The Partnerships That Took Partner Marketing Mainstream in 2023

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 achieved 25 million installs in 6 days without traditional marketing

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

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/09/meta-lets-amazon-users-buy-on-facebook-instagram-without-leaving-apps.html

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

Logic Teams with BetterHelp to Offers Fans One Month of Free Therapy Sessions

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

Michigan Athletics announces new collaboration with Peloton

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

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