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I logged into Amazon on Black Friday expecting deals. Instead, everything in my cart had gone up in price. Annoying, sure, but also a reminder of how chaotic BFCM really is. Prices move, “discounts” aren’t always real, and customers are hit with noise from every direction. As marketers, especially in affiliate and partner marketing, this is the weekend that exposes whether our strategies are built for how people actually shop or just how we hope they will. The brands that win aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones that cut through chaos by reducing friction and staying grounded in real behavior, not ideal scenarios.

Launching a new affiliate program means diving into a brand’s existing tech stack, which can feel overwhelming at first. I used to resist learning new tools, but once I saw how platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce drove efficiency, my perspective changed. Forcing a brand to adopt your tools only adds complexity. Adapting to their stack not only makes you more effective, it makes you indispensable,

I launched Dovetail Partnerships to offer contract-based affiliate and partner marketing services after 14 years in the industry. Learn why I left full-time work, how contract consulting creates more freedom and income stability, and what this shift means for the brands I support.

Direct-to-consumer and B2B affiliate programs work differently. This post explains why your partner strategy should reflect your business model, not someone else’s.

ChatGPT is expected to launch native checkout features. This post explores how that could impact affiliate marketing, tracking, attribution, and partner strategy.