Written by Brook Schaaf
We here at FMTC have been schema-ing. We are migrating our database structure to multiple new tables to better aggregate, store, query, and distribute larger datasets. One particular change we’re implementing is separating domains (Merchant.com) from companies (Merchant, Inc.) from networks. Together, a domain, company, and network tracking solution make a program.
With many-to-many relationships, one company can have multiple domains (say, countries) and programs (two or more programs on one network or multiple programs on multiple networks).
This crisp, clean structure has just one hang-up: the term “network” has become dated because there are now so many types.
- Impact refers to itself as a “Partnership Management Platform”
- Everflow as the “All-in-One Smarter Partner Marketing and Tracking Platform”
- Partnerize as a “Partnership Software & Services Solution” or “Partnership Management Solution”
- CAKE as an “Affiliate Marketing Solution”
- TUNE as a “Platform for the Performance Ecosystem”
*Some of the above companies can also support white-label networks.
Traditional networks like ShareASale, CJ, Awin, and Rakuten still use the term “network,” but others, like CPC networks (Ad.net, Connexity), seller networks (Levanta, PartnerBoost), influencer networks (LTK, ShopMy), or referral platforms (FriendBuy), reflect broader functionality. Sub-affiliate networks, such as Sovrn and Skimlinks, further complicate this landscape.
These aren’t just marketing terms. Pricing and functionality vary. The traditional network model is setup plus override on revenue or commission. Sub-networks charge a revenue share. There is also SaaS pricing, though you may have to cut your own checks to partners.
I’ve posted on socials and chatted at happy hours and no one has come up with the perfect term to encompass these platforms. Jason Hulott with Speedie Consultants Limited posted a clever formula on LinkedIn:
- platform + affiliates = network
- platform – affiliates = platform
I think this is about right – but we still need an umbrella term.
Here is my humble submission: a “Program Platform,” as in a technology platform that hosts programs. The elegance of this is that it covers any type of technology and any nature of program – affiliate, influencer, referral, ambassador, etc. – on any technology platform (third-party or proprietary). It is adjacent to but distinct from an Ad Platform, with which it competes for ad dollars, and again from a Publishing or Social Media Platform.
Yes, it’s an unfamiliar joining of two familiar words, which is a touch awkward. No, I don’t expect this to catch on, except for in certain use cases, like FMTC’s. Should it be pleasing, you are most welcome to use it.
Should it not please you, we welcome you to submit an alternative suggestion. Should we accept it, we’ll pay $500. Seriously. See the terms below.
Submission Details
- Deadline: Friday, January 31 at 5:00 pm Central Time
- Submission Terms: Submissions accepted at FMTC’s sole discretion. $500 prize will be split equally among any individuals who happen to submit the same term. One entry per person.
Program Platforms