marketing
Your Affiliate Program Is Probably a Margin Tax. Here's Why.
By Ronn Torossian, Founder, 5W Affiliate marketing is now a $20 billion global channel returning $12 to $15 for every dollar invested. It contributes roughly 16% of all U.S. e-commerce sales. By the end of 2026, an estimated 90% of e-commerce businesses will run an affiliate program. And most of those programs will quietly lose money. Not on the P&L. The dashboards will look fine. Last-click...
marketing 12 May 2026
Marketing's Attribution Problem Just Got Worse and Better
By Matt Caiola, CEO, 5W For twenty years, marketing attribution has been an argument with itself. The arrival of AI answer engines has not resolved the argument. It has, in the same gesture, made the problem worse and the solution clearer. The "worse" part first. AI-mediated discovery is, by design, attribution-resistant. When a buyer asks ChatGPT for the best DAM platform for a 5,000-person...
marketing 11 May 2026
Your Affiliate Program Is Probably a Margin Tax. Here's Why.
By Ronn Torossian, Founder, 5W Affiliate marketing is now a $20 billion global channel returning $12 to $15 for every dollar invested. It contributes roughly 16% of all U.S. e-commerce sales. By the end of 2026, an estimated 90% of e-commerce businesses will run an affiliate program. And most of those programs will quietly lose money. Not on the P&L. The dashboards will look fine. Last-click...
marketing 5 May 2026
The Marketing Budget Conversation You Need to Have Before Q3
If your 2026 SEO line item looks like your 2025 SEO line item, you are already behind. Here is the budget-split framework we are using with 5W clients across three company stages.Most marketing budget conversations happen in late summer for the following year. That is too late.The growth curve for AI-referred traffic in 2025, 527% year-over-year in the first five months, is steep enough that a...
marketing 5 May 2026
Why Marketers Must Prepare for the Shift From Search Engines to Answer Engines
For more than two decades, digital marketing strategies have centered around one dominant principle: visibility through search engines. Brands invested heavily in content strategies, keyword rankings, and website optimization to ensure they appeared prominently when consumers searched online. That model is now beginning to change. As artificial intelligence reshapes how users gather information...
marketing 28 Apr 2026
How Consumer Brands Can Stand Out in an Oversaturated Market
Standing out in today’s consumer marketplace has become one of the greatest challenges facing brands. With endless products competing for visibility across retail shelves, ecommerce platforms, and digital channels, consumers are exposed to more options than ever before. The abundance of choice has created an environment where simply offering a strong product is no longer enough to guarantee...
marketing 28 Apr 2026
Why Every Executive Needs a Crisis Communications Strategy
Many executives spend years building their reputations, growing their organizations, and establishing credibility within their industries, yet surprisingly few are fully prepared for the moment that reputation comes under pressure. In today’s business environment, where scrutiny can emerge instantly and spread widely, every executive needs a crisis communications strategy in place before it is...
marketing 28 Apr 2026
The New Rules of Reputation Management in an Always Online World
Brand reputation has never been more visible or more vulnerable. In an environment where consumers can instantly search, review, comment, and share opinions across countless digital channels, reputation is no longer shaped solely by company messaging or media coverage. It is formed continuously through public perception, online discourse, and the digital footprint brands leave behind. As a...
marketing 28 Apr 2026
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