Overview:
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Borders Group, Inc., is a publicly held company with 2009 consolidated sales of $2.8 billion. Throughout more than 650 stores, Borders helps people create richer and more satisfying lives through knowledge and entertainment. Borders’ customers enjoy the books, music, movies, and other entertainment items they love in a relaxing, enjoyable atmosphere.
Objective:
Grow and expanding the affiliate program for a year-over-year increase in revenue and profit.
Challenge:
Borders faced intense competition in the affiliate space from multiple competitors that were very active on publisher websites and had established relationships with those publishers, creating a barrier to entry for Borders.
Strategy:
Anvil began by conducting a full end-to-end audit of Borders’ affiliate program, including detailed competitive analysis. Anvil then worked with Borders to revamp their publisher terms and conditions in order to position their program more competitively while simultaneously strengthening relationships with top publishers, which led to successfully negotiating premium site placement and media buys on top affiliate sites. Moreover, Anvil outlined and targeted cutting-edge publisher business models centering on social media integration, incentive programs and virtual currency.
Results:
34% increase in revenue year-over-year from Borders’ affiliate program, 1,400% ROI maintained and achieved first ever $2 million month.