You can't drive on the highway, watch TV or go to the supermarket without being reminded of America's obsession with betting. Casinos are popping up faster than you can say "double down," the World Series of Poker has become a prime time television spectacle and Powerball payoffs are reaching the size of state budgets.Cashing in on a booming industry that offers some of the … [Read more...]
Taking A Stand: Q & A with Brian Littleton
ShareASale is an affiliate network that has taken a hard stance on spyware, adware and parasite-ware by not allowing any downloadable applications into its network. That business model has won legions of affiliate supporters. ShareASale is growing, and is still considered the smaller, nimbler, more fun network - throwing memorable parties and playing host for standout social … [Read more...]
Leading the Way
Online lead generation gets no respect. Online lead generation affiliates less so. While the sector is growing by leaps and bounds - 290 percent over 2005, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau - people like Peter Martin and Robert Jewell just seem to drag its reputation through the mud. These guys had the honor of being sued by New York State Attorney General Eliot … [Read more...]
Anne Fognano: The Mother Lode
The old adage that necessity is the mother of invention is certainly true when it comes to this mother.More than a decade ago Anne Fognano, then a new mom, needed a way to earn additional income while being able to work from home.She had just completed her master's degree in clinical psychology when her son Austen was a year old. And while it was her dream to be a therapist … [Read more...]
Performance Marketing Prognostication
It's that time of year again when we ask industry movers and shakers to look back at the past 12 months and forward to the next year in performance marketing. Here's what those in the know have to say. Looking back, what do you think were among the most significant themes to emerge in 2006 in the performance marketing space? "There has been a huge shift in traffic sources - … [Read more...]
The Mobile Marketing Monster
Tony Phillip will tell you the exact moment he knew that mobile marketing and advertising - predominantly via cell phones - had crossed over into the mainstream. It was when American Idol, the extremely popular TV singing contest, allowed viewers to vote for their favorite singer via text message - and more than 50 million did in 2005 versus 21 million in 2004, according to … [Read more...]
Hybrid Auctions Are Taking Over
As author Robert C. Gallagher observes, "Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." And so it comes as no surprise that paid search engines are changing too. The biggest change is one of the most fundamental, affecting which paid ads are shown first in the results. The tried-and-true high bidder auctions, pioneered by Overture (later acquired by Yahoo), are being … [Read more...]
Google Hates Affiliates
Back in January 2005 Google changed its Adwords policy to read, "We'll only display one ad for affiliates and parent companies sharing the same Display URL per search query." Consequently, affiliate arbitragers who used pay-per-click advertising to send traffic directly to their merchants' sites saw their ads disappear overnight. Those who hadn't diversified their incomes by … [Read more...]
Insurance for Conversion Rates
Designing for conversions isn't rocket science. It's just the ability to design a website with particular ideas in mind. For this column we're going to focus on some of the most powerful ways to make a site convert - emotion, unique value proposition and credibility. Master these three basic concepts and you'll be rewarded with soaring conversion rates.The life insurance lead … [Read more...]
The Posh Payoff
Diamonds, private jets, multi-million-dollar mansions, haute couture, luxury vehicles and high-end handbags - customers looking for upscale goods and services could probably find all these items in posh places like Beverly Hills or they could just head to the Web.The online shopping environment for upscale merchandise has been robust in recent years.Websites such as … [Read more...]
Video Ad Explosion
In early August, Foster's Beer announced two changes. First, they'll no longer try to be "Australian for Beer" and, second, they're moving all their television ad spending online.Although the decision only affects a $5 million ad budget, it's a bellwether: Companies are flocking to online video ads as the way to reach customers.Recent reports claim advertisers will spend $74 … [Read more...]
Sex Education
You may or may not approve of what they are marketing, but nearly everyone can learn something from the strategies that the adult industry uses to capture consumers online. The thriving adult industry has a history of pioneering many online marketing techniques and continues to provide useful lessons in how to attract and convert an audience.From the creation of the affiliate … [Read more...]