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Thanks for the feedback Rich, Paul and James,

The whole issue surrounding PPC and Brand is fraught with controversy. From affiliates incorrectly accused of brand bidding and Google actively encouraging competitor AdWords placement to merchants having limited understanding of this space or affiliates trying to turn a fast buck. This change is hopefully just one step of many and only when coupled with consistent education and policing can we expect to be taken seriously by merchants as a justified alternative to 3rd party search.

Rich, each solution has to be reviewed on a merchant by merchant basis. In this instance (and I hope I'm not speaking wrongly on behalf of anyone), Woolworths do not have in-house PPC capabilities. They choose to work on an agreed CPA basis, with the affiliate partner taking the CPC cost and risk. Including brand merely extends this reach as the affiliate still needs to work to an average CPA even though the commission is considerably less and success is measured by the volume delivered from generics on an ongoing basis.

There was a time when this may have resulted in most of the sales being brand PPC. However with the visibility required by Woolworths and offered by AWin this just isn't possible anymore and the affiliate has to reinvest and manage both sides of the equation in order to add the necessary value.

Paul, I'm not sure what the right answer would be, so here is how it's currently set up. Woolworths have a selected list of top tier 'brand' terms which include the general misspells. It is not exhaustive or indeed comprehensive but in their mind covers the bulk of what they would consider to be currently covered by the affiliate. All of these terms are included within this new set-up, so if any prior affiliate visitor were to return via any of these 'brand' affiliate links the original cookie will not be overwritten.

I hope this feedback has helped add any necessary clarity.

Kind Regards

Mark