23rd August 2007

Affiliate Marketing a4uAwards Ceremony 2007

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One category I feel I am really limited for choice on from the list below is, btw for those that have been on a different planet for the past few days, the Affiliate Marketing a4uAwards can be found here

Innovation in Affiliate Marketing (Network Award)

I think we are really limited for choices in this section and maybe only limited to a couple of good options which is really disappointing on the whole considering. Paid On Results for their platform, content units & various useful tools and then there is Affiliate Window for their Shop Window. Though both are very good it is disappointing there doesn’t seem much to choose from as alternatives. With a few acquistions by various networks from bid management tools to telephone tracking systems, it makes you wonder whether these actually will be made available for affiliates? Now, some might suggest Ebay API as a possibility, but whilst Ebay seem to unethically & continually breach trademarks in paid search advertising, I don’t think they are worthy See Here

One award I would like to see added is

Publisher’s Choice Award for an Account Manager at a Network – we should appreciate there are a few account managers who do work tirelessly, they are very good at their job, participate on the forum & are very pleasant people. Whether you agree with their opinions all the time or not, I do feel their role in the industry should be recognised. These could include several from Webgains like Hero, Ryan, Kier to Peter or Chris at Affiliate Future to Adam or Kevin at Affiliate Window to a few others.

Firmly laying my cards on the table, here is my own shortlist of candidates, though the beauty of these things is that they are all open to opinion & conjecture

  • Innovation in Affiliate Marketing (Merchant Award) – A real shortlist for this one, though I might not be thinking out the box on this one but my personal three candidates are Buyagift, Prezzybox & Euroffice.
  • Innovation in Affiliate Marketing (Publisher Award) – Certainly not us for sure, though I rarely visit other affiliates websites to ascertain what they are working on, unless invited to offer an opinion. Though perhaps this could be maybe renamed to Best Publisher Website (for which by my own admission we wouldn’t qualify for either by a long shot). Though from the few affiliate sites I have seen, some are excellent & well marketed, to a few which if I had the inclination I would offer to buy out as they are extremely good, yet go unrecognised or are not marketed to their full potential.
  • Publisher’s Choice Award for a Network – Down to your personal preference & relationship with respective networks, so for myself the four contenders are currenly Paid On Results, Affiliate Future, Affiliate Window & Webgains. I do hope affiliates simply don’t just go for the ones with the big brands or ones they currently do most business with.
  • Publisher’s Choice Award for a Merchant – A few considerations here as there are some really nice merchants, but my personal unwaivering option will boil down to a head to head battle between Buyagift & Prezzybox.
  • Publisher’s Choice Award for an Agency – Tough call. There a few nice agencies, though I don’t necessarily consistantly agree with them, however, they participate & remain proactive on the forum. Some options could be from R.O Eye, Equator, Summit Media to Mitch at BigMouthMedia. However my runner-up would be Jess at Affiliate Program Advice. My winner would be Existem.
  • Affiliate Manager of 2007 – A duel between Graham Keen of Buyagift & Zak Edwards at Prezzybox. They both continuoiusly liase with the affiliate community, catering for & asking what we would like & more importantly they actually deliver, plus the fact they are both terrific people.
  • Merchants Publisher of 2007 – Look at the guys which are selfless (not selfish) & contribute postively & proactively to affiliate marketing & the community. Notibly, those who also have blogs. A list of whom can be viewed in the right hand column on this page.
  • Best New Merchant of 2007 – I was a little confused on this selection on who the “NEW” merchants are. So nobody really stood out. Thus on existing ones, guess what .. Buyagift & Prezzybox stood out again. So on the basis of an award title, it’s a weak category. However, just being launched on Paid on Results is the program Children’s Rooms being run by Dave & Elaine.
  • Best New Publisher of 2007 – From the recent Affiliate Get Togethers, we have noticed an influx of the next generation of Performance Marketeers with some very bright minds amongst them.
  • Affiliate Marketing Blog of 2007 – What a terrific choice to choose from. I thoroughly enjoy reading & being totally absorbed with Affiliate Blogs like those listed in the right hand column, with various perspectives, insights & topics of discussion. The best part is that generally we are singing off the same hymn sheet in relation to the industry. But my favourite is Fraser Edward’s Affiliate Marketing Blog & his Podcasts.
  • Best Agency Account Manager – My winner would be the big gentle giant Mark Russell at Existem closely followed by Jess at Affiliate Program Advice
  • Best International Publisher – Not sure who to classify in this one & whether it includes UK Affiliates. So there are a few in my social circle of friends who I would like to vote for.

