• Best CPA Networks
  • Best Cost-Per-Sale Affiliate Networks
  • Best Pay-Per-Call Networks
  • mThink Digital
  • Thought Leadership
    • White Papers
  • About
    • Content Marketing
    • Content Strategy
      • Web Content
      • Social Media Strategy
      • Webinars & Video
      • Thought Leadership
    • Performance Marketing
    • Portfolio
      • Revenue Performance
      • Accenture
      • Microsoft
      • Java Detour
      • Our Process
    • Contact Us

mThink

Blue Book Logo

BlueBook Logo

The Trusted Name in Performance Marketing

ROS Leaderboard

  • Home
  • Blue Book
    • About Blue Book
    • Blue Ribbon Panel
    • Interviews
    • Research Methodology
    • Back Issues
    • Advertising
      • Website Creative Specifications
      • Newsletter Creative Specifications
  • Best CPA Networks
  • Best Cost-Per-Sale Affiliate Networks
  • Best Pay-Per-Call Networks
  • Best European CPA Networks
  • Best CPA Networks for Affiliates
  • Best CPA Networks for Advertisers

Blue Ribbon Panel: Policing The Industry?

November 9, 2015 by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book

Is it possible for the performance marketing industry to police itself in any meaningful way? It’s a question that has been asked for years, mostly by people who want to take the industry forward. Their argument is that for major brands and big ad agencies, brand protection and the risk of  fraud are huge issues. As a result, the free-wheeling, try-anything-once approach of some affiliates – and some networks, to be fair – is a significant drag on the performance marketing industry’s growth rate. So it’s a big deal.

We asked the members of our Blue Ribbon Panel for their thoughts on whether anything more can be done to “regularize” affiliate marketing. We spoke with JP Sauve of Max Bounty together with Clickbooth’s Erin Cigich, Melissa Feemster of Rakuten Affiliate Network, co-founder of W4 Jason Durant Walker, Cristian Miculi of Avangate and Matt Frary of SmarterChaos.

mThink: We have seen a number of efforts to improve industry policing, from new technology solutions at the network or merchant level, through to the PMA’s various initiatives. Is anything working? Can anything work?

mattfraryMatt Frary: The problem is that not everyone in the performance marketing industry has incentives to police themselves. The bad actors are still able to keep doing business and in many cases appear more successful because they are cutting corners. The only way for us to start to rise above these kind of  issues is for a few key players to lead the way by example. Those players can put out industry standards and conduct themselves in a public way that shapes the way others think in our industry. It is not just one company or organization that needs to do this, but all of the high profile ones.

darylcoldwellDaryl Colwell: That’s right. It is the responsibility of the leaders of this space to ensure appropriate parameters are put in place. These leaders must take into account opinions & policies from all ends – affiliates, networks, advertisers, technology providers and more – to ensure there is an opportunity for a harmonious environment where we can all work together & prosper. If we can do that then I absolutely believe it’s possible, and necessary, for the industry to police itself.  



cristianmiculiCristian Miculi: The big problem is that since there isn’t any globally accepted authority that oversees compliance in performance marketing, any “classic” approach to policing or regulation is not possible. However, I think the performance marketing industry is nevertheless in an ongoing process of developing self-policing, or at least in understanding how to separate the “good” from the “bad” (in terms of compliance) and in making sure that the majority of the players comply with the generally accepted rules.

erin-cigichErin Cigich: Yes – the industry is moving in the right direction. But success requires participation from ALL parties – advertisers, networks and affiliates. When any one of us is willing to accept less than best practices on any portion of our revenue we jeopardize the entire industry. Many parties in the industry could benefit from a simple gut check – “Do I feel good about the way I’m generating these profits? Am I adding value to the customer experience?” I suspect there may be quite a few for which the honest answer might be a no.

melissafeemsterMelissa Feemster: Policing of the industry is not just possible, it’s actually happening! There are all kinds of  attribution tracking technologies, and backup tracking that advertisers can install to ensure enhanced accuracy, and compliance rigor. Additionally, the network effect of scaled advertiser and publisher data passing through new analytics platform helps identify fraud and trends to watch. It is becoming progressively harder for the fraudsters but merchants needs to ensure that their network partners are aggressively investing in attribution technology.

