With the introduction of the Brand Directory, Network Partners may now browse brands that are on the TUNE Network and request to connect with those brands, and, in turn, brands can then share offers with the Network Partner. Client-facing video overview:
Brand Directory
Network Partners may access the Brand Directory by clicking on the “TUNE Network” menu item in the left nav bar in the Partner Interface.
The Brand Directory displays all TUNE clients that have opted into the TUNE Network and are willing to field relationship requests from Network Partners.
Partners may filter brands by category/brand vertical. Clicking on a brand will reveal a description provided by the brand, the brand’s website, and an email address provided by the brand.
When interviewing Network Partners, they communicated the need to vet a brand before an offer is set up and accepted. Network Partners are looking to understand the following:
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Whether the brand can take on the potential traffic volume (and subsequent payout) that larger Network Partners can drive.
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Whether the brand’s products and services are a good fit for the partner’s audience.
The email address allows the partner and brand to connect and determine a good fit as needed. Once a good fit is established, the brand and partner can work through terms and offer parameters.
Feature Flags: The brand directory may be enabled in a Network Partner account using the CORE1104_TUNENETWORK_DIRECTORY feature flag.
Brands Opting into the TUNE Network
Brands wishing to work through the TUNE Network may use the opt-in toggle within their account. This may be accessed under the “TUNE Network” menu item and then the “Settings” sub-menu item in the main left nav bar of the admin interface.
Filling in the brand profile and toggling the opt-in switch sets the brand as active on TUNE Network
TUNE Network Brand Profile
The brand may control its profile in the TUNE Network Brand Directory.
The brand can be defined as:
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A description of the brand and its program
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Brand website
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General commission information
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Contact email address (this is the email address Network Partners will use to contact a brand)
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Notification email addresses (this is where notifications such as connection requests from Network Partners will be sent to)
Brands may also hide their profile from the Brand Directory while continuing to work with Network Partners. This addressed a potential scenario where a brand may no longer want to field requests to work with additional Network Partners but want to maintain any existing Network Partner relationships.
Feature Flags: The network opt-in, brand profile, and connection request pages may be enabled in a brand account using the CORE_TUNE_NETWORK feature flag.
Network Partners Connecting with Brands
Network Partners may request to work with a brand by clicking the “Request Connection” button on the brand profile within the Brand Directory. Once this step is complete, the brand must approve the connection. (The partner may also cancel the request.)
The partner can also see which brands they have an active connection with.
Brands Manage Network Partner Connection Requests
When a Network Partner requests to connect with a brand, the brand can accept or deny those requests from the admin interface. By accessing the “TUNE Network” left nav item and the “Partner Requests” sub-menu item, the brand can see incoming connection requests from partners, established connections with Network Partners, and rejected connection requests. The brand may also terminate a connection. Terminating a connection removes all offers from the Network Partner account.
Note: While offers will no longer appear in the Network Partner account, tracking links remain active, and partners can continue to drive traffic to the offer until the brand removes partner access from the offer, or removes the offer from an active state.
Once a brand accepts a partner connection request, the brand can then share an offer with the partner.
Brands Sharing Offers
When a brand has enabled the TUNE Network feature, it will have a new setting on the offer details view in the admin interface that allows the brand to share an offer with TUNE Network.
Checking the box makes the offer available to partners on the TUNE Network. At this point, the offer behaves as it would for any partner type. The brand may approve or deny the Network Partner access to the offer, create partner-specific payouts, etc. All offer features will function for Network Partners just as they will for direct partners.
Brand Onboarding
Once a brand agrees to join TUNE Network and be listed in the Brand Directory, the CORE_TUNE_NETWORK feature flag may be enabled for their account. This will display the “TUNE Network” menu item in the left nav and give the brand access to the network opt-in toggle, the brand profile, and the connection request page. The general order of operations:
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Brand agrees to participate in the TUNE Network
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Feature flag is enabled for the brand
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Brand fills out the Brand Directory profile and toggles the network opt-in switch. (Alternatively, a TUNE employee may complete this step as needed.)
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Brands can then proactively share offers with the network or wait to share offers with a specific Network Partner once a connection has been made.
At this point, offers are not visible within the Brand Directory. Offers are only visible on the Network Partner offers list in the Partner Interface once a brand has approved a connection with a Network Partner.
Expectations and Next Steps
At this point, the brand may receive a connection request from a Network Partner. These requests are visible from the “Partner Requests” page under the TUNE Network left nav item. At this time, notifications are not implemented, so the brand should check this page for new requests regularly.
The more likely scenario is the Network Partner reaching out to the brand through their brand profile email address before or simultaneously requesting to connect through the application.
Once the brand accepts a connection, the Network Partner will appear in the brand’s list of partners, and the brand may grant the partner access to offers. At this point, the offer process is automated, and the offer will automatically appear in the Network Partner’s offer list in the Partner Interface.
It may take up to several minutes for the offer to appear in the Network Partner account. However, changes to the offer will appear in real-time.