CAMPAIGN & STRATEGY AWARDS
Best Affiliate & Partnership Strategy - Enterprise NEW
Rakuten Advertising delivers performance-driven, brand-driven, and people-driven ad solutions that help the world’s top brands connect with unique, highly engaged audiences – from first impression to final sale. Backed by industry-leading technology, global media properties, and the largest, high-quality partner network, Rakuten Advertising taps into decades of data and experience to develop the strategies and ad experiences that will drive engagement, sales, loyalty, and beyond. A leader in the industry since its beginnings, Rakuten Advertising is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at RakutenAdvertising.com.
With this award judges will be looking for competent and holistic management of an individual brand’s affiliate & partnership strategy. This should be within the region by an OPM, full-service agency, in-house team or affiliate network.
A deep understanding of the diversity and nuances of the affiliate & partnership channel is paramount to a brands ultimate success within it. For this award, the strategy could include smart use of different publisher types, including content, rebate, influencers, discount, paid search amongst others, within a rounded effort for a brand.
We determine an enterprise client as one with >250 employees listed on Linkedin.
Best Affiliate & Partnership Strategy - SME NEW
With this award judges will be looking for competent and holistic management of an individual brand’s affiliate & partnership strategy. This should be within the region by an OPM, full-service agency, in-house team or affiliate network.
A deep understanding of the diversity and nuances of the affiliate & partnership channel is paramount to a brands ultimate success within it. For this award, the strategy could include smart use of different publisher types, including content, cashback, influencers, discount, paid search amongst others, within a rounded effort for a brand.
We determine an enterprise client as one with <250 employees listed on Linkedin.
Best Always-On Influencer Campaign
The leading global partnership management platform, impact.com has been transforming the way enterprises manage and optimise all types of partnerships—including affiliates, influencers, commerce content publishers, B2B, and more—since its founding in 2008. The company’s powerful, purpose-built platform helps brands, and publishers and agencies build authentic, enduring and rewarding relationships with consumers by providing visibility across the entire consumer journey. impact.com users are able to aggregate, orchestrate and optimise the total value of the entire mix of partnerships with ease and transparency – driving growth and creating new value for consumers. To learn more about how impact.com’s technology platform and partnerships marketplace is driving revenue growth for global enterprise brands such as TUI, Uber, Shopify, Lenovo, L’Oreal, Fanatics, Levi’s and Hello Fresh, visit www.impact.com.
This category looks to showcase a successful always-on strategy and implementation for a brand, utilizing creator marketing in an ongoing fashion.
Best Brand Engagement Campaign
For this category judges are looking to reward campaigns which have successfully utilized partner, performance or creator marketing to drive awareness and help consumers engage with a brand.
Best Content Partnership
This category seeks to reward a content campaign (editorial, affiliate, short or long form video, content commerce or creator based) that’s funded by a brand whether it’s based on performance or for a fee. The content should drive desired actions or hit KPIs as determined by the client.
Best Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Campaign or Initiative
The judges will be looking for a partnership that furthered DE&I efforts (i.e. an agency, influencer, publisher and a brand partnered together on a DEI related initiative).
Best Full-Funnel Influencer Campaign
For this category judges will reward a campaign that utilize creators at all stages of the funnel, to deliver on brand goals from awareness through to the desired outcome.
Best Multi-Channel Strategy
For this award, judges will be looking for a strategy for a brand that demonstrates how multiple teams and channels worked together to achieve results (i.e. the affiliate team, performance media and PR team partnered to accomplish X growth on X initiative).
Best Partnership Optimization Strategy NEW
Recognising a well executed partnership optimization strategy or campaign, that has fine-tuned, enhanced or driven efficiencies for the relationship to maximise results for the client.
Best Performance-Based Partnership
For this award, judges are seeking best in-class examples of a partnership that has a tight focus on ROI with performance-based measurement, this could be performance media or a traditional CPA.
Best Use of a Small Budget NEW
This category will award the most successful use of a small budget for a single
campaign using one or more partners. Smartly executed within tight budget
constraints. The work should have been billed to the client for no more than $50,000 (USD).
Best Use of Creator Content by a Brand
Judges will reward best in-class creator driven content that has been used / amplified as part of a brands wider marketing campaign.
Best Use of Data and Insights
Partnerize is the leader in partnership automation. The Partnerize platform is the only of its kind to deliver a fully integrated, comprehensive suite of discovery, recruitment, optimization, payment, brand safety and fraud prevention capabilities for marketers seeking a high transparency, scalable subsidy to alleviate pressure on their unit economics as a result of over dependence on primary sales and marketing channels. Supported by unrivaled service including the category’s only in-housing support program, with Partnerize, you’re in control of the entire partnership marketing lifecycle—all on a single platform. Partnerize has a global footprint, retaining offices in Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. For more information on how Partnerize helps turn your partnerships into a profit center, please visit https://partnerize.com/en.
