The Guardian Brings The Filter To The U.S. In Affiliate Commerce Push

The Guardian’s “The Filter” is a product recommendation and affiliate commerce platform that essentially gives product recommendations and shopping guides. It publishes reviews and buying guides, highlighting what’s worth purchasing and what to avoid while generating revenue when readers click on affiliate links and make purchases. This allows The Guardian to lean on their editorial trust.

What this means for Irish publishers

If this model turns out to be successful for The Guardian, for news publishers here in Ireland, adopting a similar model could be a smart way to diversify revenue. While a lot of news publishers do already report on products, this model could complement ads and subscriptions with affiliate revenue and “curated product guides”. This could in essence be a way to stand out and provide a competitive edge by focusing on local, Irish made products and retailers while also leaning into their own editorial trust.

What does this mean for advertisers in Ireland

This model could be extremely beneficial for Irish retailers as it could provide them a new way to not only reach new audiences but have their products in trusted environments, both improving brand perception and consumer confidence. Additionally, it is performance based so when a reader clicks through and converts, that is when the advertiser pays, making it easier to measure ROI. Lastly, it offers more insight and information for brands to better understand their audience and plan smarter campaigns across channels.

Could be the next step for news publishers here in Ireland? If The Guardians model is successful, it could be quickly adopted here at home, presenting a new opportunity for retailers.