Jason Durant Walker: Yes, as said above, this kind of policing will more likely be done on a company-by-company basis rather than by some consortium of companies or the industry as a whole. What is that will drive a company to police itself? The fact that delivering poor quality and fraud is simply bad business. If you are not delivering value to your advertiser clients, you are not going to be keeping them for long. Fortunately, there are more technology tools than ever before for quickly weeding out fraudulent and low quality traffic.

JPsauve2JP Sauve: I suspect it is going to be an uphill battle that won’t be won anytime soon. The industry is pretty wide now so there is no common approach possible for policing affiliates, advertisers, networks or traffic sources. They will each require a different approach, so while some improvement is possible, I suspect things will continue pretty much as they are, with occasional governmental intervention whenever some small group within the industry inevitably decides to push the boundaries.

Daryl Colwell: That’s a good point. The affiliate space is a very delicate one. On paper it’s the greatest marketing model an advertiser can ask for. Unfortunately, if a few bad apples find their way into the mix, what has been presented on paper may not turn into reality. To stay protected, before agreeing to work with a new network, advertisers need to mandate that the network will  abide by the utilization of some of the excellent tools that are now available to help police campaigns.

mThink: In conclusion then, nobody seems to think that any kind of “top-down” policing of the performance marketing industry is going be possible. The industry is too fragmented, the incentives of many of the players are not aligned with a totally clean, fraud-free industry, and no organization has enough authority or power to make new regulations stick. Even the FTC can only attack the very worst problems piecemeal.

But there is hope. The consensus of the Panel members is clear: new technologies at the network and merchant level are creating a way forward in which bad actors can be identified early and advertisers can feel assured that their brand and business is protected.

Related posts:

  1. Blue Ribbon Panel: Interview with Daryl Colwell 1.       In five year’s time, will the [CPS or CPA]...
  2. Blue Ribbon Panel: Interview with Matt Frary 1.       In five year’s time, will the [CPS or CPA]...
  3. Blue Ribbon Panel: The Future of Performance Marketing Can it adapt as the online advertising industry  transforms under...

Filed Under: Revenue Tagged With: advertisers, affiliate networks, performance marketing

Search

ROS Col 2 Top

ROS Col 2 Mid

ROS Col 2 Low

Subscribe to our newsletter!

* indicates required

ROS Col 2 – 4 Misc

ROS Col 2 – 5 Misc

ROS Col 2 – 6 Misc

Recent Posts

  • How MyLead works, and what sets it apart from other affiliate networks?
  • You Can Build Successful Lead Partnerships! Here Are 5 Questions To Get You Started
  • How To Build Long-Term Partnerships For Success
  • Interview with Rakuten Advertising’s Managing Director of North America, Anthony Capano
  • How To Source, Vet & Grow Quality Publisher Partnerships For Pay-Per-Call
  • FTC Settlement With Credit Karma Underscores Agency Attention to A/B Testing
  • Rakuten Advertising named mThink’s Best Affiliate Network for 12 Consecutive Years
  • 2023: Challenges, Opportunities & Predictions
  • Top 4 Best Practices For Consumer Finance Campaigns
  • Four Moments That Changed Performance Marketing Forever
  • New additions, improvements, and added perks from your favorite CPA network
  • Your Top 5 Affiliate Marketing Questions Answered
  • 5 strategies to create better content
  • FCC Says Ringless Voicemails Require Prior Consent
  • Top 5 Free Methods to Increase Affiliate Traffic

About mThink

mThink is a specialist digital marketing company based in San Francisco. We focus on media buying, Facebook marketing, direct response, social and mobile. In addition mThink produces the annual Blue Book Rankings of major performance marketing networks. Read More »

Baseboard

Copyright ©2023 · mThink. All rights reserved.
3053 Fillmore Street, Suite 325 | (415) 787-0250
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy