HOW BIG IS THE PARTNERSHIP GROWTH OPPORTUNITY FOR LEADING BRANDS? What are the trends for this important market? Where is the industry headed? In our massive 2018 market research survey, we asked 1,200 senior brand leaders these and many other questions that reveal both the state and future of partnerships. This partner marketing research reveals: How partnerships contribute to revenue and long-term success How brands are defining their business partnership strategies Which categories of partners are driving the greatest revenue Where marketers are placing their bets to drive revenue growth How “affiliate marketing” relates to “partner marketing" Much more! Download the groundbreaking data and insights available in The State and Future of Partnerships now!

1. THE STATE AND
FUTURE OF
PARTNERSHIPS
RESULTS OF A GLOBAL SURVEY OF
MORE THAN 1,200 MARKETING LEADERS
Researchconductedby

2. CONTENTS
02 About the research
03 About the audience
04 Results summary
06 The partnerships channel
07 A critical channel for growth
08 Prioritizing partnerships
09 Investing in the channel
10 Driving sales and revenue
11 Key priorities
12 The potential for partnerships
13 It’s all about your partners
14 Partner classes that drive revenue
15 Networks and software
16 Affiliate marketing
17 Terminology
18 About Partnerize / about WBR Research

3. The partner and affiliate industries have shown a tremendous and continuous record of growth since the inception of the Internet. To
understand the key drivers of that growth, and to capture a clear view into how leading marketing, sales and business development leaders
view the spaces, we commissioned this massive global study about partnerships.
To understand the size, growth trends, and role of partnership in the marketing mix, and to capture perspective from senior business leaders on
how they view this growing marketing channel
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
PURPOSE
Internet and telephone survey with invitations delivered to a broad cross-section of business leaders.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Large numbers of completed surveys from four key regions:
EMEA
NORTH AMERICA
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND
ASIA
SAMPLE
Focus on three key industries known to leverage partnerships
on a widespread basis
RETAIL/ETAIL
TRAVEL
FINANCIAL SERVICES
INDUSTRIES
See next page for a breakdown of the actual sample collected
SAMPLE SPECIFICS
2Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

4. 3Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
ABOUT THE AUDIENCE
Survey Respondent Composition

5. 4Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Partnershipisanimportantandgrowingsegmentofperformancemarketing,drivingasignificantportionofsalesandinvestmentfrombusiness
leaders.With the majorityofcompanies reporting that partnerships nowdrive more than a fifth oftheirsales, it’s clearthat this highlyefficient
business channel is now a critical part of many marketing plans.
Virtually all brands pursue some forms of partnership, and view it as a high priority. As to how people manage and talk about the industry, we
appear to be in a period of flux, with no management approach or nomenclature dominating the space. That said, the passion and interest in
partnerships among business leaders is high.
Research findings pointed to a number of specific key takeaways:
SPECIFIC FINDINGS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1
2
3
4
5
Virtually all companies surveyed are already active in partnerships and affiliate, and most of the people who don’t yet have
partner programs plan to introduce them in the next 12 months.
Partnerships are playing a key role in driving revenue for many companies. More than half of our sample (54%) reported that
partnerships drive more than 20% of total company revenue.
Partnerships are a high priorityfor companies. 74% report that partnerships are a high or very high priority for their businesses.
Just 5% say they will invest less on partnerships this year versus last year.
More than half of respondents say partnerships are driving more sales this year than last year. Just 1% say partnership sales
have declined for their businesses.
The top brand leaderpriorities include finding more partners (27%) and strengthening relationships with existing partners (23%,)
two key growth strategies for the channel.

6. 6
7
8
9
Partnerships are viewed as a key potential growth channel. A massive 69% of respondents see additional sales potential in the
channel, and 24% see massive incremental potential.
Many leading brands are prioritizing large partners versus forging agreements with thousands of potential partners. The
most common number of partners for a brand is 50-99 (34%). 67% of brands report having less than 100 total partners.Just 2% of
brands surveyed partner with more than 1,000 businesses.
Many brands report significant revenue coming from “emerging” partnership channels like influencers (14%), and brand-
to-brand partnerships (9%). While “traditional” affiliate style partners drive more sales than other channels (36% for traditional
partners like loyalty communities and 10% long-tail publishers), strong sales for these emerging channels proves the theory that
the category and definition of partnership is broadening.
Networks and third-party software are commonly used to field and manage partnerships. Because partnership is broader
than just affiliate marketing, only about half of our marketers report relying on networks for partnerships. Just over half
(52%) of the brand leaders surveyed say theywork with an affiliate network to manage partnerships. One third of those who work
with a network work with them exclusively, while just over half also work with third-party partner management software like that
offered by Partnerize. About a fifth of marketers eschew networks and work exclusively with third-party software
10
The terminology used in the partnerships arena is in flux. The vast majority of our respondents (84%) are familiar with the term
affiliate marketing. Most view affiliate and partnership as related categories. Across the industry, we’ve seen growing acceptance
of the idea that partnership is a broad category that includes affiliate. About four in ten (41%) of respondents agreed with this
assertion – the most common POV.
5Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

