Calling all Agencies

[mdrussell]

After the successful meeting at the AMC last week it has been decided that a meeting with agencies in the next few weeks would be a good idea to discuss the issues that affect agencies.

Please can anyone from an agency that would like to have there input via attending the meeting in London on the 16th April 1200 – 1400 please email me mark@existem-am.com or call me on 0870 8031366.

Date for proposed meeting:-
Wednesday 16th April 1200 – 1400

If you have any particular topics you would like discussed please feel free to email me and I will add them to an agenda with Dan and Ben from the IAB.

Please let me know about attendance by Wednesday 9th April.

Thanks
Mark

[3wdl]

Typically I'm on holiday - will be back on the 21st. Hope it goes well though Mark, let me know the outcome..

[Paul Wright]

Got excited then until I checked diary. Unfortunately I'm in client meetings from 11:00-13:00 on the 16th.

Some issues I'd like discussed though are listed in the "agencies" thread.

http://www.affiliates4u.com/forums/i...-agencies.html

I appreciate the work you're putting into this Mark, if I can shift the meeting or it falls through I'll be there in a flash.

Cheers
Paul

[Dave m]

Hi Mark,

Did you receive my mail a couple of weeks ago? I would be interested/available for this.

Thanks
David

David McDermott
MindShare Interaction
David.Mcdermott@mindshareinteraction.com
Office: +44 207 969 4090
Mobile: +44 799 057 7997
40, The Strand London WC2N 5RF United Kingdom MindShare Interaction


A GroupM Company

[mdrussell]

Hi Dave

Yeah i did receive your email and will be good to see you there.

Cheers

Mark

[hpops]

Bu-ump

I'll definitely be there - would be nice to see some "less familiar" faces attend - come out of the woodwork people!

[mdrussell]

Hi Guys

I had an email from Dan at the IAB yesterday to say times had changed slightly.

Following on from the AMC’s last meeting we’re proposing April 16th as the meeting date for agencies to come together to discuss common ground for UK best practice.

The session will start at 1130 and last to 1300 here at the IAB offices.

A more formal agenda will be circulated nearer the time, but please reserve this date. Please let me know if there are other agencies you feel should be included in this list.

Best wishes,

Dan

Please can everyone attending please drop me an email on mark@existem-am.com so i can update Dan with numbers.

Thanks

Mark

[jess1]

As you did not bother to invite APA to the initial meeting, speaks volumes... we will be declining, you really missed a huge PR potential, your loss.

[drivetowin]

Jess

I think that's a little unfair - details of the last IAB Affiliate Council meetings have been posted here on the forum and elsewhere.

[jess1]

A4u forum is not the be all and end all of affiliate marketing, we cant spend our days here or we would never get any work done, an email does the job better any way.

I have to agree with Clarke in another post, if the IAB can come up with something that APA do not already do, then we will read it and implement it.

Tell you what Id be impressed with, when the IAB offer to help the affiliates who got stung re PQ, how did the IAB help out there? Self promoting spin and talk is cheap, actions will always speak louder.
IAB UK : Members community : Membership directory : Affiliates, agencies and networks
and Next IAB UK : Members community : Membership directory : N Why are these two companies still listed on the IAB? Because they paid their subs and its money for IAB, conflict of interest? Cake and eat it?

What is needed is a group that can take on legal issues. Any one can write a book on best practice but it means jack if there is no one to enforce it, I think is what Im saying.

[drivetowin]

Jess

That maybe the industry is now big enough that there should be a central fund into which all networks and agencies contribute a levy from their turnover to cover losses from agencies or networks going tits up was a suggestion I made at the last AMC meeting and is one that will be discussed in more depth at some point in the future.

Fully agree with you on the enforcement issue but at the moment wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse - we can't enforce any best practice (and any thoughts on enforcement are a long way down the road from where we are now), until we have all agreed on what best practice is.

I accept your point that A4U is not the be all and end all but there are now so many agencies that to email everyone would not have been practical in the time available (we do all have to do our normal jobs as well as any stuff for the IAB AMC for which none of us receive any remuneration or even reimbursement of expenses). With a thread title of 'Calling All Agencies' I would have hoped all Agencies who frequent the forum would have been aware of its existence.

[jess1]

Ok as always the heart of the issue is dodged
Why is PrimeQ still listed? If the IAB care so much.
Does this not strike you as a little surreal? At best, is it not a little hypocritical?

Are the IAB going to levy fines on their subscribers if they don’t fall into line with best practice? Of course not the statement will be… best practice is merely a guide.
I need to see the value in this and I can’t. This is about Mr B affiliate who just got screwed and his/her business is now in jeopardy. What is the IAB going to do about it.
Best practice??? Affiliates already know who they want to work with, they go where the money is regardless if a merchant has best practice in place or not. What kind of bubble do we think we are living in. Currency is king... will the IAB have any impact? No... just words, words, revenue generating ads (sponsorship) appearing over more words. Like the class system in the UK, there will always be tiers and the company that gets my support will be the ones where by they say, come on Mr B, lets go get your money back.

