Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing program, where an external partner is rewarded a commission for delivering a specific result to a merchant or advertiser. The result is often a valid sale, however it can also be a completed lead form, a new free trial user, or even a new newsletter subscriber.

Although the first affiliate program was developed in 1994, Amazon's Associates Program (launched in 1996) is most often recognized as the longest running program and as the model for others to follow.

As ecommerce has grown over the years, so too has the affiliate space. So much so that it's now incorporated into the marketing strategy of top Fortune 500 companies like Apple, Macy's, and Target.

Despite all this, affiliate marketing has been plagued with a bad reputation in the past.

Is affiliate marketing real?