To reiterate again, for your vote go to the Affiliate Marketing a4uAwards Ceremony 2007 … “Rewarding Excellence & Innovation in Affiliate Marketing.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 2:07 PM and is filed under Affiliate Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 19 responses to “Affiliate Marketing a4uAwards Ceremony 2007”

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  1. 1 On August 23rd, 2007, Nadeem (Azam.biz) said:

    Good blog amigo (or whatever the Portugese for it is).

    I’ll vote for Fraser for Industry Champion anytime. In a day and age when the industry seems to be money-obsessed, Fraser is one of the few blokes who retains his integrity and honesty.

  2. 2 On August 24th, 2007, Clarke said:

    Yeap Fraser any day for Blog and Industry Champion, no one made him do the podcasts, he just done it and that was a long time before anyone started giving him some sponsorship money and it’s clear the money from that went in to trying new things such as video and so on. I do enjoy many other blogs, Jason and Kieron do a great job and definitely to be highly commended.

    If Fraser doesn’t win Industry Champion then all I can say is what Industry are you in if you didn’t vote for him 😉

  3. 3 On August 24th, 2007, Jason said:

    I have to say I found voting quite difficult and I do wish they’d been a bit of an overview on each category highlighting various worthy suggestions – I mean how the heck am I supposed to know who “Best International Publisher”?

    Jason

  4. 4 On August 25th, 2007, Spreader said:

    Well,

    What can I say?

    Not only is Paul one of the most generous people I know (having allowed me the hospitality of his home a wee while ago), and not only is he the most forgiving affiliate I know (being very fogiving over a small…a’hem…OK…rather large cock up recently) but now, based on his comments above, there is categoric proof that he knows all there is to know about affiliate marketing ;-).

    Admittedly he’s a little misguided about Mr Keens contribution to the Affiliate Arena, but we’ll forgive him this oversight as the rest of his selections are insightful and magnificent choices!!

    Well done mate, you’re a wise man.

    Take care buddy.

    Zak.

  5. 5 On August 25th, 2007, Jesse said:

    I agree with Jason an overview would be very helpful, i’m really stuck for who to vote for in several categories – will keep thinking.

    Fraser will get my vote for industry champion 🙂

  6. 6 On August 28th, 2007, Kevin Edwards said:

    For what it’s worth here’s my take from a network perspective.

    Having worked with a number of agencies, the girls at Equator have always shown themselves to be incredibly proactive and interested in helping affiliates to maximise their campaigns. I’ve worked with Equator for a few years now and have been impressed with their constant commitment to affiliate marketing. RO-Eye also stands out as a real champion for the industry.

    Special mention for Sean Carter at MVi and Michelle Boxall at All Response Media who also go the extra mile.

    On the merchant side Play.com has always been very flexible (and generous) in helping Affiliate Window to promote them to their affiliates. Comet too has also made successful inroads from when I started working with them back at dgm.

    There are obvious mentions too for those affiliate managers who always make themselves available – Graham at Buyagift particularly sticks in my mind.

    For new merchants I’m really looking forward to removing the cap on Travelodge in the Autumn and seeing what this advertiser can do. They’ve pulled in impressive sales off the back of a trial period and we’ve enjoyed forging new relationships with affiliates who had not really been on our radar before.

    On the affiliate side Quidco’s ascent up the rankings has been hugely impressive and it’s always encouraging to see the development of smaller affiliates into mid and even top ranking players on the network.

    Seeing the increasing professionalism of a number of long-standing affiliates who act as strategic partners, accompanying networks to meetings and presenting on PPC policy and other areas has been a marked trend over the last 12-24 months.

    On industry blogs, everything has been said that needs to be, but Keith Bond should get a mention for putting together the dynamic update of latest blog entries.

    Industry champion could be Nick Robertson who referred to affiliates as “grubby” but possibly did more than anyone else to raise interest in our industry over the last twelve months. Also, special mention for AOL who inadvertently pushed affiliate marketing onto the business pages with their short-lived interest in TradeDoubler.

