Rakuten Advertising's Affiliate Intelligence Delivers AI-Driven Capabilities to the Affiliate Industry

Rhea-AI Summary

Rakuten Advertising has announced significant updates under its Affiliate Intelligence initiative, focusing on AI-driven capabilities to enhance affiliate marketing. The upgrades include API enhancements, improved performance reporting, and new strategic partnerships with top publishers like YouTube and Capital One Shopping. Other updates involve tools for better campaign transparency and optimization, such as Promo Code Overlays and custom publisher categorization. The company has also appointed Ben Cox as Vice President of AI Strategy & Operations. These developments aim to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of affiliate marketing by leveraging AI technologies.

Positive

• Introduction of AI-driven capabilities for better campaign management and optimization.
• New API upgrades enhance automation and data transparency.
• Integration of big-name publishers like YouTube and Capital One Shopping.
• Enhanced tools for tracking and optimizing affiliate investments.
• New role of Vice President of AI Strategy & Operations to guide AI adoption.
• Expanded AI-driven search capabilities for more targeted marketing.

Negative

• No immediate financial metrics provided to measure the impact of the new initiatives.
• Increased reliance on AI may require significant investment and training for clients.
• Potential risks associated with AI implementation and data accuracy.

Product updates will help advertisers and publishers leverage automation, data
transparency, AI and more

NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Advertising, the leading global affiliate marketing network, revealed product and organizational updates to realize the company's Affiliate Intelligence vision. Focused on expanding the use of data and AI to aid human intelligence, Affiliate Intelligence is an ongoing initiative to stimulate growth in advertiser and publisher relationships with solutions that build on innovative insights and strong industry partnerships to enable exceptional campaign performance.

"Affiliate Intelligence is changing the way we think about innovation, products, partnerships and so much more," said Nick Stamos, CEO of Rakuten Advertising. "Affiliate marketing will always be an industry that relies on networking and relationships. Affiliate Intelligence will help the industry thrive by leveraging technology to build on the human side of the business, helping create the strongest possible relationships between advertisers and publishers."

As part of its Affiliate Intelligence initiative, Rakuten Advertising's products will receive many AI-driven upgrades and enhancements over the next several months. These innovations, which enable advertisers and publishers to manage affiliate programs more efficiently and optimize the value of their affiliate investments, include:

Audience Engine

• Performance Reporting and API upgrades to improve automation, campaign transparency, and analytics for advertisers and publishers.
• APIs for publishers to integrate and monitor commissioning offers and receive alerts when offers change.

In addition to technological updates, several new big-name publishers have been integrated into Audience Engine, including YouTube, Rakuten Rewards, Capital One Shopping and more. Other big publishers will be signed on soon, including RetailMeNot, Klarna, Vox, and New York Magazine.

Affiliate Conversion Journey

• Paid Placement Overlays for advertisers and publishers to understand the impact of placements on purchasing touchpoints.
• Promo Code Overlays to provide oversight of the effect of promotions on purchasing touchpoints and conversion journeys.
• Enhanced customization of publisher categorization capabilities.
• Comparisons of Average Order Value (AOV) by conversion journey.

Partnership Discovery

• New 'Top Categories' provide advertisers with recommendations for categories and publisher search terms based on commission and revenue potential.
• New product feed gap tools leverage AI to determine missed opportunities, and then recommend publisher partners best positioned to sell those untapped products.
• Expanded AI-driven search capabilities for queries that go beyond category and product to search by brand and audience.

Rakuten Advertising has integrated AI technologies through its product suite, including predictive analytics for affiliate campaigns, personalized matchmaking, and real-time compliance monitoring. The company continues to make significant investments in AI, with upcoming capabilities like automated anomaly detection and resolution, and chat-based generative AI reporting tools.

"AI is at the core of innovation in affiliate marketing," says Stamos. "As the Affiliate Intelligence initiative grows, our clients will experience industry-altering products and capabilities from our continued commitment to investing in AI."

To lead its future AI strategy and development in collaboration with Vice President of Data Science Justin Smith, Rakuten Advertising has appointed Ben Cox to the newly-created role of Vice President of AI Strategy & Operations. Cox will guide clients and partners in best practices for leveraging AI tools and oversee the company's adoption and usage of AI technology. Cox brings deep expertise to Rakuten Advertising as the founder of AI strategy firm Ragnarok Research and author of Responsible Machine Learning.

To learn more about Rakuten Advertising's vision for Affiliate Intelligence in affiliate marketing and its suite of AI-driven products, visit www.RakutenAdvertising.com.

About Rakuten Advertising 
Rakuten Advertising delivers performance-driven, brand-driven, and people-driven ad solutions that help the world's top brands connect with unique, highly engaged audiences – from first impression to final sale. Backed by industry-leading technology, global media properties, and the largest, high-quality partner network, Rakuten Advertising taps into data and experience to develop the strategies and ad experiences that will drive engagement, sales, loyalty, and beyond.

A leader in the industry since its beginnings, Rakuten Advertising is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world's leading internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at RakutenAdvertising.com.

Media Contact:
Steven Shaw
steven.shaw@rakuten.com

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SOURCE Rakuten Advertising

FAQ

What is Rakuten Advertising's Affiliate Intelligence initiative?

Rakuten Advertising's Affiliate Intelligence initiative aims to enhance affiliate marketing through AI-driven capabilities and data transparency.

What new features are included in Rakuten Advertising's product updates?

The updates include API upgrades, improved performance reporting, Promo Code Overlays, and new partnerships with publishers like YouTube and Capital One Shopping.

Which new publishers are integrated into Rakuten Advertising's Audience Engine?

New publishers include YouTube, Rakuten Rewards, and Capital One Shopping, with future additions like RetailMeNot and Klarna.

Who is the new Vice President of AI Strategy & Operations at Rakuten Advertising?

Ben Cox has been appointed as the new Vice President of AI Strategy & Operations.

How will AI technologies impact Rakuten Advertising's affiliate marketing?

AI technologies will enhance campaign management, data transparency, and optimization, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of affiliate marketing.