Whilst I appreciate iPoints is an affiliate of sorts I was rather hoping to see some of the more traditional affiliates represented. And I know Paul and David have affiliate interests, but I don’t believe they were in attendance wearing their affiliate “hats”.

I would have really liked to have seen Netimperative and Ad.com announcing the roundtable event on the A4U forum and asking for some participation from affiliates. Maybe next time.

Cheers!

As I was at the event, I thought I’d post a couple of comments.

First off, while I get constantly confused which hat I’m wearing, I was there from the viewpoint of both an affiliate and a merchant. Whilst ipoints isn’t the biggest of the bunch, we do six figure sums every month through a combination of the UK networks and various direct deals. David King and Paul Wright also have affiliate interests. I wouldn’t and couldn’t argue that the event wasn’t massively weighted to the networks though, and I think some big merchant interest would have been appreciated also.

The event was open to all, not an invite only, but netimperative is probably not on the reading list of as many affiliates as agencies & networks. I’d agree that Advertising.com could have taken a better lead in inviting some of their own affiliates along though.

PPC bashing is clearly hot news at the moment, as our trade media is increasingly following the national media’s lead in running stories that make good headlines ahead of good business. This is not a good line to be taken by publications that are supposed to inform the country’s marketing decision makers.

I made comments that the networks themselves don’t do enough to promote the measures they take against the rogues and to promote the responsible businesses like yours and ours that in reality create the bulk of the valuable business that AM generates. Tradedoubler have invited us to a similar code of conduct session with others in our sector that the PPC affiliates have already been through, clearly a step in the right direction.

Altogether I came away from the event pleased that I’d seen so many networks in the room together, and that the message about industry self-promotion seems to be getting through, albeit slower than I’d like.

When I started in a direct marketing career over 15 years ago the press was full of stories of junk mails and dodgy timeshare schemes. The DMA has successfully managed to self-regulate and promote the industry since those days. I’d certainly put our weight behind similar effforts for the affiliate marketing sector.

Where do I sign up?

Stephen Pratley
Marketing Manager
ipoints.co.uk

Just surfed onto your blog from Site Point. I am just starting out in the wonderful (and hopefully rewarding) world of affiliate marketing. Looking at the number of posts in here I have quite a bit of reading ahead of me! Anyway nice content and thanks for the great tips I have found already.