The Partnership Economy

Preface

How Modern Partnerships Were Born

Let's start with the end. The genesis—and rise—of the modern partnership economy came about as digital advertising imploded with the proliferation of email spam, unwanted pop-up ads, takeovers, intrusive retargeting, autoplay video ads, and other aggressive advertising tactics that have outright disregarded the consumer experience.

When information about products and services was scarce, consumers relied on advertising to fill their information gaps. But as the internet matured, search engines improved, and publishing became more democratized, consumers began to have a disruptive alternative to advertising: they could seek out the information on their own. Influencers, large publishers, bloggers, and even businesses, all with deeper, more authentic connections with consumers than before, served as guides that provided more information and trust than advertising ever could. They generated content that they knew their audiences would love—content that advised, informed, compared, reviewed, or recommended the products and services they felt would connect well with their audiences.

In addition to the shift in consumer behavior, Big Tech's action made the situation worse, agglomerating 90 percent of all new digital ad spend and then clamping down on digital advertising with privacy updates that eviscerated the ability to target, track, and measure display and mobile ads outside of their walled gardens. The writing was on the wall, and advertisers ...