  7. 7 On August 28th, 2007, And The Affiliates4U Award Goes To…. | One Little Duck - Affiliate Blog said:

    […] in 2007 alone, or just as a general marker? However, nominations are now open and following on from Paul and Keith here’s a duck’s eye view on who could be amongst the […]

  8. 8 On August 28th, 2007, Paul said:

    Cheers Kevin for your suggestions,

    Though I would have to strongly disagree with the suggested merchants Play.com & Comet, for which I could do a nice little blog on each one as to the reasons pertaining why. From lousy commissions re Play.com cos they are a so called big brand & try to use this as leverage to reduce commissions, but don’t necessarily convert better than others … to … what I consider a poorly managed program with Comet who also tried to call our bluff by delivering an ultimatum to us & trying to prevent the freedom of speech of my missus & myself with reagrd to our personal customer experience re goods purchased via Comet.

  9. 9 On August 28th, 2007, Kevin Edwards said:

    Hi Paul,

    I wasn’t saying necessarily they’d win – smaller programmes can often have relatively more time and effort invested. What I’m hopefully doing is acknowledging that Comet is a better programme now than I think it ever has been and Play.com has given us as a network real flexibility to try some bespoke offers with individual affiliates and that seldom happens.

    There are dozens of other more obscure programmes I could namecheck for performance. Actually, for sheer efficiency and performance Travelodge could take this one. We validate ALL sales several times a day; it converts at one in ten clicks and Travelodge’s business model is a dream for affiliate marketing. It has been run from a fixed budget but we’re lifting that and the advertiser has said they really want to see what this channel can achieve. But it’s currently a ‘hidden’ programme so the few dozen affiliates on board won’t carry much sway.

    Really what I was doing is illustrating that a network’s view can differ from an affiliate’s. I’m fascinated to see who ends up winning and I’d love to know how many people vote. I suspect there will be a few surprises.

  10. 10 On August 28th, 2007, Jason said:

    I was quite interested in your suggestions Kevin. As you say they illustrate a network view… It’s interesting to see agencies feature in your reply, yet personally I’ve struggled to think of one who imo stands out (and I’m basing that on working relationships with Loquax).

    Quidco is an interesting one… an industry champion or the curse of affiliates? Good for networks and merchants, yet a PIA for affiliates like ourselves who have to work round (and lose sales to) that 100% cashback system (grrrrr lol).

    Still, all fascinating stuff and makes for interesting discussion!

    Jason

  11. 11 On August 29th, 2007, Chris Bishop said:

    Great to see a huge amount of interest into the affiliate awards – looks like it is going to be an awesome event.

    I agree with a good few of those suggested but personal opinion is what it is all about and yes Jason it makes great discussion!

    What a fantastic industry we all work in!

  12. 12 On August 29th, 2007, What Is The Affiliate Cost Of 100% Cashback? | One Little Duck - Affiliate Blog said:

    […] (or the only known?) 100% cashback site is championed by a network representative in a reply on Moose on the Loose, but what is the affiliate cost of 100% […]

  13. 13 On August 29th, 2007, Euroffice the UK online office supplies said:

    Thank you for nominating us for the Merchant Award

  14. 14 On August 30th, 2007, Matt Bailey said:

    Very interesting debate. Speaking again from a network point of view it is good to discover the views people have. It is unavoidable but it seems that the majority of nominations will come for the big retail clients who have hundreds and even thousands of affiliates on board. Also people prominent on the forum seem to be receiving a lot of backing.

    I appreciate that this is inevitable but it is a pity that certain campaigns and people will be overlooked due to their choice to restrict the number of affiliates that they work with. As Kevin said, a campaign like Travelodge can innovate and get completely behind the affiliate channel but will not get a look in due to the fact that they work with a small pool of affiliates.

    Also a great deal of the innovative ideas in affiliate marketing have traditionally come from the gaming sector, yet due to the fact that these merchants are not as visible on the A4U Forum they will miss out.

    From a networks point of view, I would be very surprised if any network staff have voted for campaigns run on another network. The campaigns that we enjoy working on as a network are those that allow us a bit of flexibility to try out new ideas, often with a select group of affiliates, and again I think that they will be overlooked.

    As I say, I appreciate that it is very hard to please everyone and hats off to Matt and the Existem guys for organising this. It has certainly created a lot of interest and I’m sure that whoever wins will be thoroughly deserving.

  15. 15 On August 30th, 2007, Paul said:

    Hi Matt,

    I am not sure where you are coming from, did you have a rough sleep last night or having too much of the nice but dim juice. 😉

    “It is unavoidable but it seems that the majority of nominations will come for the big retail clients who have hundreds and even thousands of affiliates on board. Also people prominent on the forum seem to be receiving a lot of backing.”

