Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising is Rakuten's affiliate marketing service provider, formerly operating under the Rakuten Marketing and Rakuten Affiliate Network names.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Rakuten Advertising is an affiliate marketing service provider associated with Rakuten Group, the Japanese technology and internet-services conglomerate. The business traces its corporate lineage to LinkShare, a U.S. affiliate-marketing company acquired by Rakuten in 2005. The acquisition brought LinkShare into Rakuten as a wholly owned U.S. division and gave Rakuten an established platform for connecting advertisers with publishers and other performance-marketing partners. Affiliate marketing is a performance-based form of digital advertising in which publishers, content businesses, loyalty platforms, and other partners promote an advertiser's products or services and receive compensation when tracked actions—such as sales or qualified leads—occur. Within this model, a service provider typically supplies the network infrastructure, partner relationships, tracking, reporting, payment administration, and campaign-management capabilities required by advertisers and publishers. The available reference material identifies Rakuten Advertising as an affiliate marketing service provider but does not provide a detailed current product catalog, geographic breakdown, financial results, or executive roster. The business changed names as Rakuten consolidated its international marketing activities. In 2014, Rakuten LinkShare was rebranded as Rakuten Affiliate Network. It later operated as Rakuten Marketing, before receiving its current Rakuten Advertising name in 2020. These changes reflected the broader use of the Rakuten brand and the positioning of the business as part of Rakuten's wider digital-commerce and advertising ecosystem. Rakuten Advertising's principal role within the Rakuten group is therefore business-to-business marketing infrastructure rather than a consumer product brand. Its customers and partners are advertisers seeking measurable customer acquisition and publishers seeking monetization opportunities. The company is distinct from Rakuten's consumer marketplace, financial-services, communications, and media businesses, although it benefits from the broader Rakuten corporate identity and ecosystem. Publicly available reference material supplied for this entry is limited. It confirms the LinkShare acquisition, the 2014 rebranding to Rakuten Affiliate Network, and the 2020 transition from Rakuten Marketing to Rakuten Advertising. It does not establish a separate founding year for the current brand, identify current or former executives, report revenue or other financial metrics, or document specific campaigns, scandals, product launches, or market exits. Accordingly, those fields are left empty where the evidence does not support a reliable statement.
History
Rakuten Advertising's history is rooted in LinkShare, a U.S. affiliate-marketing business that became part of Rakuten through a 2005 acquisition. Rakuten paid US$425 million in cash for LinkShare, turning it into a wholly owned U.S. division of Rakuten, Inc., then known primarily as a Japanese shopping-portal company. The transaction expanded Rakuten's presence in digital advertising and gave the group an established affiliate-marketing operation outside Japan. The acquired business operated in a sector built around measurable partnerships between advertisers and publishers. Rather than relying solely on conventional media placement, affiliate marketing uses tracked referrals and outcome-based compensation. Networks such as LinkShare provide the technical and commercial framework for these relationships, including partner discovery, tracking, reporting, and transaction administration. The supplied reference does not provide a detailed account of LinkShare's pre-acquisition founding or management, so those historical details are not stated here. Rakuten subsequently brought the business closer to its corporate identity through a series of name changes. In 2014, Rakuten LinkShare was rebranded as Rakuten Affiliate Network. This marked a move away from the standalone LinkShare identity and emphasized the relationship with Rakuten while retaining the company's focus on affiliate partnerships. The operation later used the Rakuten Marketing name. In 2020, Rakuten Marketing was renamed Rakuten Advertising. The latest rebrand positioned the business as a broader advertising and performance-marketing service under the Rakuten name, while preserving its core identity as an affiliate marketing service provider. The available sources do not document a separate incorporation date for Rakuten Advertising as a current brand, a change in ownership after the 2005 acquisition, detailed product generations, named advertising campaigns, or a comprehensive list of executives. The verifiable history therefore consists primarily of the LinkShare acquisition and the subsequent 2014 and 2020 brand transitions.
- 2020
Rakuten Marketing becomes Rakuten Advertising
[1]The business changed its name from Rakuten Marketing to Rakuten Advertising.
- 2014
LinkShare adopts the Rakuten Affiliate Network name
[1]Rakuten LinkShare was rebranded as Rakuten Affiliate Network, bringing the affiliate-marketing business more closely under the Rakuten brand.
- 2005
Rakuten acquires LinkShare
[1]Rakuten acquired LinkShare for US$425 million in cash and made it a wholly owned U.S. division of Rakuten, Inc.
Products and positioning
A Rakuten-branded business-to-business affiliate and performance-marketing service provider connecting advertisers with publishers and other marketing partners.
Affiliate marketing
Rakuten Advertising affiliate marketing services
Rakuten Advertising provides affiliate marketing services that support relationships between advertisers and publishers. The service is associated with performance-based digital marketing, in which partner activity and resulting customer actions can be tracked for campaign measurement and compensation. The supplied reference identifies the business at this category level but does not document a complete list of named software modules or current service tiers.
Brand decisions
2020
Rebranding as Rakuten AdvertisingStrategyBackground
The affiliate-marketing business had previously operated under the Rakuten Marketing name.
Action taken
Rakuten Marketing was renamed Rakuten Advertising.
Aftermath
The current Rakuten Advertising brand was established for the affiliate and performance-marketing service.
2014
Rebranding as Rakuten Affiliate NetworkStrategyBackground
Rakuten continued consolidating the identity of its affiliate-marketing operation under the corporate brand.
Action taken
Rakuten LinkShare was renamed Rakuten Affiliate Network.
Aftermath
The business continued operating as Rakuten's affiliate-marketing service under a more explicitly Rakuten-branded identity.
2005
Acquisition of LinkShareM&ABackground
Rakuten sought to expand its digital-commerce presence through an established affiliate-marketing operation in the United States.
Action taken
Rakuten purchased LinkShare for US$425 million in cash and made it a wholly owned U.S. division.
Aftermath
LinkShare became part of Rakuten's affiliate-marketing business and was subsequently renamed through Rakuten's later brand transitions.
Acquisition price. US$425 million cash consideration (2005)
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Douugh partners with Rakuten Advertising[3]
Douugh entered an affiliate marketing agreement with Rakuten Advertising, using it as a channel to increase app downloads and customer acquisition. The partnership was to run for 12 months, beginning immediately.
Sam's Club partners with Button and Rakuten Advertising through Reach[4]
Reported:
Sam's Club is working with Button and Rakuten Advertising through Reach, an integration of Button software intended to drive app installs and boost sales and repeat purchases.
Rakuten Advertising appoints Stuart McLennan as APAC senior vice president[5]
Reported:
Rakuten Advertising appointed Stuart McLennan as senior vice president of APAC. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, he was to be based in Singapore for the foreseeable future.
Rakuten launches Rakuten Advertising[6]
Rakuten launched Rakuten Advertising, bringing together performance and data businesses with media properties to offer advertisers and agencies access to audiences, media, content networks and consumer insights.
Sources6 sources
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