asos... nosedives

[morleymouse]

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Hi,

As I'm sure you're aware, there have been some changes 
with the ASOS.com affiliate programme and as the new 
Affiliate Programme Co-ordinator I'm keen to get things 
running smoothly and to bring the program in line with 
ASOS brand developments.  We're making some changes to get 
the plan in motion for the second half of the year and 
grow quality traffic to our sites.

To ensure the quality of affiliate activity, changes will 
include making sure all creative is picked up from the 
network, that exposure is consistent and that there is no 
out of date creative being used, as this causes problems 
with banners advertising out of stock products. By 
ensuring all affiliates pick up banners from the network, 
we're hoping to eradicate out of date creative.

We're also looking to protect our brand and recently 
protected asos, asos.com, asseenonscreen and related words 
with the search engines.  This does not mean that ASOS 
cannot feature in the url you send people to, but you 
cannot bid on our brand related keywords.  This shouldn't 
be too great a change, there are still opportunities for 
you ppc experts to bid on keywords and drive traffic this 
way, just not on the ASOS brand! 

We're also going to be reducing the length of the cookie 
period to 7 days, however this should not impact program 
performance too much, as the majority of sales are 
completed in this period, and we'll be making sure that 
payments are made once only per sale.  This is more of a 
housekeeping point than a change, and should help us know 
our commitments sooner, hopefully allowing us to react 
quicker to what works for you to continue the success of 
the ASOS.com programme.

At the moment, we're keeping commission levels as they 
currently stand, however I will be closely monitoring 
things to ensure that we are rewarding our affiliates 
fairly.

Internally there are developments which will assist our 
affiliates:

- Large marketing budget to promote ASOS offline
- A new dedicated creative team
- Strong team of buyers
- Warehouse move (more than 4 times size increase!)

This means that in the short term, you are likely to have 
to make some changes in how you promote ASOS. However this 
is an investment, as we believe by concentrating on the 
quality, we'll be helping you convert more, at higher 
average basket values - meaning your commission is that 
little bit more!  The new guidelines can be found by 
typing in ASOS when logged into Tradedoubler, and 
clicking 'info'.

There are affiliates currently promoting ASOS.com who 
won't be asked to continue, however we value you as an 
ASOS affiliate and would like to continue working with you 
within these new guidelines. I am looking forward to 
helping you make more money with the ASOS.com affiliate 
program in the future. I'll be having a look at our 
affiliate sites over the next 7-10 days, so please try to 
ensure that ASOS material is compliant with the new 
guidelines.

If there are any questions, please do get in touch.

Gavin Alexander
Affiliate Programme Co-ordinator

gavina@asos.com

received only moments ago....

reduced cookie time?! I embed the date in my EPI so I know a lot of sales go through 20 days later, a month later etc

so in only a few months ive gone from 12% to 10%, and from 60 days to get a sale to 7.

Why not just say "Nah its okay we dont want promoting anymore"

Out of date creatives being replaced so that out of stock items arnt advertised anymore. Great. Now update the product feed, ive got an entire site selling out of stock products.

Just read bottom of email again....

There are affiliates currently promoting ASOS.com who
won't be asked to continue

So my....

"Nah its okay we dont want promoting anymore"

might not be far off!

'tis a sad day.

[OLBG]

"however this should not impact program
performance too much, as the majority of sales are
completed in this period"

So why change it then?

[drivetowin]

Message to Gavin Alexander:

When you take over a new role there are ways to win friends and influence people - its a shame that where affiliates are concerned you don't seem to know any of them....

You give me an up to date product feed within 3 days and I'll have my sites up to date within 10 - I may be wrong but I seem to remember you saying that bringing your product feed up to date was your top priority.....

A 7 day cookie is a real retrograde step.

And can you explain what you mean by "exposure is consistent"

ASOS used to be the best programme going by a mile. I know stepping into the shoes of such a guru as Jess is never going to be easy but at the moment I along with I am sure many other affiliates feel that it is not only the clothes at ASOS which are being stitched up..

