SEATTLE, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Engen today announced new affiliate client wins, including STAUD, FORA, and Hedley & Bennett, alongside additional engagements spanning apparel and pet care, as the agency expands its affiliate offering for a consumer journey increasingly shaped by AI.
The growth comes as affiliate marketing itself takes on a broader role. Consumers increasingly encounter brands through AI-generated answers, publisher recommendations, creator content, video, and other sources before ever reaching a brand’s website. That shift is expanding affiliate’s role from capturing existing demand to helping brands build visibility and influence earlier in the decision journey.
New Engen has been building its affiliate offering around that shift. The agency is integrating Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) into its affiliate approach to understand which sources are shaping AI-generated answers within a client’s category. AEO audits identify where brands appear, where competitors are gaining visibility, and which publishers and content sources are influencing relevant answers. Those signals then inform affiliate strategy, from publisher recruitment and content development to creator and video opportunities.
“The role of affiliate is expanding,” said Ashley Hill, VP of Affiliate at New Engen. “AI is changing how consumers discover brands, but the publishers, creators, and content that have always made affiliate powerful are increasingly part of that discovery experience. We’re using AEO to understand where influence is happening, then applying those insights to publisher strategy, content, and creator investment so brands can earn visibility earlier in the journey.”
New Engen’s approach connects traditional affiliate expertise with content, creator, media, and AEO. Based on what an audit reveals, teams can develop and optimize affiliate content around relevant consumer questions, prioritize publishers influencing AI answers, or invest in formats such as YouTube creator content that combine discoverability with measurable affiliate performance.
The approach reflects New Engen’s broader view that as automation reshapes marketing, growth increasingly depends on connecting the signals that influence discovery, consideration, and purchase. For affiliate, that means looking beyond the point of conversion to understand how publishers, creators, content, and AI-driven discovery work together, then using those insights to shape where brands invest.
“The zero-click world is changing what affiliate can do for brands,” said Justin Hayashi, CEO of New Engen. “The opportunity goes beyond being present at the point of conversion. Affiliate can help brands build the authority and visibility that put them into consideration earlier, while maintaining the accountability and measurable performance that have always made the channel valuable.”
The new engagements build on New Engen’s established affiliate and partnership marketing business, which expanded through the agency’s acquisition of LT Partners in 2023. Today, affiliate sits alongside New Engen’s creator, creative, media, commerce, and measurement capabilities as part of a connected approach to growth.
About New Engen
New Engen is a creator-led, performance-driven growth agency that connects creative, media, and measurement to help brands grow. Its capabilities span creator marketing, UGC, studio content, affiliate, media, and measurement – all working together through one connected system. For more information, visit newengen.com.
