Rakuten LinkShare Ranked #1 Affiliate Network for Second Consecutive Year

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rakuten LinkShare today announced it has been ranked the performance marketing industry’s top affiliate network for the second consecutive year. The ranking, based on an annual survey of online advertisers, publishers and agencies, was conducted by media entity mThink.

“Earning this award for the second year in a row further motivates us to continue to lead the industry in ways that will empower advertisers, publishers and agencies to see even stronger results in the future as we strive to maintain our ranking as the number one performance marketing network.”

The survey, known as the “Blue Book,” is an annual ranking that identifies the top 20 performance marketing networks among more than 500 in consideration. With survey participation up more than 40 percent over last year, the 2013 rankings reflect the experiences and opinions of more than 10,000 industry professionals with expertise in affiliate marketing and experience with the leading industry networks.

“Rakuten LinkShare yet again earned the top spot in our rankings based on the survey results as well as the industry feedback from advertisers and publishers that we receive throughout the year regarding their experiences with the network,” said Chris Trayhorn, CEO of mThink.

While the top 20 performance marketing networks are presented by mThink, an external panel of unbiased, third party industry experts that span every aspect of the online marketing community validates the survey results.

“We’re grateful to the industry for honoring and recognizing our commitment to performance marketing and to the success of our partners,” said Yaz Iida, chief executive officer, Rakuten LinkShare. “Earning this award for the second year in a row further motivates us to continue to lead the industry in ways that will empower advertisers, publishers and agencies to see even stronger results in the future as we strive to maintain our ranking as the number one performance marketing network.”

About Rakuten LinkShare Corporation

Rakuten LinkShare provides online retailers and other businesses with expert online marketing services and solutions. Rakuten LinkShare’s affiliate marketing 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 and Avon Products. 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. 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 and partner staff worldwide. For more information, visit http://global.rakuten.com/group.

Additional Resources
Check out the LinkShare Blog
Follow us on Twitter @LinkShareblog