For this award, entrants should highlight how the use of data and insights has driven success, which could be defined as new customer acquisition, retention, increasing ROI, market voice, programme or partnership strategy optimization, engagement or anything else fitting in-line with brand objectives.
Best Use of Micro Influencers
For this category judges are seeking to reward a successful, innovative campaign that included exclusively niche- or micro-creators to drive brand awareness or other desired outcomes.
Most Creative Campaign
This category recognizes an exceptional, creative campaign between a brand and creator or publisher (whether developed in-house or via an agency) that embraces out of the box thinking has met campaign KPIs.
Partnership for Good NEW
Assembly is the modern global omnichannel media agency, bringing data, talent, and technology together to find the change that fuels growth for the best brands on the planet. Our approach connects big, bold brand stories with integrated, global media capabilities that deliver performance and drive large-scale business growth. Our work is powered by our proprietary, in-house technology solution, STAGE, and led by our global talent base of over 1,600 people around the world. We’re purpose-driven at our core and pioneers in social and environmental impact in the agency world. Assembly is a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. For more information, visit assemblyglobal.com.
The winner of this ward will be a partnership that has delivered on set objectives that aims to leave the world in a better place. Examples could include partnerships that encourage sustainability, health and purpose, social good or green initiatives.
AGENCY & TEAMS AWARDS
Best Affiliate & Partner Marketing Agency - Large NEW
VEVE is a technology-based performance and brand marketing platform that enables brands to connect with 500 MN+ unique users across various mobile handsets (OEMs), Internet Browsers, App stores and Premium Apps across the globe. The strong collaboration enables brands to access 36% of smartphone and desktop users in North America and 50% across Europe. The massive reach along with the novelty of the VEVE’s on-device ad formats helps brands drive clicks, visits, new user acquisitions, sales, subscriptions, and app installs.
Recognising agencies that deliver exceptional results for clients within the affiliate and partner marketing industry. For the purpose of the awards a small agency has > 20 FTE employees working.
Best Affiliate & Partner Marketing Agency - Small NEW
Recognising agencies that deliver exceptional results for clients within the affiliate and partner marketing industry. For the purpose of the awards a small agency has < 20 FTE employees working.
Best Influencer Marketing Agency - Small NEW
Founded in Santa Barbara, California in 1998, CJ (formerly Commission Junction), continues to lead the industry as the largest, most trusted name in global performance marketing, specializing in affiliate marketing technology and services.
We are the platform of choice for driving profitable growth for over 3,800 global brands around the world across all verticals including retail, travel, finance, and network & home services. Our technology powers a partnership ecosystem where over 167K publishers and brands engage billions of consumers worldwide.
As part of Publicis Groupe, aligned with Publicis Media, we leverage unparalleled data, technology, and strategic expertise to bring a truly customer-centric approach to performance marketing. Our people dare to think big and drive even bigger results. Learn more at www.cj.com.
Recognising agencies that deliver exceptional results for clients within the influencer marketing / creator economy industry.
Best Partnerships Team NEW
This category aims to recognise a superb team within a company who collaborate effectively to drive exceptional outcomes for their company, partners and clients. This could be the publisher support, agency development, client-side or creator management team amongst others.
One to Watch
Celebrating an individual who has made a real impact to their company, team or the industry. The shortlist will be invited to the virtual judging day for a short presentation and interview in-front of a panel of industry judges.
Partnership of the Year NEW
Matterkind gives people more relevant marketing experiences while driving sales, qualified leads, and other guaranteed outcomes for brands. Our intentional, audience-first approach is kind and respectful to people and delivers sustainable, high-performance results – not risk – for marketers. Our solutions help brands see up to 30% revenue growth and a 20% increase in efficiencies through offerings that support affiliate and partnership marketing, retail media networks, and other pay for performance programs.
Judges will reward a stand-out partnership that impresses on all fronts. Strategicaly utilizing the potential of one or all of the industries (affiliate, performance and influencers) that the award program covers.
Together - We Solved That!
Judges are looking for an example of a real world challenge that has been solved for a client (with a great outcome) using both technology and the power of great teams.
TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
Best Platform for Partnership Success (Voted)
Strand Marketing is a boutique digital marketing consultancy focusing on performance-based media buying, and strategic client services. We work with billion-dollar brands, as well as up-and-coming start-ups where our team acts as an extension of our clients’ marketing team. Our expertise in media strategy, marketing operations, and the consumer journey has positioned us uniquely to deliver significant growth for our partners. We take immense pride in supporting customer acquisition expansion and customer retention through our one to one relationships and hands-on execution. In just over four years, our company has achieved remarkable success and our team has more than doubled in size in just the past year.
“The winner of this award will be able to successfully demonstrate how their platform or SaaS empowers brands to work successfully with publishers and/or creators.
