The industry is seeing a trend towards consolidation and what I believe is driving it is the scale necessary to help manage a large brand’s customer acquisition. OPMs (outsourced program managers) typically started 10-15 years ago as one person to two person companies, with a focus on recruitment of affiliates and writing newsletters, and performing day to day functions. Some … [Read more...]
Performance Marketing M&A Accelerates
The news last week that DMS has acquired SmarterChaos came as no surprise. This deal seems an obvious one as networks scramble to expand their agency capabilities. It is a good fit between two ambitious and assertive companies. DMS is following fast on their purchase last of W4, one of the leading CPA networks in the industry, while Matt Frary has been acquiring new clients and … [Read more...]
CAKE’s Parent Company Buys TUNE
CAKE's parent company, Constellation Software, is acquiring TUNE. The announcement yesterday means that two of the biggest network and partner tracking platforms will be under the same ownership. This is a continuation of Constellation's strategy of rolling up SaaS companies under their Perseus Operating Group, with specific focus on performance marketing. In a blog post, … [Read more...]
Dietary Supplement Marketing and Earnings Claims Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Unsubstantiated marketing claims that exploit consumer anxiety amid the coronavirus pandemic are a top priority for private class action litigants and federal regulators. In fact, the FTC and FDA have recently issued joint warning letters about express and implied claims on marketing materials that are not supported by competent and reliable scientific … [Read more...]
What Advertisers & Publishers Should Be Doing Now
We are now six weeks into the coronavirus crisis. The dust is settling a little and it is beginning to be possible to see the contours of what lies ahead for the economy and the affiliate marketing industry. Let's review what we know and what looks likely, and what it means for your business. What Is Working? In talking to people around the industry I'm impressed with how … [Read more...]
Performance Marketing Provides Stability & Measurable Returns In A Crisis
When discussing how the ongoing pandemic could influence performance marketing, I think it’s important to first recognize the potential complexity of that influence. By that I mean consumers, affiliates, advertisers, and networks are all likely to be impacted differently and to varying degrees. The way they’re individually affected also inherently impacts their relationship … [Read more...]
In Performance Marketing, Relationships And People Are At The Core Of All That We Do
During a crisis, leaders should lead from the front, and during the good times, leaders should lead from behind. We are working at SmarterChaos to "lead from the front" as we pivot towards affiliate marketing offers that help humanity like Tele Medicine Offers, Hand Sanitizers, and we are working on sourcing masks for hospitals to protect our doctors and nurses. Our offers like … [Read more...]
Now Is The Moment For Performance Marketing To Shine
At the end of this tunnel, there is light. Depending on where you are, the light may be closer or further away, there’s now enough of it that we can begin to ask what the world will look like once we emerge. Three thoughts: People with jobs will have pent-up demand so we can expect consumer spending to jump as the lockdown eases. However, there are a lot of people newly … [Read more...]
Where Now for Affiliate Marketing?
At a time where so much is in flux, we’re incredibly fortunate to be in an industry that not only has the ability to continue to operate seamlessly, but has the chance to really soar. Though it’s impossible to anticipate every possible change and outcome that could occur in the coming months, we see the environment created by COVID-19 as one of great opportunity for performance … [Read more...]
Kathy Bryan Of DMS (aka W4) Talks Women In Performance Marketing & What Lies Ahead
When everything has gone crazy it can sometimes be easy to forget that life will return to normal soon enough. With that in mind I wanted to take a moment to recognize a recent promotion to CMO for one of my favorite people in the industry, Kathy Bryan of DMS (also referenced above). We spoke two weeks ago - it seems a lifetime now, of course – about her promotion and the role … [Read more...]
Affiliate Marketing in a Time of Coronavirus
What Now For Affiliate Marketing? On the down side, consumer spending has gone through the floor. Travel, retail, entertainment and restaurants have all been hit hard. Many merchants have seen big drop-offs over the last couple of weeks. The good news? E-commerce is going to bounce back quickly because nobody is going to be heading to a mall anytime soon. Healthcare and … [Read more...]
No-BS Coronavirus Tips
We read epidemiology reports so you don’t have to… There’s a lot of information on Covid-19 that doesn’t seem to get much play in the news so, in case you are not yet corona-ed out, a few notes on what the experts are talking about between themselves. Stock up on Tylenol (acetominophen, aka paracetamol in Europe). It's the best thing to reduce fever, which might last … [Read more...]
Four Big Takeaways From The Blue Book Survey
In case you missed them, we have been pleased to announce over the last two weeks our Blue Book top ranked networks for 2020: Best Affiliate (CPS) Network: Rakuten Best CPA Network & Publisher’s Choice: Clickbooth Advertiser’s Choice CPA Network: MaxBounty Best Pay-Per-Call Network: Aragon Advertising These are the best performance marketing networks … [Read more...]
Lead Generation Campaign Best Practices
Lead generation campaigns can be incredibly beneficial for brands looking to boost customer acquisition and engagement. With U.S. spending on digital lead generation campaigns estimated at $2.6 billion in 2019 and projected to grow to $3.2 billion by 2023, it’s clear that more and more brands are launching and expanding lead generation campaigns. In order to create a successful … [Read more...]
Blue Book Top 20 Networks for 2020 Announced!
Congratulations to our number 1 ranked networks for 2020! Best CPS/Affiliate Network: Rakuten Affiliate Network Best CPA Network Overall: Clickbooth Best CPA Network for Advertisers: MaxBounty Best CPA Network for Publishers: Clickbooth The BLUE BOOK results are in. 20,000+ industry professionals that participated in our survey, 150,000 data points analyzed and months of … [Read more...]