When Kirk Hausman joined BARK as Head of Affiliate Marketing in early 2025, he inherited a defunct affiliate program that wasn’t showcasing the magic of their monthly BarkBox experience. BARK needed a partnership strategy that could visually demonstrate why dogs get excited when they recognize “that’s for me, not another Amazon package.”
The Strategic Solution Working with Impact, BARK rebuilt their program focusing on visual storytelling and smart partner segmentation. The new approach emphasizes showing the unboxing experience – capturing that moment of excitement when a BarkBox arrives and highlighting BARK’s unique toy-within-toy discoveries.
Key program highlights:
- Smart partner segmentation: Organized creators, influencers, content sites, and deal sites into specific subgroups with tailored rates, allowing strategic engagement without revealing all promotions
- Visual-first strategy: Worked with partners to showcase the monthly unboxing experience and BARK’s unique product details that delight both pets and owners
- Promotional excellence: Integrated gift-with-purchase campaigns, so customers always feel they’re getting the best deal through the partnership channel
The results
- BARK’s revitalized affiliate program now successfully recreates the monthly magic across multiple partner channels, helping potential customers understand the unique experience of products designed for both pets and their owners.
- “Being able to segment different types of partners and operate them as their own siloed channels… is super helpful for me to strategically engage with partners when I need them.” – Kirk Hausman, Head of Affiliate Marketing, BARK