7. 1%4%
• Partner marketing is nearly ubiquitous across leading retail brands globally, with more than 9 out of 10 brands
already active in the space.
• Of those brands that currently do not have a partner marketing plan in place, 80% plan to implement one in the
next year.
THE PARTNERSHIPS CHANNEL
YES
NO, BUT PLANNING TO
START IN THE NEXT YEAR NO
95%
6Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Does your company currently make performance-based partner agreements
with other brands and publishers to sell your goods and services?

8. • For today’s brands, partner
marketing programs are usually
driving a strong proportion of total
sales.
• Over half of respondents (54%)
say their brands derive more than
20% of sales from partnerships.
A CRITICAL REVENUE CHANNEL
About what percentage of your company’s sales are driven by
partner marketing programs?
7Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Don’t know 1%
21-30%
30%
11-20%
29%
31-50%
19%
1-10%
16%
76-100%
0%
51-75%
5%

9. • Organizations place a great deal of importance on the partnerships channel.
• Almost 3/4 (74%) of respondents view partner marketing as a high or very high priority.
• Just 4% of respondents said partner marketing was a low priority for their business.
PRIORITIZING PARTNERSHIPS
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
How important is partner marketing to your organization currently?
It is one of our highest
priorities
It is a high priority for us It is a medium priority
for us
It is a low priority for us
23%
51%
22%
4%
74%
8Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

10. • 96% of brands are investing the
same or more on partner marketing
programs versus a year ago.
• 52% are increasing their
partnerships channel investment.
• Just 2% report reducing their
investment in the channel.
INVESTING IN THE CHANNEL
Versus a year ago, is your company investing more,
about the same, or less money in partnerships?
9Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Don’t know 1%We are investing less
money 2%
We are investing
about the
same amount
45%
We are investing
more money
52%

11. • The majority of brands are investing
more because partnerships are
growing
• 98% of brands say their partner
marketing programs are driving the
same revenue or more versus a year
ago.
• 56% of respondents said they are
seeing more sales and revenue from
their partner programs.
• Just 1% report a decline in revenue.
DRIVING SALES & REVENUE
Which of these statements best reflects your point of view on
the business potential for partner marketing for your
company?
10Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Don’t know 1%
Fewer sales and
revenue 1%
About the
same sales
and revenue
42%
More sales
and revenue
56%

12. • Amongbrandleaders,thestrongestpartnermarketingprioritieswereaddingmorepartners(27%),strengthening
relationships with key partners (23%), and obtaining richer program and user data (21%).
• The focus on creating more and better partnerships and acquiring additional data reflect the strong focus on
driving additional revenue and growth from the channel.
KEY PRIORITIES
Over the next twelve months, what is your organization’s key priority within the partner channel?
Add more partners
to our program
Develop and deploy
new creative
Strengthen
relationships with
key partners
Obtain richer
program and user
data
Diversify
commission
strategies
27% 19% 23% 21% 10%
11Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

13. • 69% of respondents say that
the business potential for partner
marketing is greater than what their
companies have achieved so far.
• Almost a quarter (24%) of
respondents believe the business
potential for partnerships is far
greater than what they had already
achieved.
• Less than a third say that
partnerships have reached their full
revenue potential at their companies.
THE POTENTIAL FOR PARTNERSHIPS
Which of these statements best reflects your point of view on
the business potential for partner marketing for your
company?
12Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Don’t know 1%
My company is
already achieving
all the business
potential it can from
partner marketing
30%
The business potential is a little
greater than what we have
achieved so far 45%
The business
potential is
far greater than
what we have
achieved so far 24%

