As the world of influencers and affiliates continues to grow, we’re excited to see more partnerships making their way into everyday life. Below, we present a few of the standout collaborations that helped to take partner marketing mainstream in 2023.
Partnerships Spotted in the Wild
Roku + DoorDash
https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/07/roku-partners-with-doordash/
Roku and DoorDash announced a multi-year partnerships that provides DashPass free for six months. DoorDash merchants can also run shoppable ads via Roku.
Shopify + Program Partners
https://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-announces-multi-year-initiative-to-transform-partner-program
Shopify gave a peek into their partnership strategy when they announced a multi-year partner program initiative. They mention incentivizing growth as well as education & enablement as pillars of this initiative.
Apex Legends + Gaming Influencers
Apex Legends, a new battle royale console game, drove 25 million installs in 6 days without using any traditional marketing. The engaged 100 of the top gaming influencers and coordinated releases and live streams to garner a ton of attention.
Uber + Hopper
https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/10/23718072/uber-launches-flight-booking-tool-uk-travel-super-app
Uber started offering flight bookings for users in the UK which includes “taking a small commission of each sale,” effectively making Uber a travel affiliate.
Ibotta + Big Retail Publishers
https://www.adexchanger.com/commerce/why-ibotta-is-eyeing-retail-media-as-the-basis-for-its-future/
Ibotta rolled out their performance network semi-recently that allows for white-labeling Ibotta offers at different “publishers” like Walmart, Kroger, etc.
Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena + Hotels.com
https://www.expedia.com/newsroom/the-atlanta-hawks-launch-a-dedicated-travel-hub-with-hotels-com/
The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena partnered with Hotels.com to provide a travel hub to fans attending or planning on attending games. Hotels.com will be promoted via more traditional sponsorship placements like being featured on large marquees as well as featured on StateFarmArena.com pages like “Plan Your Visit” and “Event Details.”
Amazon + Facebook and Instagram
Amazon has integrated a buying experience with Facebook and Instagram to allow Amazon users to make purchases from Amazon ads without leaving the Facebook or Instagram apps.
Barbie + Everybody
https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2023/07/13/counting-the-many-many-barbie-collabs
Barbie had maybe more partnerships than any brand in recent memory due to the Barbie movie, and Marketing Brew aggregated all the partnerships they came across throughout the year.
BetterHelp + Logic
BetterHelp partnered with Grammy-nominated rapper Logic, who has been a large mental health advocate over the years, to provide a month of free therapy sessions to his fans.
Peloton + University of Michigan Athletics
Peloton partnered with University of Michigan Athletics, one of the most prominent college athletic departments in the country. Peloton will provide Michigan-branded equipment, discounted student passes, and opportunities for student athletes to participate in Name, Image, & Likeness deals.
Instacart + Peacock
https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/peacock-instacart-plus-bundle-1235812499/
Instacart is offering all of their Instacart+ subscribers the Peacock streaming platform bundled in for free. It’s speculated that Instacart will pay Peacock/NBC a wholesale price for each subscriber.
Partner Marketing for the Masses
Start your own partner program with our Ultimate Guide to Partner Marketing, over 50 pages of insights, strategies, and step-by-step instructions on how to set yourself up for success in the world of performance-based partnerships.
Author
As VP of Sales at TUNE, Nate’s team focuses on enterprise sales for TUNE, an industry leading platform that provides brands, agencies, and affiliate networks the infrastructure to track and manage their partner marketing activities. Prior to TUNE, Nate worked in sales and client services at Tippr, one of the early group buying platforms, and Efinancial, an online life insurance brokerage. Nate received his BA in Social Sciences from Washington State University.
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