In addition to the entry, applicants must provide a narrated video tour of the platform for judges to review (maximum 10 minutes)”
Most Innovative Technology
This category recognizes a standout technology within the performance or creator industry that helps brands, creators or publishers meet their goals.
The Hookup - Best Tech for Brands
This category recognizes Tech that can be adopted by eCommerce brands that deliver the most value-add experience to customers whilst meeting brand objectives. Those objectives could be but not limited to sales, conversion, brand awareness, satisfaction or loyalty.
Platinum Partners
Category Sponsors
Assembly is the modern global omnichannel media agency, bringing data, talent, and technology together to find the change that fuels growth for the best brands on the planet. Our approach connects big, bold brand stories with integrated, global media capabilities that deliver performance and drive large-scale business growth. Our work is powered by our proprietary, in-house technology solution, STAGE, and led by our global talent base of over 1,600 people around the world. We’re purpose-driven at our core and pioneers in social and environmental impact in the agency world. Assembly is a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. For more information, visit assemblyglobal.com.
Founded in Santa Barbara, California in 1998, CJ (formerly Commission Junction), continues to lead the industry as the largest, most trusted name in global performance marketing, specializing in affiliate marketing technology and services.
We are the platform of choice for driving profitable growth for over 3,800 global brands around the world across all verticals including retail, travel, finance, and network & home services. Our technology powers a partnership ecosystem where over 167K publishers and brands engage billions of consumers worldwide.
As part of Publicis Groupe, aligned with Publicis Media, we leverage unparalleled data, technology, and strategic expertise to bring a truly customer-centric approach to performance marketing. Our people dare to think big and drive even bigger results. Learn more at www.cj.com.
The leading global partnership management platform, impact.com has been transforming the way enterprises manage and optimise all types of partnerships—including affiliates, influencers, commerce content publishers, B2B, and more—since its founding in 2008. The company’s powerful, purpose-built platform helps brands, and publishers and agencies build authentic, enduring and rewarding relationships with consumers by providing visibility across the entire consumer journey. impact.com users are able to aggregate, orchestrate and optimise the total value of the entire mix of partnerships with ease and transparency – driving growth and creating new value for consumers. To learn more about how impact.com’s technology platform and partnerships marketplace is driving revenue growth for global enterprise brands such as TUI, Uber, Shopify, Lenovo, L’Oreal, Fanatics, Levi’s and Hello Fresh, visit www.impact.com.
Matterkind gives people more relevant marketing experiences while driving sales, qualified leads, and other guaranteed outcomes for brands. Our intentional, audience-first approach is kind and respectful to people and delivers sustainable, high-performance results – not risk – for marketers. Our solutions help brands see up to 30% revenue growth and a 20% increase in efficiencies through offerings that support affiliate and partnership marketing, retail media networks, and other pay for performance programs.
Partnerize is the leader in partnership automation. The Partnerize platform is the only of its kind to deliver a fully integrated, comprehensive suite of discovery, recruitment, optimization, payment, brand safety and fraud prevention capabilities for marketers seeking a high transparency, scalable subsidy to alleviate pressure on their unit economics as a result of over dependence on primary sales and marketing channels. Supported by unrivaled service including the category’s only in-housing support program, with Partnerize, you’re in control of the entire partnership marketing lifecycle—all on a single platform. Partnerize has a global footprint, retaining offices in Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. For more information on how Partnerize helps turn your partnerships into a profit center, please visit https://partnerize.com/en.
Rakuten Advertising delivers performance-driven, brand-driven, and people-driven ad solutions that help the world’s top brands connect with unique, highly engaged audiences – from first impression to final sale. Backed by industry-leading technology, global media properties, and the largest, high-quality partner network, Rakuten Advertising taps into decades of data and experience to develop the strategies and ad experiences that will drive engagement, sales, loyalty, and beyond. A leader in the industry since its beginnings, Rakuten Advertising is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at RakutenAdvertising.com.
Strand Marketing is a boutique digital marketing consultancy focusing on performance-based media buying, and strategic client services. We work with billion-dollar brands, as well as up-and-coming start-ups where our team acts as an extension of our clients’ marketing team. Our expertise in media strategy, marketing operations, and the consumer journey has positioned us uniquely to deliver significant growth for our partners. We take immense pride in supporting customer acquisition expansion and customer retention through our one to one relationships and hands-on execution. In just over four years, our company has achieved remarkable success and our team has more than doubled in size in just the past year.
VEVE is a technology-based performance and brand marketing platform that enables brands to connect with 500 MN+ unique users across various mobile handsets (OEMs), Internet Browsers, App stores and Premium Apps across the globe. The strong collaboration enables brands to access 36% of smartphone and desktop users in North America and 50% across Europe. The massive reach along with the novelty of the VEVE’s on-device ad formats helps brands drive clicks, visits, new user acquisitions, sales, subscriptions, and app installs.