M.J. Bale

M.J. Bale: Unearthing true potential

For those with only 30 seconds, this is what we achieved:

YoY, we:

• Increased channel revenue by 185%
• Increased active upper-funnel partnerships by 70%
• Increased transactions by 384%

Who is the client and why did they come to us?

Client: M.J. Bale
Industry: Fashion
Territory focus: APAC

M.J. Bale is a premium male fashion brand, producing clothes with integrity for men with character. Official sponsor of the Australian test cricket team and the Wallabies and with 59 stores across Australia, M.J. Bale is a renowned Australian brand.

The brand’s affiliate channel performance was not hitting its targets, and channel revenue was concentrated on a small group of publishers at the bottom of the funnel. The brand needed to broaden its affiliate and partner mix to unlock real, continued channel growth. In addition to this, the brand had recently migrated affiliate activity to a software as a service (SaaS) platform, but wasn’t fully taking advantage of the advanced platform functionality.

M.J. Bale believed affiliates could be a key driver for the business, and wanted a partner to help them realise their channel potential.

We needed to:

• Diversify partner mix and build awareness across the customer journey.
• Improve channel contribution and increase “healthy” out-of-sale channel performance.
• Leverage advanced functionality from SaaS platform.

So, what did we do?

Strategic
We conducted a critical review of the existing program activity to ensure maximum impact. This allowed the highest impact items to be identified and a roadmap created to elevate channel performance. To improve channel performance, we focused on four key pillars: brand fit, campaign reach, optimisation and technology.

Brand fit
The audit identified several publishers on the program that did not align with brand values, whether this was through their messaging, promotional methods or strategy. Team Silverbean reviewed and worked with publishers on an individual basis to ensure brand compliance. Where this could not be secured, we removed publishers from the program.

Campaign reach
We tiered publisher recruitment according to size, impact and customer journey stage. This approach ensured there was an even-spread of publishers telling a consistent brand story across the customer journey.

Optimisation
Engaging with publishers on an individual basis, Silverbean secured premium placements, cost-effectively, with some of the largest publishers in Australia.

Technology
We worked with the M.J. Bale merchandise team to identify wider business objectives and how the brand’s SaaS platform could be used to support this. Through this, we developed a strategy to incentivise sales on overstock items without discounting the products.

What were the results?

Before Silverbean management, channel performance was down 24% YoY.

Using our Partnership Progression Model, we addressed the highest impact gaps within the program. We increased YoY channel revenue by 55% within the first 100 days – and that was even with the removal of low quality sites. But we didn’t stop there. Through working closely with the team at M.J. Bale to understand business priorities and areas for growth within their program, we have consistently driven their program forward.

We focused on increasing visibility across the publisher journey and optimising relationships with publishers on an individual basis to improve performance and profitability. By adopting this approach, we have improved performance at an individual partner level, optimising individual partnerships to maximise the performance from each. Overall, we increased channel revenue by 185% YoY and increased active upper-funnel partnerships by 70% through broadening the brand’s affiliate mix. This, much healthier mix resulted in a 384% increase in transactions.

In addition, we aligned with wider business objectives to support clearance of excess stock, which drove exceptional results: an 743% uplift in target SKU sales without the need for product sales. Through this consistent progression, the channel has now completely transformed, driving more revenue from more reputable partners, and is considered a key component in M.J. Bale’s marketing strategy.