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2022 PMA Industry Study Showcases Affiliate's Massive Growth

Aug 4, 2022
Written by CJ

Non-profit trade association, the Performance Marketing Association (PMA), just announced the release of its second industry-wide study that analyzes US affiliate channel marketing spend for the 2021 calendar year.

The 2022 Performance Marketing Industry Study was released on August 2nd and compiles anonymized data from CJ and six other major affiliate networks and platforms, as well as sixteen publishers of different sizes and types. According to the PMA, the data "reflects estimates for the entire industry, including both participating and non-participating networks/platforms and 'house' programs managed by companies using homegrown toolsets."

 

A Concretely Stated Value for Performance Marketing

The PMA released its first-ever industry-wide study, in 2018 with the objective of defining what the then-PMA Board of Directors President, Rachel Honoway called "the one thing that this industry has lacked for decades: a concretely stated value." The study gathered data from CJ and eight other affiliate networks and platforms in what was lauded as "an unprecedented level of cooperation across the industry."

The PMA chose to delay the release of a follow-up study due to "extreme commercial anomalies" during the COVID-19 pandemic and believes that the new 2022 study better reflects the current and ongoing state of the industry. 

 

A Sneak Peek at the 2021 Findings

While the 2018 study was the first of its kind, the 2022 follow-up study allows for exciting data comparisons that truly showcase the growth of the affiliate channel. Christen Evans, PMA Board President, shares, “This important study demonstrates the rapid growth of our industry and the many ways it is expanding to include more industries, publisher types, investors, and marketing objectives.”

Here are a few of the key findings:

  • Total industry spending on programs reached $9.1B, an increase of 47% over the 2018 estimate of $6.2B. That represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.7%.
  • The $9.1B in performance marketing spending drove $71B in ecommerce contribution.
  • The average return on ad spending (ROAS) across all industries was 12:1. 

CJ President, Paul Tibbitt shared his enthusiasm for the study and these exciting growth figures, saying:

“The affiliate channel’s strong growth supports what we see first-hand, namely that the channel—both advertisers and publishers—successfully amplify marketing efforts by putting consumers at the forefront of shopping experiences across all touchpoints. As champions of the channel, CJ is thrilled that this study further validates affiliates’ power and contribution to the broader digital ecosystem, which we’ve always known to be fact.

 

Download the 2022 PMA Study

CJ is proud to play a part in another PMA study that further underscores the value of performance marketing. In addition to the key findings we shared above, the study includes insights on:

  • Total spending by Advertising Sector (Industry)
  • Total Spending by Retail Sector (Category)
  • Total Revenue Contribution by Advertising Sector
  • Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) by Advertising Sector
  • Return on Ad Spending (ROAS) by Retail Sector
  • Channel Investment by Affiliate Type
  • Key Industry Trends

The 2022 Performance Marketing Industry Study is available for download at no charge on the PMA website.

Topics: Industry Updates,
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