14. • Brand are primarily focused on forming major partnerships versus collaborating with everyone.
• 2/3 of respondents say their companies work with fewer than 100 partners.
• Just 2% have 1000+ partners.
• The most common number of partners reported is 50-99.
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUR PRIORITY PARTNERS
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
About how many partners does your company currently work with?
Less than 10 11-49
9%
34%
23%
2%
0
50
24%
50-99 100-299 300-999 1000+
8%
13Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

15. • Traditional affiliate channels (traditional and long-tail partners) account for a large share of total sales (46%).
• Non traditional forms of partnership also represent a strong and growing share of total revenue, with media
companies (26%), influencers (14%) and brand-to-brand partnerships (9%) now accounting for 49% of the total.
PARTNER CLASSES THAT DRIVE REVENUE
Which types of partners drive the most revenue/conversions to your business?
Traditional
Partners
(e.g. Loyalty
Communities,
Cashback and
Coupon Sites)
Major
Consumer
Brands
(e.g. Coca-Cola,
McDonalds,
Levi’s, Zara)
36% 9% 26% 14% 5% 10%
Media
Companies
(Disney, Fox/
News Corp,
Seven West
Media)
Influencers &
Celebrities
(e.g. Selena
Gomez, Jamie
Oliver, Oprah
Winfrey)
Niche Content
Publishers
(e.g. Parenting
Blogs, Wedding
Blogs, Food &
Wine Blogs)
Long-Tail
Partners
(e.g. Small
Websites and
Blogs)
14Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

16. • Just over half (52%) of the brand leaders surveyed say they work with an affiliate network to manage partnerships.
• One third of those (17%) work exclusively with a network.
• 56% work with third party partner management software. of which more than a third (21%) work exclusively
with third-party software.
• The variety of popular management methodologies likely reflects the diverse nature of the forms and structures of
partnerships as well as the relatively young state of the category versus other marketing channels. No approach yet
dominates across partnerships.
NETWORKS AND SOFTWARE
Does your company use any tools or technology for partner management?
We work with a network
(e.g. Commission Junction
or LinkShare)
We work with both
a network and a
third-party software
platform to manage our
partnerships
We work with a third-
party software platform
(e.g. Partnerize or Impact
Radius)
We have developed an
in-house technology
platform to manage our
partnerships
We manage our
partnerships manually
with tools like Excel
17% 35% 21% 16% 11%
15Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

17. • The term affiliate marketing is very
well known among our brand leader
respondents.
• 84% of respondents were familiar
with the term “affiliate marketing”.
• Among the 16% as yet unfamiliar,
figures were higher in regions like
Asia where the affiliate business is in
its nascent stage.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
Are you familiar with the term “affiliate
marketing”?
16Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
Yes 84%
No 16%

18. • There is still no broad consensus among brand leaders about the nomenclature for this industry.
• 79% of respondents view partnership and affiliate as related concepts.
• Most common belief in the industry (41%) is that affiliate is a segment of a larger category of partnership.
• Still an opportunity to clarify industry terminology for many brand leaders that are active in the partnership space.
TERMINOLOGY
My company views “partner marketing” and “affiliate marketing” as:
Two terms that
describe the same
thing
Two terms
that describe
completely
different things
Partner marketing
is a broad category
that includes
affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing
is a broad category
that includes
partner marketing
Don’t know
33% 18% 41% 5% 3%
17Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize

19. Partnerize helps the world’s leading brands build powerful
business partnerships that drive extraordinary business growth.
The Partnerize Partner Management Platform (PMP) is an end-
to-end, SaaS-based solution for forming, managing, analyzing,
and predicting the future results of partner marketing programs
using artificial intelligence. Hundreds of the world’s largest brands
leverage our real-time technology to drive and manage more than
$6B in sales across 214 countries and territories worldwide.
For more information, visit partnerize.com
WBR Digital connects solution providers to their target audiences
with year-round online branding and engagement lead generation
campaigns. We are a team of content specialists, marketers, and
advisors with a passion for powerful marketing. We believe in
demand generation with a creative twist. We believe in the power
of content to engage audiences. And we believe in campaigns that
deliver results.
For more information, visit digital.wbresearch.com
ABOUT PARTNERIZE
18Partnerize: The State and Future of Partnerships Global Survey | Developed and Produced by Partnerize
ABOUT WBR RESEARCH

20. T H E P O W E R O F P A R T N E R S H I P