Moose on the Loose

As you maybe aware there has been an interesting thread fermenting on the a4uforum pertaining to Next Directory with regard to their poor commission rates & for me what seems a derogatory disregard for the affiliate marketing channel, which in my opinion either lays firmly at the doorstep of certain personnel within their agency and/or under directive from their client (Next) or the merchant themselves, quite possibly a combination of all the above. Click Here For Forum Discussion

It looks like the Next Affiliate Program is unfortunately leaving Affiliate Window & joining Affili.net & Buy.at, as if that wasn’t predictable !! … for me it taints a bit of vulturism? … Hence the illustration above … or it could be contrived as simply shrewd business or interesting business alliances? The program might look swish on their portfolios when the logo radiates / glows from their corporate bumpf, but will it be a coal too hot to handle?

Something for the trade press perhaps?

For me personally, I don’t think this is a wise move with unresolved concerns for some affiliates & something smells rotten to the core or “bad to the bone”. Especially when it appears Affiliate Window have been left in the lurch to clear up the mess & receive the flack, pointing to the hard work they have done in trying to sort out the matter … then only to have the bones picked from beneath them.

Rapaciousness doesn’t sit well with me. But whatever happens, I think Affiliate Window will come out favourably from this and any disparaging glances will be afflicted elsewhere.

Will the commission deal be better? Well, possibly to pull the wool over our eyes & appropriately spun in process with some boisterous fanfare launch with a smidgen of gloating from the new beneficiaries, not forgetting any charm offensive. If the commission deal remains the same, then what was the point in moving?

I don’t think anyone needed to be an Inspector MOOrSE to establish that it was likely these two networks would be favoured in any re-pitching process, especially if you observe the social circles, previous career paths (companies of employment) & previous history of programs managed both at individual & company level. Therefore, as my own pov (point of view), I would question whether personal goals & relationships of individual (s) have got in the way of the best interests of their client. Thus, perhaps Next should look a little closer to home rather than finger point elsewhere. That’s why I reckon there is more to this than your average commercials of a merchant moving from one network or agency to another, in this example both.

Note : When the Next program originally launched on AW it was in conjunction with their agency who at the time was Mediavest until July 2007 (a decent company). The commission reduction was not a result of being with Mediavest. These latest unfortunate happenings have been while the program was with there current agency I-Level.

With regard to the forum a merchant/agency should take on board negative feedback & learn how to infer it. Then channel this into positive actions for the program, they’re meant to be mature adults, so act accordingly. IMHO their communication skills leaves little to be desired.

When the move is complete, I would like to get Affiliate Window’s take on events on how they were treated, their vision in affiliate marketing in my opinion supersedes the other two networks with the platform & tools they are creating, with other more favourable networks having european reach too. With anything like this most affiliates will forget & gradually promote them as normal, whilst Affiliate Window take the moral highground (though granted difficult) & liase with more worthy parties.

Before any numbskull thinks I am continually beefing up Affiliate Window, perhaps they should take a peruse of a few threads & blogs I have written or contributed to pertaining to Dixons, Toys R Us & a few other merchants like 0% on Wii’s over the last festive period.

I think there is a bigger picture here with regard to the lack of communication from merchant and/or agency. If they choose NOT to interact & engage with the forum, by that I don’t mean their junior messengers either … which is their prerogative .. though wrong … that strikes me as a superiority complex, yet failure by email to their affiliate base for me is simply discourteous & unprofessional.

I am all for discussing merchants on a forum of blog, it however appears Next don’t want to participate on the forum as there has been no response despite the threads about them … and to use that word again … perhaps they think they have omnipotent attributes. If so they must reconsider whether they should remain within the affiliate channel, if they feel discussing Next on an “affiliate forum” or “personal blog” contravenes some official secrets act & they are going to chuck their toys out of the cot cos of a few grubby affiliates. They’re supposedly mature adults .. grow up & get over it. Leaving one network or another in this manner was maybe too rash.

Next  might be a recognised brand, but they are replaceable, as for me being part of or excluded from their future program .. I couldn’t give a monkey’s either way.

“Please wipe your feet on the way out” … or … “Please turn out the lights when you leave” … I guess it depends on your perspective.

The story has finished, that are a few more saga’s & revelations yet to unfold for this unfortunate episode.

I am now adorned with a tin helmet.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 3:06 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.