Affiliate Marketing Programs For Premium Brands: Finding Success Without Discounts

Rumpl, known for its cozy outdoor blankets, recently announced a new general manager and appears to have shifted to a full-price marketing strategy. If true, they join the ranks of brands like KÜHL, Norrøna, and Canada Goose.

This decision highlights a broader conversation in the world of affiliate marketing—one often dominated by discount-driven strategies.

Affiliate marketing has long been known as a discount channel littered with sketchy coupon sites luring in customers with inaccurate and expired offers.   We fully acknowledge these websites exist, but with manual application processing you have full control over publishers promoting your brand.   Deal and discount publishers are one piece to this thousand piece jigsaw puzzle.    

With all of this in mind, can affiliate marketing programs for premium brands offer success without discounts?

Here’s what you’re up against as a full-priced brand:

• 62% of US consumers actively search and use promo codes, discounts, or coupons when making online purchases.
• Over 20% of online shoppers will only purchase if there’s a code available. 

Successful affiliate marketing programs for premium brands utilize these strategies

Out of the gates your target audience will be smaller than similar brands that do offer discounts, but there’s still a path forward to succeed in this channel.   You can level the scales by:

1. Partnering with select Loyalty publishers.  Offering cash back, points, or miles is very different than offering product discounts.  These publishers split up the commission you offer with their members/customers.   For example, if you offer a 10% commission, 5% goes to the publisher and the other 5% goes to the customer (no discounts.)  
2. Implement a robust content strategy with large media publications, endemic midsize bloggers and content creators (Youtube and Instagram.)  Invest in content that attracts new customers at the top of the funnel.  Seed your products to content creators for reviews.
3. Using strong value propositions in your marketing.  Give customers a reason to buy beyond the discount.
4. Getting creative by offering non-discount offers, like gifts with purchase or giveaways.
5. Making sure your vendor partners adhere to MAP pricing.   If D2C is full price, but vendor partners are discounting your brand, it will kill your D2C sales.

Breaking free from the discount-driven model in affiliate marketing isn’t without its challenges, but it’s far from impossible. By strategically partnering with loyalty publishers, investing in content, and reinforcing strong value propositions, full-price brands can carve out a successful presence in the channel. The key is to shift the focus from price-driven incentives to long-term brand loyalty, quality storytelling, and unique customer experiences.