15 Years of Clique: Where We’ve Been, Who We Are, and Where We’re Going
Fifteen years ago, in May 2011, Clique Affiliate Marketing opened its doors with a bold idea: that affiliate marketing done right wasn’t about chasing clicks, it was about connecting passionate brands with passionate people. That idea wasn’t just a tagline. It was a bet on a different way of doing business.
That bet has paid off.
Today, as we celebrate 15 years, we’re not just looking back at what we’ve built – we’re leaning forward into what comes next.
It Started With a Backpack and a Vision
Clique’s origin story isn’t your typical affiliate marketing agency founding tale. Founder and CEO Brian Boyd traces his love of the outdoors to a backpacking trip through the Colorado mountains at age five. Decades later, that same passion drove him to take a job as an Affiliate Manager at Backcountry.com, one of the most respected names in outdoor e-commerce – where he honed a content-first approach to performance marketing that was genuinely ahead of its time.
What Brian discovered at Backcountry wasn’t just a marketing strategy. It was a philosophy: find publishers who live and breathe the same culture as your brand, and the results follow. That philosophy became the foundation of Clique.
The People Who Make It What It Is
None of this happens without an exceptional team, and we want to take a moment to recognize the people who have shaped Clique into what it is today.
DD Yanoti, our Senior Affiliate Program Manager, is also celebrating a milestone anniversary with Clique. Having been with the team for five years now, DD has played a role in so much of what we’ve accomplished – from the client relationships she’s built and sustained, to the sharp program strategies she executes every day. She is results-driven, deeply skilled, and genuinely irreplaceable. Clique’s growth over the past several years simply doesn’t happen without her.
The Clients Who Believed in Us
Fifteen years is a long time. The relationships that have endured are the ones we’re most proud of.
Stio has been with Clique from the very beginning. That kind of long-term partnership is built on trust, consistent performance, and a shared commitment to doing things the right way. To the Stio team: thank you for growing with us. We look forward to what the next 15 hold.
Backcountry.com holds a special place in Clique’s story. It’s where Brian started his career in affiliate marketing back in 2007 — learning the ropes, developing his approach, and discovering what a truly great affiliate program could look like. Having Backcountry as a Clique client today is something we don’t take lightly. It’s a full-circle moment that means more to us than we can easily put into words.
And then there’s Darn Tough. Sometimes the best endorsement is the one that comes the hard way. After parting ways in 2018 to explore other options, Darn Tough came back to Clique this year – and we’re thrilled to have them back in the lineup. We’ll let that speak for itself.
The Industry Then and Now
When Clique launched in 2011, affiliate marketing was still fighting to be taken seriously at the boardroom level. Today, it’s a cornerstone of performance marketing strategy for brands across every vertical. The networks have evolved, the data has gotten richer, the publisher ecosystem has exploded – and the brands that win are the ones with a smart, disciplined, relationship-first approach managing their programs.
That’s exactly what we’ve always offered. And our vision continues to grow sharper.
What’s Next For Clique Affiliate Marketing
Fifteen years in, we’re more focused than ever. We’re continuing to deepen our expertise in the outdoor, lifestyle, and direct-to-consumer verticals. We’re investing in the tools, talent, and relationships that keep our clients ahead of the curve. And we’re building toward the next chapter of Clique with the same energy that launched us in the first place.
To our clients, partners, publishers, and team – thank you! This milestone belongs to all of you.
Here’s to the next 15.
— The Clique Team