    – Without sounding demeaning to Prezzybox & Buyagift for example, as household known brands they probably don’t compare to the likes of Dell or Argos, but hey the likes of Prezzybox & Buyagift are involved with the affiliate community & impo have better quality affiliate programs & account managers, so good luck to them.

    “I appreciate that this is inevitable but it is a pity that certain campaigns and people will be overlooked due to their choice to restrict the number of affiliates that they work with. As Kevin said, a campaign like Travelodge can innovate and get completely behind the affiliate channel but will not get a look in due to the fact that they work with a small pool of affiliates.”

    – Then they shouldn’t win with a small pool of affiliates, it’s as simple as that, if Kevin & his client decide to open up the program in the near future, then they might be up for an award next year.

    “Also a great deal of the innovative ideas in affiliate marketing have traditionally come from the gaming sector, yet due to the fact that these merchants are not as visible on the A4U Forum they will miss out.”

    – A simple answer to that one too, perhaps they should build more relationships in the affiliate community or A4UForum.

    Remember Matt, it is called the “Affiliate Marketing a4uAwards”, there is a big clue there 😉

    “From a networks point of view, I would be very surprised if any network staff have voted for campaigns run on another network. The campaigns that we enjoy working on as a network are those that allow us a bit of flexibility to try out new ideas, often with a select group of affiliates, and again I think that they will be overlooked.”

    – Fair play, then use your vote for them if you think they are worthy. However re “a select group of affiliates” it’s the same answer as pertaining to Travelodge, my thoughts are well documented on closed groups, but this award ceremony is about all those associated with the community of the forum whether affiliate, network, agency or merchant with the same voting power of each person. No panel or anything like that.

    At the end of the day, we shall find out on the evening. I await the rebuttal 😉

  16. 16 On August 30th, 2007, Matt Bailey said:

    Hi Paul,

    Appreciate your views but we all know that the views of the vocal few on the A4U forum do not necessarily reflect that of the overall online community. The hope is that a lot of the lurkers on the forum will surface and vote allowing a more rounded picture.

    To address some comments specifically:

    “Then they shouldn’t win with a small pool of affiliates, it’s as simple as that”
    In a category such as Innovation in Affiliate Marketing why is the number of affiliates on a campaign important? There are a number of merchants for whom it is unfeasible to open the campaign out to a wide number of affiliates, this does not mean that they have not lead the way in terms of coming up with new ideas. Simply that this innovation is less visible.

    “A simple answer to that one too, perhaps they should build more relationships in the affiliate community or A4UForum”
    Let’s take the gaming sector as an example. There are very few “super affiliates” operating in this space and very high barriers to entry. Therefore the affiliates who have been successful over time tend to dominate. The gaming clients logically view it as more important for them to engage with these select affiliates rather than using their time to engage with the wider community, the majority of whom will never get involved in this sector.

    “it is called the “Affiliate Marketing a4uAwards”, there is a big clue there”
    Completely agree, and this was what my original post was aimed at. As the awards are being portrayed as Industry Awards there is an inevitable skewing to those who engage regularly on the forum. I appreciate that it is up to us as networks to engage people on the forum more and therefore vote and I genuinely hope that this will occur. I am just sticking up for some of the less visible players.

    We will find out on the night and the winners will undoubtedly be well deserving. Look forward to seeing you there Mr Wheatley 😉

    Matt

  17. 17 On August 30th, 2007, Paul said:

    Solution is Simple Matt. Get the the sandwich board from out your closet & go canvassing door to door by visiting your affiliates, you might be missing your vocation in life. 😉

    Come forward with those you perhaps would like to propose.

    On a constructive note, would you like to see an award for “Publisher’s Choice Award for an Account Manager at a Network” in recognistion & appreciation of the suitable work guys n girls like you do.

  18. 18 On September 4th, 2007, a4uAwards Ceremony 2007 - My nominations | Affiliate Marketing Blog from UK Offer Media said:

    […] Paul, Jason and Keith have told us who they are going to vote for at the first annual a4uAwards so now […]

  19. 19 On September 10th, 2007, a4uawards - Last chance to nominate at Lammo.net - The official blog of John Lamerton said:

    […] into details about who to nominate, as that has already been well covered already by Kieron, Jason, Paul, and Keith, and I’d just be re-hashing the same names, as there are not too many contenders […]

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