Love ThiRobot – the iRobot Affiliate Marketing Program

Affiliate marketing success, built on converting affiliates into motivated advocates

Challenges

1. Generate awarenessof the iRobot brand by educating affiliates and consumers to create brand ambassadors and increase online exposure and ensuring affiliate communications stay consistent with complementary marketing channels
2. Grow sales from the affiliate marketing channel, particularly in the fourth quarter
3. Find creative affiliate marketing solutions to lend support to iRobot’s overall merchandising goals

Solutions

1. To promote the iRobot brand and raise awareness:
   • iRobot created word of mouth through Google Affiliate Network (formerly DoubleClick Performics) by targeting bloggers, affiliates known to generate buzz, product reviewers and other influential sites, giving the products to select influencers as a way to create excitement. They also educated affiliates about the many different product categories and user groups in which its products could be marketed successfully through one on one conversations and communications.
   • Google Affiliate Network incorporated offline messages, creative and promotions into the affiliate channel advertisements and promotions whenever appropriate.
2. Tap into the home electronics craze by targeting busy home owners – the “CEO of the household” – and capitalize on increased brand awareness of affiliates and consumers.
3. Google Affiliate Network and iRobot worked together to establish processes to quickly and effectively manage various inventory issues and handle other unique merchandising requests; they also recruited online partners outside of the typical affiliate model that could still be engaged on a performance basis as needed.

Results

1. Gained awareness
   • iRobot successfully got affiliates to use and advocate its products, turning many affiliates and consumers into brand ambassadors and creating excitement for the brand and its products.
   • Google Affiliate Network assimilated consistent messages into iRobot’s affiliate promotions that resonated consistently with the company’s complementary marketing channels.
2. Grew sales more than tenfold from Q4 2005 to Q4 2006
3. Met unique goals - Google Affiliate Network successfully accommodated iRobot’s special merchandising requests. In one instance, iRobot wanted to sell refurbished Roomba floor vacs and through Google Affiliate Network publisher, Woot.com, iRobot sold the units within a few hours.