[uklejon]

I agree. I emailed then over a week ago about the datafeed and never had a reply....

Its their fault out of stock stuff is being promoted....you'd of though over the last 3-4 moths someone, somewhere could of hashed together a feed.

What other programmes are good converters in the asos market?

[uklejon]

Just had the don;t want you email for another site.....

Hi,

As you may be aware, there are some changes happening with
the ASOS.com affiliate programme. I thought I'd just drop
you a quick note to explain how we are looking to take the
affiliate activity forwards here at ASOS.com.

As I'm sure you're aware, there have been a few major
changes in 2005 so far with the programme, and as the new
affiliate programme co-ordinator here at ASOS.com, I'm
keen to get the programme running smoothly for our
affiliates and our company, and to bring the program in
line with the ASOS brand developments. With this in mind,
we're making some more changes now to try and get the plan
in motion for the second half of the year, and growing
quality traffic to our sites.

Internally we have a number of things going on to support
a big marketing push, and we are re-aligning our affiliate
program to ensure that we get the best results possible
for our brand.

Unfortunately, at the moment there are a large number of
sites which have been deemed to be promoting the ASOS
program in ways we do not want to take the brand forward
with.

As such, we have come up with some guidelines for how the
ASOS brand needs to be integrated and to what type of site
in order to create a strong and profitable affiliate
program moving forwards.

Regrettably at this time, we don't believe your activity
to fall into these guidelines, and will be terminating
your affiliate relationship with ASOS in 7 days time.

We're running through this exercise for the good of the
program and the ASOS brand, moving forwards we'd be happy
for you to apply to the ASOS program again, as long as
your site falls into the required guidelines (which can be
found on the program page)

Thanks for your support of the ASOS.com program in the
past, and I hope to be working with you again in the
future.

Gavin Alexander
Affiliate Programme Co-ordinator

gavina@asos.com

[Rich]

I got a different version of the email (as posted by misscarolann)

In short... "I thought I'd just drop
you a quick note to explain how we are looking to take the
affiliate activity forwards here at ASOS.com. (We) will be terminating
your affiliate relationship with ASOS in 7 days time."

Pity they don't say for which of my sites. They offer to let me back in, but don't say why they don't like the method of promotion. I think I only promote them on product feed driven shopping sites, so maybe making feeds is too much effort for them (I know Jess said in the past she had to do a lot of it manually)

[FleaPit]

Typical affiliate crap... you build the b*****ds up and then they kick you in the teeth when their bellies are full

[loquax]

What other programmes are good converters in the asos market?

I don't know... and usually I'd not advocate jumping into another man's slippers whilst he's out to lunch but if there's a site out there who does similar stuff then now's the time to wade in as there's possibly more than one affiliate quite happy to try something new

Jason

[snappiegav]

It's not that we don't want promoting any more, but we are looking to understand exactly where we are promoted and take the program forward in the best way for our affiliates and our company.

We are running a business, and have shareholders to answer to. Profitability is obviously a key driver for a successful business, and in making these changes to the program, we will be in a position to work closer with our top affiliates who use their expertise to promote ASOS. By doing this, we should be in a position to work with our top affiliates to take this program to the next level.

We are looking at getting creative updated, this should be available tomorrow, and are making some changes to the product feeds at the moment. This is by no means a negative move, simply one that will allow us to move forwards, and work closer with our affiliates.

In terms of feeling like you have had so much taken away from you recently, I can appreciate this, but hope that you can understand why we are doing this, I'd be happy to discuss further, you have my email address, or PM me so we can discuss your concerns in private.

By reducing the cookie period, we will know where we stand finacially within about a week as opposed to the 2 months it is at present, our business moves at a high pace, so 2 months after initial exposure the products on our site are likely to be very different.

