intent.ly Live! 2025: Connection, creativity and performance
Looking back at our third intent.ly Live!, held in London’s Canary Wharf on 1st October, we explored what truly makes advertising effective in today’s landscape. From iconic campaigns of the past to the rise of AI-driven optimisation, the event examined the delicate balance between creativity, human insight, and data.
Bringing together brands, agencies, and networks from across the performance and affiliate marketing ecosystem, we explored why heuristics shape memorability, why Gen Z demand storytelling over selling, and how imagination and artificial intelligence can work hand in hand. Here’s a look back at some of the key lessons and inspiring speaker highlights.
Setting the Theme: Selling the Spectacle
Opening with an energising keynote, Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer at System1, brought history, science and art together under the theme of “Selling the Spectacle.” Taking us back to 19th-century Paris and the high-kicking can-can dancers of the Moulin Rouge, Orlando detailed the symbolic nature of those who captured pure showmanship. “When you look back at the history of mass-reach advertising, you realise that the show and art were at its origins, and also the heart of its effectiveness.” Captured in brightly coloured posters by artists of the time, their performances and the artworks that followed, boosted the Moulin Rouge and it’s dancers into fame. “These artists, these performers were the influencers of their day and the advertising poster was their TikTok.”
From here, advertising grew from artful expression into measurable performance. Early 20th-century manufacturers began testing which versions of their mail-order ads drove the most responses, in the first form of A/B testing. This marked the beginning of two schools of advertising:
- Showmanship: The emotionally rich, attention-capturing style that draws people in.
- Salesmanship: The rational, message-driven approach that nudges consumers toward action.
The emotional connection created by performance-based advertising drives long-term engagement. As Orlando put it, “Showmanship makes your salesmanship work harder.” This is no simple hypothesis – neuroscience backs this up; while the right hemisphere of the brain responds to stories, characters and emotion, the left hemisphere focuses narrowly on information and direct messaging. Great marketing speaks to both, but it’s the showmanship – the creativity, humanity and story – that sparks attention in the first place.
In an age of data, efficiency and automation, marketers can’t afford to lose their sense of spectacle. Emotion and imagination remain central to how marketing connects and endures.
State of the Industry: The Great Affiliate Reset
Kevin Edwards, founder of The Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association (APMA), shared insights from their latest Publisher and Advertiser surveys, proving how the channel thrives on collaboration, trust, and adaptability. But, as he noted, “to tackle 2026 with confidence, the channel needs a reset – one that turns our fragmented ecosystem into a focused machine.”
While publishers and brands may have different priorities, both are ultimately striving for the same goals. Edwards identified three key “gaps” the industry must address:
- The Perception Gap: Lack of recognition from senior brand marketers
Affiliate marketing has outgrown its “niche” status, yet many senior marketers still view it as a tactical or secondary channel rather than a strategic growth driver. Advertisers admit that C-level teams often misunderstand its value, while publishers note that affiliate success rarely gets celebrated alongside flashier channels like TV or retail media. Both sides agree: it’s time to amplify the data – budgets, growth, and optimism – to secure affiliate’s rightful place in the boardroom.
- The Measurement Gap: Shared measurement & storytelling are critical
Advertisers and publishers alike want clearer and more defined data on the positive impact of affiliate marketing – and a shift from justification to confident storytelling around the ROI it delivers. “Our historic way of measuring and reporting is not fit for purpose anymore – we need to be more three-dimensional in how we talk about performance.” The industry’s reliance on last-click CPA overlooks affiliate’s wider influence across the funnel; shared measurement and storytelling are now critical to proving its brand-building power and inspiring broader market adoption.
- The Investment Gap: Affiliate isn’t getting the investment it deserves
Advertisers see affiliate as a full-funnel channel, and publishers recognise that C-suite engagement is vital to unlock bigger budgets. Despite driving around £1 in every £10 of retail revenue – rising to £1 in £8 during Black Friday – affiliate remains underfunded. Closing this gap relies on trust and transparency, from compliance and timely payments to stronger codes of conduct, to build the confidence brands need to invest at the level this high-performing channel deserves.
Hear more results from the APMA surveys live at PI Live Europe, 21-22 October.
Brand Innovation in Action
Our brand partners took the stage to showcase how creativity, data and intent.ly’s smart technology come together in practice:
- Dr. Barbara Sturm revealed how an embedded gift with purchase campaign helped lift AOV by 73% and reduced cart abandonment by 4%, using seamless incentives to enhance loyalty without discounting.
- OPI demonstrated its generative AI-powered SmartChoice campaign, delivering playful, personalised recommendations with a 91% completion rate.
- Hunter Boots shared how a dynamic basket overlay cut abandonment and increased conversions by 35% – a simple reminder of how relevance drives results.
- Hughes Electrical showcased an in-page bundle upsell campaign that increased engagement, AOVs, and streamlined the buying experience for customers.
Each brand credited not just the results, but the partnership and innovation behind them. Equipped with real examples, they demonstrated how collaboration is what fuels performance.
Looking Ahead
intent.ly CMO, Chris Johnson, closed the event by bringing these threads together: creativity, connection and cohesion – and encouraged us to challenge the cult of measurement. His message reminded us that while tools and channels evolve, marketing’s real power lies in understanding people. After all, people buy people.
Thanks again to all our clients and partners for joining us and making the day so memorable – we’ll be sharing more insights from the sessions soon, including how to enhance shopper journeys with A.I. and how to build a career that transcends affiliate marketing.
Read Chris’s blog on “Advertising’s Beige Decade and the Return of Storytelling”.
Patience is intent.ly’s marketing executive, with a passion for creative content marketing and social media strategies.
