What was our solution?
With a mature programme, the focus for Silverbean wasn’t on fixing underperformance; it was on unlocking new growth by approaching things differently. The team needed to explore alternative routes to success that extended beyond the usual mix of partners and placements, while maintaining the stability of a long-running, high-performing affiliate channel.
The starting point was a thorough evaluation of the existing partner landscape. Silverbean used a combination of Affluent reporting and internal agency gap analysis to identify areas where the programme could evolve. The analysis highlighted a clear opportunity: while Graham and Green had already onboarded and optimised with the majority of traditional affiliate partners, there was untapped potential in newer or emerging publisher types, particularly content and influencer-led partners that had previously been deprioritised.
Rebuilding the partner mix
Armed with these insights, the team began building a more diversified partner strategy. This involved two key workstreams running in parallel:
- Optimising performance with existing partners, particularly those showing signs of untapped growth.
- Identifying and onboarding new partners who could offer either new reach, new audiences or different content formats.
Within the existing programme, Silverbean focused on nurturing relationships with long-standing partners that had previously flown under the radar. For example, Collinson was re-engaged through proactive communication and more targeted promotional planning. Similarly, placements and exposure with partners across the whole affiliate mix, including closed user groups, cashback, voucher, subnetworks and loyalty partners were revisited and optimised.
At the same time, the team sought out high-potential new partners that aligned with Graham and Green’s brand positioning. This included three subnetwork partners. These partners represented a new direction for the programme, often falling outside the traditional cashback/voucher model, and were selected for their ability to bring in fresh audiences or operate in newer spaces like influencer aggregation and content commerce.
Importantly, all new partnerships were approached strategically. Each partner was vetted through forecast modelling to assess their potential value and ensure commercial alignment before being onboarded
Restoring traffic and visibility
Silverbean also addressed a gap in top-of-funnel activity. In earlier phases of the programme, some traffic driving partners had been removed due to low last-click attribution, leading to a decline in visibility and reach. The team recognised the need to reintroduce partners that could support awareness, engagement and discovery. Even if they weren’t traditional last-click performers.
This involved re-engaging with content-focused platforms and exploring newer partnership models that offered hybrid exposure, balancing brand presence with measurable outcomes. These changes helped rebuild upper-funnel performance and diversified the types of customer journeys being captured across the programme.
Crucially, this shift stemmed from Graham and Green’s renewed internal focus on brand perception, ensuring the business is positioned as the luxury retailer it is. With this strategic direction in place, Silverbean worked closely with the team to align on priorities, onboarding more content partners and moving away from discount publishers, while ensuring all activity supported longer-term growth beyond short-term ROI.
Introducing structure, testing and momentum
To maintain consistent progress, Silverbean implemented a structured approach to programme development. Monthly revenue growth targets were set and testing frameworks were introduced to explore different partner types, commercial models and activation timings.
The team worked in close collaboration with their new point of contact at Graham and Green, who brought fresh energy and openness to trying new ideas. This relationship allowed Silverbean to take a more agile approach, testing and learning at pace while maintaining clear visibility on what was working and where to focus next.
Through a mix of targeted optimisation, thoughtful diversification and ongoing testing, Silverbean laid the groundwork for sustainable programme growth, creating the conditions for a new wave of affiliate performance beyond the typical tactics.
