The New World of Affiliate Adjacent (™ pending)

I have been in the affiliate marketing universe since 2006 and the one constant about this industry is change. Nonstop, everlasting, unrelenting change. Mergers and acquisitions, search algorithm updates, the death of third-party cookies, the resurrection of third-party cookies, new toolbars, new platforms, new agencies, new promotional methods. It never ends. And that is what keeps it fresh, interesting, and challenging for all of us as we navigate the many dimensions of what affiliate can mean.  

While as an industry we tend to take pride (and rightfully so) in the more sophisticated problems that an affiliate/partnerships program can solve for, there are many unique, valuable, and relatively untapped markets out there that need our help.

What am I talking about? I am talking about the exciting world of “Affiliate Adjacent.”  

What Is Affiliate Adjacent?

What the heck does Affiliate Adjacent mean? Let me give you a real-world example.  

Several years ago, I received an inbound lead through our website from a partnerships team at a very well-known global credit card provider. Believing that this was another affiliate opportunity I eagerly reached out, set an in-person meeting, and prepped my affiliate partnerships conversation with the limited information that was given. This was to be a working discovery session, as both sides were a bit unsure of the correct language to use in identifying the pain points that the software could solve.  

I was excited to show them our robust reporting and detailed commissioning tools and to talk about our advanced clearinghouse system for payments. I jumped right in and was ready to knock their socks off. We were going to get this deal! (Spoiler: we did!) 

But my amazing pitch was cut short. Very short. As soon as I explained that we could track activity across thousands of potential partners, that was all they wanted or needed. This was a field marketing team with thousands of representatives manually passing information through to call center reps, who then loaded it into SFDC. It was a mess. They had no need for the bells and whistles. Tracking alone was the solution.  

This was an eye-opener for me, and a significant opportunity. What was this, though? It was definitely not traditional affiliate in any form — this was Affiliate Adjacent! 

Since that time, I have seen increased interest in Affiliate Adjacent use cases from advertisers, publishers, and agencies alike, and I can say for certain that no platform is better suited to these unique engagements than TUNE.  

TUNE Affiliate Adjacent Use Cases 

The use cases below are only a few of the creative ways customers are using TUNE to accomplish their business goals. 

A digital streaming service uses TUNE to work with TV manufacturers to promote its streaming service.

• Connected TVs and streaming platforms are incentivized to promote the streaming service to their consumers via smart TV interfaces.
• The streaming service provides each brand partnership with tracking links and creatives, without needing to go through a complex application process.
• Activating a new brand partnership accelerated from two weeks to two minutes with TUNE.

A multinational automotive manufacturer uses TUNE to work with physical dealerships and collision centers to promote its branded auto insurance.

• Salespeople in the brand’s dealerships are incentivized to promote its auto insurance to consumers when they shop for a vehicle, and collision centers when they bring in a vehicle for repairs.
• Individual dealerships and collision centers use insurance-branded QR codes to allow customers to get a quote in minutes.
• The goal is to insure every brand vehicle in the U.S., and to also be able to insure other makes/models, where traditional affiliate is being added next.

A national insurance subsidiary uses TUNE to work with property management companies to promote its renters insurance product.

• Property management companies are incentivized to promote the insurance product to renters when they sign a lease.
• The insurance subsidiary provides embeddable lead forms, which the management companies embed directly into their rental agreements.
• The goal is to enable affiliate partners who have access to audiences that are uniquely positioned to purchase renters insurance.

A digital media agency uses TUNE to build technology solutions that enable brand-to-brand partnerships on checkout pages.

• The agency enables additional monetization opportunities for retailers and brands by providing them with technology that effectively turns them into affiliates.

A national real estate marketplace uses TUNE to work with niche real estate partners to drive realtors to sign up for advertising accounts on its platform.

A parking marketplace app uses TUNE to work with hyperlocal partners — MLB teams, sports arenas, airports, and more — to drive sign-ups and reservations.

• The app uses app-based activations via targeted local and regional events to offer convenient parking opportunities to attendees.
• The partners used deep linking to provide a seamless experience for event attendees to view the closest parking options near their event.

An online home improvement platform uses TUNE to work with recruitment partners to advertise jobs to contractors, and to track when individual contractors set an appointment for a job.

What’s Your Affiliate Adjacent Use Case?

Is there a unique use case your current platform can’t support? I want to hear about it — and help you make it happen on TUNE! Send me a note at [email protected] and we’ll tackle your challenge together.