Rakuten Advertising Blog

Brands can’t succeed in today’s business climate without capitalizing on every opportunity for growth. We need to deploy integrated approaches that impact the full funnel – influencing impact at every step of the customer journey. But what happens if your prospects and customers get lost on the way to conversion? What if they stop progressing toward purchase?

Since our last post on GA4's implications for affiliate marketing, we’ve continued investigating and adapting to the evolving landscape of attribution models. Our latest findings reveal nuances in how GA4 processes sessions and events, significantly impacting how affiliate conversions are credited. This update delves into these discoveries and offers actionable advice for advertisers navigating this new reality.

Rakuten International's Optimism event, held in sunny Carlsbad, California, marked a triumphant return with nearly 1,000 global attendees. This year's theme, "Fueling Meaningful Connections," was brought to life through a series of engaging panels, keynote speeches, and networking opportunities. The event celebrated the best in affiliate marketing, offering insights and innovations from industry leaders and fostering powerful partnerships across the globe.

This is the third post in our “Time to Fix Your Funnel” series that identifies ways to help partnership marketers improve program performance. In the competitive world of affiliate advertising, a brand's success hinges on a program that guides customers seamlessly from awareness to purchase.

Step-by-Step Guide for Advertisers to Obtain Reporting API Key

The recent update to Google’s Site Reputation Abuse Policy is set to shake up how consumers interact and engage with Voucher and Coupon sites. In this post, we examine the changes and their impact on affiliate marketing.

Our inaugural Rakuten Optimism Golden Link Awards were held in Carlsbad, California on May 29th, 2024. Hosted by comedian Preacher Lawson, the event brought together some of the best and brightest in the performance and digital marketing industries. We celebrated their outstanding achievements, their collaboration, creativity, and innovative partnerships that have set new standards in our industry!

This is the second post in our “Time to Fix Your Funnel” blog series on strategies for partnership leaders to drive more growth through full-funnel affiliate programs. Affiliate marketing success relies on a smooth customer journey from awareness to purchase. Brands increasingly find value in affiliates that can impact every stage of this journey, not just the final sale.

In the competitive affiliate advertising landscape, it’s critical for a brand to have a program that carries the customer from awareness to the finish line of conversion—from the top of their customer journey or buying funnel to the magic moment they click “buy now.”

Linkby is a market-first ad tech platform for publishers and advertisers. Read our latest spotlight and hear first-hand how Linkby is helping brands optimize PR alongside the affiliate channel to deliver outstanding results for brands.

Explore key findings from our 2024 consumer finance survey of 15,000 US consumers on financial behaviors, highlighting the impact of FinFluencers, how and where consumers are looking for their next financial service, and strategic affiliate marketing insights that will bring financial brands to the forefront of consumer minds.

We are honored to announce the 2024 Golden Link Award finalists! A huge congratulations to everyone nominated. Rakuten Advertising is thrilled to announce that the Golden Link Awards will be held in person this year at Optimism in May 2024!