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Struggling?

The E-commerce world is changing almost by the minute lately. From Merchants having to pause programs because they cannot ship anything, to panic over budgets, commission rates slashed or set to zero.

While this is a very unusual set of circumstances we are all dealing with; there are some bright notes.

  • Some Merchants are stepping up and adding in bonuses
  • There are very profitable sectors with healthy affiliate programs
  • Now is a good time diversify your affiliate earning platforms
  • As a community, we are helping each other
  • Consumers are discovering this shopping from home thing is pretty cool.
  • Oh, and in about 7 months you better have a Baby site in place.. just saying

Commission Junction is making Network Consumer Trends Reports available – These are updated every Wednesday.
https://junction.cj.com/covid-19-network-consumer-trends-report

FMTC has partnered with Trackonomics to give daily updates on commissions changes in Affiliate Networks. You can sign up to subscribe to their email updates here: http://fmtc-7325025.hs-sites.com/affiliate-program-covid-19-updates

Rakuten Center has insights on current commerce and consumer behavior with specific global and category trends. this is updated weekly: https://rakutenadvertising.com/covid19/

Featured

Working from Home, A new reality for some of you :)

I have worked from home for 27 years..so after being thoroughly entertained by posts of those new to working from home I thought I would give you some tips and giggles.

  • The worst thing that can happen during your new office commute is you blow out a slipper in the hallway.
  • Loungewear..is the new uniform. Don’t call them jammies.
  • PC Gaming Headphones with their own mute function are your best friend!
  • Wireless headsets are MUST! especially if you have children. ( the look of shock when your sweet cherubs who are coloring on the wall see you get up from your desk to deal with them is priceless)
  • It is way too easy to just stay in your jammies..for days. Get dressed and prepared for home office work like you would for normal work..just skip the dress shoes and stick to slippers.
  • Team meetings fails on Zoom are a trending search lately. Don’t be one of those examples. Always mute yourself upon entering  ( both from your mic and the button in your conference screen to be safe. )No one wants to hear you arguing with your housemates.
  • Video IS optional place a sticky note over your camera, or disable it when entering a conference. If you are using your phone for conferencing disable the camera in the meeting settings. We really do not need to see video of you in the bathroom…please noooo. ( see Zoom meeting fails search)
  • Multiple Monitors are a must. If you are using a laptop you can add a monitor to your set up with a HDMI cable on most Macs and PC’s..you know that extra TV sitting around ..it works as a monitor too! 
  • Screen sharing meetings are pretty common now. For these make sure you are turning off all other applications so you can get the best frame rates on the video screen shares.
  • If you are the Presenter in a screen share – move any other applications to the opposite screen you are sharing- no one needs to see that private Skype pop into the screen share.
  • Working at home is a complete disruption of your schedule..specifically your eating schedule. Set timers for your breaks and lunch or you will find yourself skipping these and by the time we get back to going in the office you might have snacked yourself into a new
    size.
     
  • Get the best comfy chair you can- your body will thank you. When shopping for that new comfy office chair for home look at the ratings for both weight and hours of use. I love the Serta chairs – they are one of the few brands that have chairs designed for big and tall people.
  • Know your function keys..why you ask?..in case your new furry supervisor walks on your keyboard and suddenly your screen size has changed or you are typing in a different language. ( most common F11 pops you in full screen view  and the toolbar disappears)
  • Hydration is your friend, but it isn’t friendly with laptops and keyboards. Those travel cups are now your desktop coffee cup and all around drink cup. Think sippy cups for adults. I admit I or my furry supervisor cat- Shadow has helped to kill off several expensive mechanical keyboards and two laptops over the years.  

Got something to add?

Shadow, My supervisor
Shadow- supervising

Five things the World Cup taught marketers about creators 

The World Cup has wrapped, which means it’s time for the obligatory marketing takeaways piece. This time it stops, predictably, on creators. They were one of the main conduits for fandom this tournament for broadcasters and advertisers alike. How they pulled that off is instructive. Because for marketers, the World Cup isn’t really about football. It’s a stress test for where marketing is headed.

Here’s what that test revealed. 

CMOs know creators matter. The real issue is managing them at scale

That’s the real talking point from the tournament’s largest creator activation. Unilever worked with 50,000 creators across more than 35 brands in over 120 markets. The numbers validate creators’ pull on brand growth, but scale like that isn’t a marketing decision — it’s an infrastructure problem.

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‘It’s a CEO conversation,’ Accenture and Whalar on their playbook for the creator economy

Last month, Accenture Song acquired creator and social agency Whalar along with its scaled creator engagement tools and growth capabilities. Without providing details, Whalar told Adweek it was the “largest creator economy transaction,” which puts it at least at the $500 million mark, based on Publicis’2024 acquisition of Influential. 

Whatever the cost of the acquisition, it marks another major shift and investment in the creator economy. Accenture didn’t buy Whalar for its creator relationships, it bought the operational layer that makes those relationships more tangible and sellable — the sourcing, vetting and campaign execution that turns individual creators into something an advertiser can plan and budget around. As more and more creators look for long-term partnerships rather than one-off deals, this is a crucial building block.

After the initial press around the announcement, Digiday caught up with Brian Yasko, managing director at Accenture Song, and Emma Harmon, co-CEO of Whalar, to learn more about the partnership, what Accenture is building in the creator space, why they see creators as a CEO conversation rather than a CMO one, and what they’re working on building, now together.

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