This is about Mr Network that just absconded. This is about the every day stuff that affects the industry and this is not about putting money into the IAB’s pocket which is ultimately the end goal. Actions speak louder then words.
If I were the IAB, I would start by updating their website re primeQ, if they want to win the hearts, minds and wallets of the affiliates.

Walk the walk you get my respect and support.

[mdrussell]

HI Jess

Please can you make clear what is your Issue that you were not invited ot the IAB council full stop, as it seems to me that you are using the fact that you didnt read this thread and get a personal email from the IAB or me as a reason not to attend.

But to be honest it seems to me that even if we had sent you an invite personally you wouldnt have attended.

I agree with you on the primeq issue and will address this with Dan on Wednesday, and will make sure this is dealt with.

I must admit to being a little sceptical about the IAB and unsure as to how it will work long term, but isnt it better to try something and try and make it work rather than be negative from the begining.

I must admit that the last meeting was my first, although Bruce has attended most of the meetings. I would also like to point out how positive the meeting was and that a separate meeting for agencies was a good idea, and at least if we can all sit around a table and try and get some best practices between agencies surely that is good.

I would encourage you to reconsider your stance as your input would be valid, however if you have already made your mind up? that is a shame!

I hope to see you on Wednesday.

[hpops]

Ok as always the heart of the issue is dodged
Why is PrimeQ still listed? If the IAB care so much.
Does this not strike you as a little surreal? At best, is it not a little hypocritical?

Are the IAB going to levy fines on their subscribers if they don’t fall into line with best practice? Of course not the statement will be… best practice is merely a guide.
I need to see the value in this and I can’t. This is about Mr B affiliate who just got screwed and his/her business is now in jeopardy. What is the IAB going to do about it.
Best practice??? Affiliates already know who they want to work with, they go where the money is regardless if a merchant has best practice in place or not. What kind of bubble do we think we are living in. Currency is king... will the IAB have any impact? No... just words, words, revenue generating ads (sponsorship) appearing over more words. Like the class system in the UK, there will always be tiers and the company that gets my support will be the ones where by they say, come on Mr B, lets go get your money back.

This is about Mr Network that just absconded. This is about the every day stuff that affects the industry and this is not about putting money into the IAB’s pocket which is ultimately the end goal. Actions speak louder then words.
If I were the IAB, I would start by updating their website re primeQ, if they want to win the hearts, minds and wallets of the affiliates.

Walk the walk you get my respect and support.

I found that a baffling diatribe Jess, your input in the council would be invaluable, side sniping is just destructive. The IAB is an organisation which encourages online spend over other forms of advertising. The AMC within the IAB attempts to ensure that Affiliate Marketing is appropriately represented and pushed towards the fore of online marketing spends, its in all of our interests and the recent meetings that I've attended have been full of passionate people trying to exact change in a very constructive fashion. The IAB has absolutely nothing to do with the recent situatiuon with PQ, it certainly isn't the main issue here. Perhaps in the future penalties could be exacted but it is a long long way away.

The real issue that the IAB looks to address is the perception of affiliate marketing at board level of senior marketeers, everything I've seen thus far suggests that the progress being made in that direction is extremely positive.

On another note the IAB to my knowledge is a non-profit making organisation which seeks to represents its members interests, not generate revenue from advertising. The idea that the production of best-practice guides for the industry wouldn't help is just plain wrong. There were merchants in attendance who certainly felt that they would be better equipped to run successful and ethical programs if they had been better informed in this way.

I'd really like to get to the bottom of your disapproval of this process Jess, as I said earlier your experience, opinions and knowledge could make an invaluable contribution to what I (and many others) feel is an important and necessary step for the industry.

[jess1]

I think you will find that snide or sneaky is not what I do and we all know it.
Its about confronting and asking questions, which I believe I am allowed to ask.
Mark the point was/is.. we dont all have time check each and every thread.
We dont have time to be here every day, could be we miss important dates. A4 u is not the beginning and ending of affiliate marketing, you seen WickedFire - Affiliate Marketing Forum - Internet Marketing Webmaster SEO Forum - Powered by vBulletin
Or The #1 Affiliate Marketing Forum :: ABestWeb :: or facebook.com or 1000's of other affiliate marketing websites?
As in there is a bigger world out there. I find when I need key people to invite to an idustry shaping event, email is good for future reference unless of course you only want a4uforum people, in which case, I was unaware of this policy and I apologise.

So the question is again... which no one seems to want to answer, how is the IAB going to help the affiliate that just lost all his/her earnings via a merchant or network that has just absconded, how is a bit of paper advising people what they should do, going to help? Are they going to provide legal and financial support to mr B affiliate who just lost 3K in commissions? No.. why? Cos mr B affiliate is required to go to the small claims court and put his hand into his own pocket, despite the fact that mr M erchant had a little seal on his website saying "My affiliate program is compliant"

BTW, glad to see the link to PrimeQ has been removed from the website even though I had to point it out. I dont really need to say much more other we will never agree.
Its self spinning PR which does not impress me. Walk the Walk... lets see where this ends up in a couple of years. I could be wrong here... I hope I am.