Affiliate Roundup: Target Revamps Creator Strategy, Google Tests AI Licensing, FTC Challenges Amazon Ad Auctions, & More

This week in FMTC’s Affiliate Roundup: Target revamped its creator strategy with LTK. Google is testing “pay-per-value” licensing for AI content. The FTC is challenging Amazon’s ad auction model.

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• Retail media is facing growing scrutiny over whether it drives incremental sales or simply takes credit for purchases that would have happened anyway.

• Brands are increasingly turning to Reddit to reach highly engaged communities, but earning users’ trust requires authentic participation rather than traditional advertising tactics. 

• Telegram is gaining attention as an affiliate marketing channel, offering direct subscriber reach without an algorithm while making accurate click and conversion tracking essential. 

• Target revamped its creator strategy with LTK as affiliate marketing is projected to drive $241 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales this year.

• Google is testing a “pay-per-value” AI licensing program that compensates publishers when their content contributes to AI-generated answers, though how payouts are calculated remains largely a black box.  

• The FTC is challenging Amazon’s ad auction model, putting ad tech auction practices under a fresh regulatory spotlight.