NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rakuten LinkShare today announced the finalists for the 2013 Golden Link Awards with the winners to be announced at the annual Rakuten LinkShare Symposium New York 2013 event being held June 17-18 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The event brings together more than 600 of the industry’s leading advertisers, publishers and agencies for networking, deal making and educational sessions.
Each year, the Golden Link Awards recognize the most successful and innovative advertisers and publishers in the Rakuten LinkShare network with this year’s ceremony taking place on June 17.
The 2013 Rakuten LinkShare Golden Link Award Finalists include:
- Best New Advertiser: Finish Line, ShoeMall.com
- Best New Publisher: Boomerang, Bargainmoose.ca, Findthebest.com, SHOPCADE, Swagbucks
- Affiliate Manager of the Year (Advertiser): BH Cosmetics, HanesBrands, Magazines.com, Sephora
- Affiliate Manager of the Year (Publisher): Estee Lauder Companies, Mr. Rebates, Polyvore, Shop.com
- Most Innovative (Advertiser or Publisher): McAfee, RetailMeNot, Inc.
- Best Offer Strategy: drugstore, GameStop, Karmaloop, Smashbox
- OPM Agency Of the Year: Gen 3 , OPMPros
- Best International Strategy: Macy's, PopSugar
- Best Lead Generation Advertiser: 1-800-Dentist, Experian (CreditReport.com), EverBank.com
- Best Lead Generation Publisher: Marchex, RetailMeNot, Inc.
- Best Search Marketing Campaign: BCBG, Vera Bradley, Vans, Musicnotes, Samsonite.
- Best Display and Retargeting Campaign: Sephora, Karmaloop, Magazines.com
- Rising Star (Advertiser): CBS Interactive, Kate Somerville, Pearson Education, STYLEBOP.com
- Rising Star (Publisher): Boomerang, DealAm, Ziftr
- Advertiser's Choice: Bagsnob.com, DealAm.com, DealAm, Ebates, Eckim, Offers.com, Polyvore, Mr. Rebates, Shop.com, RetailMeNot, Inc, SurfMyAds, Upromise
- Publisher's Choice: 1-800-FLOWERS.com, AT&T Wireless, The Body Shop, CheapOair, drugstore.com, GameStop, Macy's, Magazines.com, Omaha Steaks, Origins, Puritan's Pride, Finish Line
In addition to the Golden Link Awards, Rakuten LinkShare Symposium New York offers advertisers and publishers hands on training and educational sessions through Rakuten LinkShare Campus being held on June 17. The sessions include guest speakers from the Rakuten LinkShare network and will offer attendees the opportunity to learn from peers who are experts at optimizing and growing affiliate marketing programs.
“Education and training through Rakuten LinkShare Campus is a key part of our strategy to help advertisers and publishers grow their business,” said Deepa Sureka, senior vice president of global service operations at Rakuten LinkShare. “Face-to-face education during our Symposium events serves to complement our online education offerings and allow valuable time for attendees to network with their peers.”
Additional news to be announced at the main event on June 18 will include the results of an in-depth study on consumer behavior across eight countries in relation to affiliate sites and how retailers are using performance marketing to enter new markets. The report is being commissioned by Rakuten LinkShare and is being conducted by Forrester Consulting.
Rakuten LinkShare Symposium New York will close with an after party at The Sky Room in Times Square.
About Rakuten LinkShare Corporation
Rakuten LinkShare Corporation provides online retailers and other businesses with expert online marketing services and solutions. Rakuten LinkShare’s cost per action (CPA) affiliate network, search marketing services, lead generation campaigns and retargeting solutions can acquire new customers, increase revenue and drive overall results while achieving target return on ad spend. Rakuten LinkShare clients are Fortune 500 and other prominent companies doing business online, including J.C. Penney, 1-800-Flowers.com, American Express, Avon Products, and The Body Shop. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, Tampa, London, Tokyo and Sydney. For more information, please visit www.linkshare.com.
About Rakuten
Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), is one of the world’s leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer- and business-focused services including e-commerce, e-reading, travel, banking, securities, credit card, e-money, portal and media, online marketing and professional sports. Selected by Forbes as 7th among the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2012, Rakuten is expanding globally and currently has operations throughout Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas. Founded in 1997, Rakuten is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit http://global.rakuten.com/corp/.
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