In terms of making friends in a new role, I'm not here to alienate myself, but I have been brought in to do a job, and I fully intend to do this job well. Obviously following Jess is going to be difficult, and I know that not may of you know me in person. I'm a firm believer that affiliate marketing is a job, on both sides - yours and mine - but I have other people to answer to, and it appears that it has been very easy to promote ASOS, so much so, that we have been, in effect, paying twice for a single customer.

I'm happy to discuss individual concerns by PM or email.

Thanks
Gav

[getvisible]

I use POR for my ASOS and looking at the data only 71% of sales are made in 7 days. So basically we're loosing 29% of our revenue.

Sales in 1 hour 50.16%
Sales in 6 hours 57.76%
Sales in 24 hours 60.54%
Sales in 48 hours 63.64%
Sales in 72 hours 65.50%
Sales in 7 days 71.30%
Sales in a month 89.71%
Sales over month 100.00%

The evidence contradicts your assertions!

By reducing the cookie period, we will know where we stand finacially within about a week as opposed to the 2 months it is at present, our business moves at a high pace, so 2 months after initial exposure the products on our site are likely to be very different.

A bit of a Mickey Mouse argument to me. From what you say, it appears that you see affiliates as introducers to a particular product. If that product no longer appears then the affiliate should not get the commission. But affiliates are not purely introducers to products but also to BRANDS! A purchaser would save your SITE as a favourite after us paying for ppc or spending our time SEO'ing your site. Some of us have even created sites specifically around your offering. Hence, there needs to be a more robust analysis of the motivations for reducing cookie lengths and to what you see the role affiliate marketing has within your organisation and compare that to the role it typically plays. From my understanding, it appears that the expressed reasoning for the reduction in cookie lengths has been reverse enginered and the true motivation has not been expressed.

I had a very indepth and lengthy discussion last night with the online markeing manager and the affilaite marketing executive of one the country's leading fashion retailers and expressed an understanding that the affiliate offering must be profitable for both parties - but at the end of the day it is about communication and taking on all party's concerns. Something that I feel is now severly lacking at ASOS at the moment.

I recommended to that retailer that they have a round table discussion, bring in their top affilaites and some others and talk through all the issues. This is something that should have been done at ASOS.

Lee

[Jeff]

I've just received this email from ASOS:

Unfortunately, at the moment there are a large number of
sites which have been deemed to be promoting the ASOS
program in ways we do not want to take the brand forward
with.

As such, we have come up with some guidelines for how the
ASOS brand needs to be integrated and to what type of site
in order to create a strong and profitable affiliate
program moving forwards.

Regrettably at this time, we don't believe your activity
to fall into these guidelines, and will be terminating
your affiliate relationship with ASOS in 7 days time.

So they've decided they don't want me, and they're kicking me out, but they haven't told me why, or what's wrong with my site. What's the point telling you you don't fit in with their 'guidelines' if they don't tell you what those guidelines are?

I don't have a huge number os ASOS sales (only a couple so far this month), but I'd have thought any affiliate generating sales is worth having.

[snappiegav]

Jeff....further down the email...
"We’re running through this exercise for the good of the program and the ASOS brand, moving forwards we’d be happy for you to apply to the ASOS program again, as long as your site falls into the required guidelines (which can be found on the program page)"

Gav

[uklejon]

Profitability is obviously a key driver for a successful business, and in making these changes to the program, we will be in a position to work closer with our top affiliates who use their expertise to promote ASOS. By doing this, we should be in a position to work with our top affiliates to take this program to the next level.

They only want top affiliates so a few sales a moth isn't good enough.

Very sad day.

[Rich]

Sorry Gavin, but can you recap the guideliness here as I can't see any on your program information page other than ppc keyword policy?

[monkeyman]

WTF?

18 months ago, I was the top affiliate 3 months running and now they're saying

'Regrettably at this time, we don't believe your activity
to fall into these guidelines, and will be terminating
your affiliate relationship with ASOS in 7 days time.'

If that's the case, then someone else is gonna get a shedload of traffic coming there way.

Time to sell my shares too, me thinks.