To find the best influencers for your affiliate marketing program, look for posting frequency and links, not likes and followers, says Mike Balducci (general manager affiliate, e-commerce and payment solutions, CreatorIQ).

According to Tribe Dynamics figures, since the launch of the pilot, the partnership has seen a social media reach of over 9 million people via influencers, plus 48,000 engagements. It’s earned $430,000 in earned media value driven by over 250 creators. Hand & Stone saw an increase in EMV by 130% (between Aug 22, 2022, and March 23, 2023) and increase in its social media community size by 235%.

To find the best influencers for your affiliate marketing program, look for posting frequency and links, not likes and followers, says Mike Balducci (general manager affiliate, e-commerce and payment solutions, CreatorIQ).

According to Marigold’s recently published Global Consumer Trends Index 2023, consumers are frustrated. The survey found that 49% of global consumers are annoyed by irrelevant content or offers from brands, 32% are frustrated by messaging that doesn’t recognize their history, 35% are turned off by messaging based on information they haven’t directly shared.

In a word: volume. There’s simply more of everything. There are more TV shows to place ads in, more social media platforms to distribute targeted messaging through, and more creators and influencers to partner with.

According to our latest Marigold 2023 Consumer Trends Index (CTI), measuring consumer sentiment and expectations around brand marketing efforts, half of consumers report making a purchase directly as a result of an email, while 25% made a purchase directly from an SMS, and 50% browsed products while in store but bought elsewhere (like online).

Brand investment in creator-led marketing is growing in popularity. In the US, companies will have increased their spending on creator marketing by 65% over the last five years, to $4.6bn by the end of this year. Globally, it’s valued at a record $16.4bn.

The following article references data collected from CreatorIQ’s 2023 Influencer Marketing Trends Report. It is based on survey data from more than 236 creators and 163 brands and agencies conducted between Aug 15 and Sept. 25, 2022, primarily in the US.

The influencer marketing industry has grown to an estimated size of $14.6bn globally. But for all its maturity, it remains an ever-evolving space.

Using Sailthru by Marigold, Brilliant Earth notes the custom variables that mark what individuals are most interested in and immediately sends them through customized journeys with the most relevant content. This creates an authentic, holistic experience as Brilliant Earth converts first-time buyers into repeat customers who purchase for special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays, and no longer need tactical content about buying an engagement ring.

And that cost is significant. Programmatic ad platform Good-Loop estimates that in 2021, Super Bowl advertisers generated around 2m tonnes of CO2 through digital advertising. For context, that’s the same amount of carbon emissions produced by around 100,000 Americans in one year.

It calculated this using iSpot.tv data, which suggests 56 advertisers and their 67 spots brought in more than 6.3bn TV ad impressions, 26m online views, and 64bn social impressions.

Brands are recognizing the power of a membership program for growing and maintaining a loyal audience. A strong cross-channel marketing platform that automates the delivery of personalized experiences to members can make all the difference, as Flaviar and Caskers discovered.

According to research firm Parks Associates, Samsung leads the industry with over a quarter of all consumers’ primary smart TVs, followed by LG, Sony, Vizio and TCL.

With CTV, content providers would have to manage and control the user experience across at least six disparate operational systems: Samsung, Vizio, LG, Roku and Apple TV. If TV manufacturers choose to offer up the placement opportunities for programmatic buying directly to the advertiser, content providers would be in an even worse position.

Email is only a format. The key to effective email marketing is in the message delivered, says CM Group's Tim Glomb.

Don’t call it a comeback. Email may be an old format, but it continues to be one of the most effective marketing channels brands can use to drive revenue - if used correctly (and that’s a big if).

General manager for connected TV at TripleLift, Michael Shields, added: “iSpot helps brands ensure more dollars are going towards engaging with new audiences while simultaneously facilitating comprehensive understanding of investment and campaign optimization.”

Consumers have more control over their personal data than ever before, forcing marketers to change the way they collect it. For The Drum’s Data & Privacy Deep Dive, Tim Glomb (VP of content, CM Group) explains how engaging with customers directly will result in better, more actionable insights.

TV Squared raised $27m when it was listed in comparison to its competitors VideoAmp, which raised $275m, and iSpot, which raised $335m.

The debate on the future of audience measurement, with incumbents like Nielsen battling emerging players like iSpot.tv and VideoAmp, is just the first salvo in a more universal unbundling of current measurement tools. As a next step, brands will need to embrace a common purpose and commit to accurate measurement of content suitability in the digital spaces where their customers are now firmly rooted.