Discount Code Sites and Forced Clicks & IFRAMES

[getvisible]

I was just reading Jason's excellent post after finding it on an unrelated manner. But I was wondering if there's been any progress with the merchants/networks/agencies in relation to forced clicks, unscrupulous methods that some affiliates go to to wipe the legitmate cookies of content/search affiliates?

His post is Click For Cookies Or Use Forced Clicks & IFrames? | One Little Duck - Affiliate Blog
if you want to review it.

[Barry]

Personally I have not seen anyone using iFrames for a good while and all the sites I found and reported have had the iFrames removed.

Ta

[loquax]

I've looked at a few lately, and the "click for your discount to be revealed" are prevalent so I guess networks see that as not a forced click (imo it is).

In terms of iframes... only found the one - which is good... (check the source code)

Some examples
Debenhams Code
DELL Code

So it still happens..

Jason

[hpops]

Originally Posted by loquax I've looked at a few lately, and the "click for your discount to be revealed" are prevalent so I guess networks see that as not a forced click (imo it is).

I'd like to hear an official on the record stance answering this question from every network.

Then I'd like to hear why this would be any different to having "to see content relating to MERCHANT X (and open website) click here." Or even "to see my datafeed products (and open the merchants which sell them) click here".

[stu-art]

"Click to reveal" is a forced click every day of the week imo.
Even worse are the well known voucher sites who promise codes for merchants who have never issued codes.
I discovered a 'code' for a major merchant of mine that offers £20 off. However, the code does not exist. Forced click - no code - false claim - p*ssed off visitor. And this is on a 'credible' site.

Why bundle every known affiliate link on to a site and trick the visitor into thinking there are codes available if it's not purely to overwrite the cookie?

The networks are very quiet on this.

[loquax]

Networks are quiet imo because one won't take the lead in case the others don't follow. Why do the right thing if it means losing revenue to your competitors?

If Network 1 said 'forced clicks are not ok and we've given affiliates notice' then would others follow?

It's pleasing to see the iframe stuff sorted out (although it grates like hell that so many got away with it without nothing more than an "ohhh what's occurring")

But all networks will be silent on acting against forced clicks as none want to be isolated, especially as I don't believe some networks don't regard it as forced ('user knows they want to visit that site for a discount so fair dos' - yet as hpops says why can't the same be applied to everything else - e.g. user wants to see this product when they visit my price comparison page so lets pop up all merchants that have it).

Jason

[getvisible]

Why bundle every known affiliate link on to a site and trick the visitor into thinking there are codes available if it's not purely to overwrite the cookie?

personally I find this to be the most annnoying thing about these sites!

I was on one the other day, the guy had loaded about 15 new posts that day and I couldn't actually find any that had codes!

Awful

p.s. thumbs down is : td (classic)

[hpops]

I've moved this into Moderators Choice mainly to illicit some network responses. It would even be nice to hear the issue acknowledged by a network rep as a current market prioirity which they are investigating, tumbleweed is not the sound of progress.

[aotagain]

Was just about to post something on this subject.
Just putting on a merchants hat for the moment...

In the absence of action from networks for whatever reasons, suppose in the meantime a merchant wants to police their own program within their own set of rules, to try to protect affiliates who generate original leads, from having their cookie overwritten by a cookie-dropping click that does nothing.

What methods could they use to spot the following (and therefore issue warnings as per their set-up terms). ie. how do you detect a cookie dropped ?

1. Hidden iframe forced clicks dropping cookies
2. 'Click to get codes' where there isn't a code and the visitor doesn't go to the merchants site, but a cookie is dropped.
3. Other ways of dropping cookies where nothing is actually contributed.

Could there be a checklist somewhere for merchants who want to implement their own policing for whatever reason they decide is relevant to their program ?

[Cheapdvds]

Originally Posted by stu-art "Click to reveal" is a forced click every day of the week imo. Even worse are the well known voucher sites who promise codes for merchants who have never issued codes. I discovered a 'code' for a major merchant of mine that offers £20 off. However, the code does not exist. Forced click - no code - false claim - p*ssed off visitor. And this is on a 'credible' site. Why bundle every known affiliate link on to a site and trick the visitor into thinking there are codes available if it's not purely to overwrite the cookie? The networks are very quiet on this.

what if the button says "use discount now" and the code is then shown when the retailers window has opened instead of reveal discount I assume that would also be a forced click