Affiliate Marketing Highlights: What happened last year and what did we learn from it?

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Welcome to 2025!

It’s a new year but not time to shake off the old one just yet. A lot happened in 2024 that threw the affiliate marketing industry through the wringer. Both affiliates and affiliate managers were kept on their toes with cookie u-turns, crack downs on fake reviews and the ever-present threat of affiliate fraud.

However, there were just as many opportunities as obstacles and they have all helped the affiliate marketing industry grow.?

So, we survived but what have we learned?

In this week’s newsletter, I want to run through some of the most important things we covered in 2024 so we can see how they unfold in the new year.

Google’s cookie U-turn

What happened? One of the most significant shifts in the affiliate marketing industry was overturned last year. For years, Google has been declaring its intentions to phase out the use of third-party cookies in its Chrome browsers. We’ve now reached the year when the undisclosed crumbling of the cookie was predicted for and it’s still here. Instead, Google has introduced new privacy features that give users greater control.

What did we learn? Despite the U-turn, it didn’t change the fact that affiliate marketers should be putting a greater focus on first-party data collection. This means building stronger relationships, more targeted content and exploring new tracking options.?

FTC shut down on fake reviews

What happened? For a worrying amount of time, the internet has been filled with fake reviews from bogus profiles or manipulated from genuine profiles. This also included suppressing negative reviews in favour of positive ones. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said enough was enough and introduced new guidelines to put a stop to this.

What did we learn? For an industry that prides itself on trust and authenticity, this was a great step forward but one that could easily set you back if you’re not careful. It highlighted the importance of transparency over nearly all else. Adhering to the new FTC guidelines isn’t just about being on the right side of the law, it’s essential to safeguarding the future of your business.

The return of long-form content

What happened? Amongst Google’s core update announcing that it now prioritises content that provides value over keyword stuffing, there were many reasons 2024 saw the return of long-form content. Mainly, consumers are now more conscious with their buying habits - they don’t just want to make a purchase they want to contribute to something. To do this, they want as much information as possible delivered as conveniently as possible.

What did we learn? Blogs and long-form video content are back! Not that they ever went anywhere but they were definitely overlooked in favour of 15 second TikTok reviews. Moving forward, affiliates and affiliate managers should be approaching content creation with the needs of the consumer at its core, focusing on the journey they will need to make to complete a purchase.

Multi-channel marketing

What happened? Following on from consumers now wanting more before they buy, the traditional customer funnel is no longer relevant. Slapping an affiliate link on a promotion post isn’t enough anymore to convert buyers. The journey has become more complicated but that has only increased opportunities for affiliate marketers.

What did we learn? Affiliate marketers now have more opportunities to connect with their audience across multiple channels. It’s given rise to multi-channel marketing and the need to diversify content. This isn’t about being everywhere just in case your audience is there, it’s about focusing your efforts where you know your customers are and meeting them in the middle.

AI

What happened? AI didn’t appear last year and 2024 isn’t the first time it’s popped up in affiliate marketing, but there has been a significant shift. This shift is that everyone and their affiliate manager is now using AI, so the need for utilising it effectively is absolutely essential. For affiliate marketers, this means for the purpose of personalisation and targeting, content creation, conversion rates and fraud detection.

What did we learn? AI really isn’t a passing fad, it’s becoming a staple in nearly every industry and those who deny its usefulness will be left behind. However, this also doesn’t mean we should rely on it to do everything for us. You shouldn’t be using it to cut corners but to shave off time that can be dedicated elsewhere to maximise efforts.

Fraud

What happened? Click fraud, impression fraud, lead fraud, affiliate fraud - all were a significant threat to affiliate programs and the industry as a whole in 2024. Unfortunately, this has been predicted to continue. Fortunately, this has also amped up the fraud detection tools available to affiliate managers.?

What did we learn? Fraud is more than an inconvenience, it is robbing businesses of their ability to scale and deliver value. It’s made the importance of fraud detection tools and establishing a proactive approach to tackling fraud undeniable. Protecting against fraud is no longer just an expense but an investment in the future of your affiliate program.

Have the best start to 2025!

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