Rakuten Advertising Blog

The 2025 Rakuten Optimism Golden Link Award nominations are officially open! Help us honor the best and brightest in affiliate marketing by submitting a nomination today. The Golden Link Awards will take place at Optimism 2025, register today to secure your spot to Optimism and the Golden Link Awards!

Move over mega-influencers; micro-influencers are stealing the spotlight with their authentic vibes, niche expertise, and sky-high engagement rates. If you're ready to turn small followings into big results, it's time to make these relatable powerhouses the MVPs of your marketing strategy.

Trust is the secret ingredient of influencer marketing—it’s what turns a campaign into a connection and followers into lifelong fans. When brands focus on authenticity and real relationships, they tap into the kind of trust that keeps audiences coming back for more.

Influencer marketing has grown far beyond generating hype—it now influences every step of the buyer’s journey. From boosting brand awareness to driving conversions and loyalty, this $35 billion industry proves its influence across the full funnel.

Our Agency Support team is consistently striving for success - from our award-winning customer support teams to our innovative technology, this team supports the success of our agency partners. The Agency Services Program provides our affiliate agency partners with innovative tools and solutions to fuel consistent growth for their clients. See who made our official 2025 list of Preferred and Platinum Agency Partners now!

As we recap the insights for Cyber Week 2024, we’ve got the gift of good news! Our US clients and partners outperformed and outdelivered this holiday shopping season. Our network saw significant growth year-over-year for clients in key retail verticals including beauty, footwear, toys, video games, and more, as shoppers eagerly sought out the best deals of the season. Read the entire blog for our official recap of Cyber Week 2024!

We're committed to maintaining the highest standards in integration integrity and conversion security. As a leading global network for over 25 years, we navigate the complexities of today's landscape on behalf of our clients and publishers to bring them the most innovative, robust, flexible, and reliable integrations and attribution solutions.

By setting goals, finding audiences, and measuring & optimizing performance, Affiliate Intelligence by Rakuten Advertising is set on keeping the lead in driving affiliate performance.

With a network that brings together technology, partners, and strategy, Rakuten Advertising builds partnerships and programs that showcase opportunities in the full-funnel journey.

Holiday shopping is starting earlier, with consumers setting budgets and retailers prepping for a Q4 surge. A survey of 15,000 shoppers highlights the importance of early campaigns, discounts, free shipping, and buy-now-pay-later options. Find out the best ways to integrate affiliate strategies to capture attention and drive sales and sleigh this holiday shopping season.

DealMaker Canada was a smashing success with a record-breaking number of top advertisers, publishers, and agencies coming together for 2 days of networking, discussions, and fun. Attendees enjoyed a day full of meetings, insightful content, and dealmaking in our last DealMaker event of the year. Read the full blog now to hear more!

Our Agency Support team is consistently striving for success - from our award-winning customer support teams to our innovative technology, this team supports the success of our agency partners. The Agency Services Program provides our affiliate agency partners with innovative tools and solutions to fuel consistent growth for their clients.