2026 Silver Winner
Optimise X Santander: Scaling Sales Without Compromise: Growth, Quality and Profitability Through Affiliate Innovation
The Challenge
Santander entered 2025 with substantial growth targets and a crowded market working against them. Credit Cards and Current Accounts required sustained YoY growth, new products needed a reliable go-to-market plan, and rival banks were flooding the market with aggressive switcher incentives and cashback offers. Meanwhile, Santander was preparing to relaunch savings products amid unpredictable interest rates.
The Strategy
With Partners and tracking capabilities needing to be deployed at pace, Santander and Optimise led with a sophisticated, agile approach, one that could improve data accuracy, respond in real time to market shifts, and deploy unique incentives with precision and control.
Execution and Innovation
Santander and Optimise deployed the full affiliate optimisation arsenal — advanced S2S tracking, fintech-led pre-approval journeys, exclusive incentive-led offers and smart commercials — all activated with agility to drive conversion quality and respond dynamically to a fast-moving competitive landscape.
The Results
Acquisition targets were exceeded. The strongest-ever performance from affiliate-led incentives was achieved, alongside record-breaking sales volumes in a single 24-hour period.
Judge's Verdict
"Rigorous objective-setting, genuine technical sophistication, and excellent client-agency collaboration, highly impressive affiliate management at scale."
"Record conversions that secured significant additional internal investment, a standout programme within a competitive category."
Thanks to our 2026 sponsors
Adtraction is a leading partner marketing platform that helps brands across Europe increase their sales at a predictable cost, while enabling partners to monetise their content and traffic. The company works with brands across multiple industries, ranging from e-commerce to financial services. With a user-friendly platform, Adtraction connects brands with a diverse range of marketing partners, from influencers and media houses to apps, tech platforms and comparison sites. The company was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in 12 countries across Europe.
Agenica builds AI marketing employees for brands and media agencies. Unlike generic LLMs, Agenica employees operates on live competitive activity—ads, creative and channel signals, plus a company’s internal KPIs and decision frameworks. It converts that into role-specific recommendations and ready to use briefs: what changed, why it matters, and what to do next.
Atolls helps millions of consumers make smart spending decisions online. These consumers engage with our shopping destinations, including Hotukdeals and over 40 other deal communities, cashback platforms, and coupon sites, throughout their purchase journeys. We enable advertisers to engage with high-intent audiences when and where it matters the most.
Blue Light Card is the UK’s number one discount service for emergency services, NHS, social care workers and armed forces.
With more than three million members across the UK, Blue Light Card works with over 16,500 partners including the likes of Spotify, Toby Carvery, Hotels.com, Cineworld, Sky, EE and Halfords, providing savings, discounts and benefits that often aren’t available to the general public. In 2022 alone, Blue Light Card holders saved over £250 million on everything from holidays and days out to groceries and utilities.
Membership to Blue Light Card for access to all online deals and discounts is quick and easy by registering online at www.bluelightcard.co.uk. A card costs £4.99 and is valid for two years.
There for those that are there for all of us.
Partnerize is the only partnership management solution powering growth for marketers seeking high-quality, scalable subsidies to primary channels through end-to-end software & comprehensive service. Partnerize joined forces with Pepperjam and Brandverity to establish the leading global solutions provider for affiliate marketing and partner automation including brand monitoring and compliance. Partnerize serves 1,800 enterprise and mid-market clients worldwide, driving more than $10B in transactions via their relationships with an ecosystem of 750,000+ partners, including 250,000+ influencers. Partnerize services clients across industries including retail/e-commerce, D2C, travel, finance, telecom, subscriptions and gaming.
The #1 CSS partner for peak performance.
Redbrain is a UK-based CSS partner dedicated to helping online retailers unlock incremental sales by getting their products in front of high-intent shoppers. Founded in 2016 and now recognised as Europe’s #1 Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) partner by volume, we combine advanced AI-driven technology with hands-on expertise to drive billions in additional sales on a CPA basis. We work as an extension of our partners teams, enhancing product visibility across Google Shopping, Microsoft Ads and leading price comparison sites. At Redbrain, we’re focused on transparent, measurable growth that complements existing marketing strategies and maximises ROAS.