"I love NY" may be the famous motto of the Big Apple, but as of late, it's not the mantra of any New York-based affiliates.That's because in April New York Governor David Paterson (D-NY) signed into law the state's 2008 - 2009 fiscal year budget that included a provision - initiated last fall by former NY governor Eliot Spitzer - requiring out-of-state Internet retailers to … [Read more...]
Winning With Authority
It's all good - from online advertising being up 25 percent, according to the IAB; to online commerce on the rise 23 percent, according to comScore; to Google search queries that are up 41 percent, per Nielsen//NetRatings. It's clear that online marketing grew strongly through the first three quarters of 2007.However, as industries grow, so does the attention paid by state and … [Read more...]
Gambling Stakes Rise
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...]
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...]
Data Double Duty
Website publishers are up in arms about the potential threat posed by employees at companies, who have access to their crucial data that could be used to compete with them.Insiders have nicknamed the situation "Triple Jangro," after the catchy title of a blog post on Revenews.com by David Lewis, CEO of 77Blue. The title refers to ex-BeFree/Commission Junction product manager … [Read more...]
Taxing Times
Back in the early days of the dotcom boom, rampant speculation arose about how or even if online sales should be taxed. For consumers, e-commerce was almost too good to be true: an ultimate extension of mail order, where any product could be ordered from an out-of-state seller with the click of a button, avoiding sales tax, albeit paying any shipping fees that were charged. … [Read more...]
The Spam Jam
What a mess. Jim Gordon is hell-bent on collecting some of the $600,000 or so he thinks Commonwealth Marketing Group owes him for sending more than 1,500 emails advertising credit cards. He says the emails had inadequate subject lines and the transmission paths - the list of computers that passed along the email - had been doctored. Gordon, who runs an online health and … [Read more...]
Win Or Lose
In a lot of ways, Cynthia Fanshaw is just another star in the affiliate marketing universe. With a specialty in search engine marketing, she works hard to drive traffic to her company's site and then to convert visitors to customers. She's anxious to learn new tricks that give her an edge over competitors, and glad to share a few tips with newbies. But there's one thing that … [Read more...]
Hot Profits
The marketing of adult entertainment is a lot like any other segment of the affiliate industry, except that it is nothing like any other. The business model and best practices are the same, with skills that easily translate to this sector. But the content makes this a world apart. X-rated sites commercialize one of the deepest human drives, one that's idealized, demonized, … [Read more...]
Snake Eyes
Five'll get you 10 that online gambling is here to stay. Cyber casinos already take wagers from around the globe on everything from five-card stud to the first race at Belmont. Even the industry's harshest critics concede online gambling revenue has soared tenfold in the past six years to about $4.2 billion.With generous payout packages and surging demand, it's no surprise that … [Read more...]
Side Effects
Affiliates promoting pharmaceuticals online can earn lifetime commissions and five-figure paychecks while helping consumers purchase the drugs they need for a fraction of what they would pay at the corner drugstore. But the price also can be unacceptably high. It certainly was for Ryan Haight. Using a debit card his parents gave him to buy baseball cards, the 18-year-old honor … [Read more...]
Cyber Creeps
When thousands of consumers got emails asking them to help electronics retailer Best Buy combat Internet fraud, they were eager to help. But those who clicked on the link and entered credit card and Social Security numbers learned the ugly truth too late: They'd been had.The link took them to a "spoof" page that looked just like Best Buy's home page but was actually operated by … [Read more...]
Taxing Times
The lure of affiliate income is a magnet for people with drive and imagination. It's particularly attractive to the impoverished, those in debt or people wanting to purchase a home. It's a powerful draw to women yearning to stay home and for men raising children alone. And, of course, it's like mother's milk to the tax collector. Affiliate income takes many forms. Sometimes, … [Read more...]