability initiative. Ecologi only purchases carbon credits from the most reputable standards, such as Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard. We also learned about its locations, land ownership, and biodiversity policies, which are essential for responsible reforestation.

As for measurement, there was a requirement to show the consumer’s impact in real time. Thanks to Ecologi, when someone redeems a Green Offer they can see their contribution within the brand’s very own virtual forest. 

What has the reaction from brands been like so far? Can you give us an example of a positive outcome?

It’s early days but the reception has been as expected – that is, incredible! So many of our brands either had ambitions for a system like Green Offers or had experimented with something on a smaller scale. They all have plans to become more sustainable and reforestation is a great addition to their roadmap.

One of the first users is a major insurance brand, which has launched Green Offers as part of a campaign to drive app downloads and engagement. We can’t wait to share the case study, as the early results show the impact of being able to incentivise in a totally different way. 

What is RevLifter as a company doing to become more sustainable?

While brands launch their first Green Offers, RevLifter will be working hard to bring down our own carbon footprint after gaining the Planet Mark Certification. This is an internationally recognised accreditation used by businesses like ours to report their carbon footprint and demonstrate continuous progress. We’ll be looking to reduce our footprint year on year while keeping the wide industry updated on all the tree-planting goals of our brands. To stay in the loop, be sure to follow RevLifter on Linkedin and sign-up to our newsletter.

While that’s happening, our team will also be working on the next offer type for driving conversions. We’re always keen to hear from brands that want to try new things in order to incentivise in a smarter way. If you’ve got a specific challenge in mind, get in touch.

The post RevLifter Looks to Reduce Carbon Emissions by Launching Green Offers as an Eco-Friendly Offer Type appeared first on PerformanceIN.