Affiliate Marketing 'the next 5 years'

[adam_knight]

Hi Guys,

I wanted to ask your thoughts on where you see affiliate marketing going in the next 5 years.

This is a huge question and is for everybody.

As an Affiliate or Merchant, where do you see it going? What worries you and what excites you about the future of affiliate marketing?

Adam

[benfriedman]

I know it's always been said a lot in the past but, Mobile Phones!

[adam_knight]

Originally Posted by benfriedman I know it's always been said a lot in the past but, Mobile Phones!

Care to elborate?

[fizzbird]

Originally Posted by adam_knight Hi Guys, I wanted to ask your thoughts on where you see affiliate marketing going in the next 5 years.

Google

Start optimizing your CV!

[swifty7]

Mobile Broadband!

Oh, and travel to the moon!

[adam_knight]

Originally Posted by fizzbird Google Start optimizing your CV!

It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft's cashback search engine does and how Google will react.

[zaggernaut]

Affiliate marketing has always been influenced by a no. of factors:-
1) Search engines,
2) PPC advertising,
3) Content sites and blogs,
4) Tracking methods,
5) Mobile surfing

The complex dyanamics exercised by the above factors would dictate how the affiliate marketing industry would shape up. I personally believe that businesses like, QuidCo and other similar affiliate-revenue sharing models, are a step forward.
Also, the way internet would be accessed over the next five years would change things. It'll also change the tracking methods. There would be mobile-specific ad display formats and further segmentation based on how users react to internet shifting more and more into a mobile screen from a PC monitor.
Needless to point out that search engines need to get a lot better and be able to find the most relevant web pages and not just highly optimised ones on top.

[adam_knight]

Originally Posted by zaggernaut Affiliate marketing has always been influenced by a no. of factors:- 1) Search engines, 2) PPC advertising, 3) Content sites and blogs, 4) Tracking methods, 5) Mobile surfing The complex dyanamics exercised by the above factors would dictate how the affiliate marketing industry would shape up. I personally believe that businesses like, QuidCo and other similar affiliate-revenue sharing models, are a step forward. Also, the way internet would be accessed over the next five years would change things. It'll also change the tracking methods. There would be mobile-specific ad display formats and further segmentation based on how users react to internet shifting more and more into a mobile screen from a PC monitor. Needless to point out that search engines need to get a lot better and be able to find the most relevant web pages and not just highly optimised ones on top.

If Cashback and incentive sites are the step forward, is the traditional affiliate model on borrowed time? If Cashback entered the wider conscious of the general public tomorrow, why would Visitor X click any Ad on affiliate site X? Is it evolve or die?

I agree, there is some really exciting stuff on the horizon with mobile. Things like serving relevant Ad based on cell current location, personalisation and timeliness.
It's got huge potential and reach. This obviously means tracking will have to change and become more detailed to accomodate this type of targetting - glad i'm not a developer!

Mobile devices are also a key component of social networking, and we know that tapping right in to that is what Brands are all over at the moment and that doesn't look to change anytime soon.

Regarding mobile Ad standards, i think they'll be a brief occourance. I forsee full capability browsers on all phones before too long...Apple is already there with Safari and we know that everyone copies whatever Apple does

Have you taken a look at Microsoft's Cashback search engine?

[zaggernaut]

If Cashback and incentive sites are the step forward, is the traditional affiliate model on borrowed time? If Cashback entered the wider conscious of the general public tomorrow, why would Visitor X click any Ad on affiliate site X? Is it evolve or die?

Have you taken a look at Microsoft's Cashback search engine?

When I mentioned revenue-sharing business models like quidco, I wanted to predict what direction they should be moving and how much that'll influence affiliate marketing. Not that they are a brilliant way forward.Presently, especially in mobile industry, incentive sites are subject to large-level fraud for obvious reasons.

Microsoft's Cashback search engine is the logical answer, for now.
Why shouldn't the searcher, searchee, and search provider share the revenues if there is any moolah involved? Why should we keep allowing Google to make money of its publisher network by serving irrelavant and gamed search results ? Realising all this, Google had launched its affiliate program. Fingers crossed how they progress.

Hersh

[adam_knight]

Originally Posted by zaggernaut When I mentioned revenue-sharing business models like quidco, I wanted to predict what direction they should be moving and how much that'll influence affiliate marketing. Not that they are a brilliant way forward.Presently, especially in mobile industry, incentive sites are subject to large-level fraud for obvious reasons. Microsoft's Cashback search engine is the logical answer, for now. Why shouldn't the searcher, searchee, and search provider share the revenues if there is any moolah involved? Why should we keep allowing Google to make money of its publisher network by serving irrelavant and gamed search results ? Realising all this, Google had launched its affiliate program. Fingers crossed how they progress. Hersh

Ok, what are the next steps for cashback? It's got the edge now but....

What if cashback search becomes commonplace and gets rolled out by the major SE's, how will the likes of Xco compete? Create their own search engine? Looks like a daunting scenario!

It's certainly my feeling that Microsoft have, albeit momentarily, out foxed Google with this Search model. Although, how long that will last and how popular it will be is another matter (it's not exactly front page on msn.com). You never know, Cashback is a copied idea and Google is likely to come along and do it bigger and better.

The future is matching the right Ad to the right consumer. Whoever does it best wins

[zaggernaut]

Ok, what are the next steps for cashback? It's got the edge now but.... What if cashback search becomes commonplace and gets rolled out by the major SE's, how will the likes of Xco compete? Create their own search engine? Looks like a daunting scenario!

You have answered yourself: Next steps for cashback is the rolling out of bigger engines such as Live Search Cashback. I always wanted to see revenue-sharing models in search indutry.
When more search engines or big guys get into cashback shopping engines, likes of Xco, would either be bought by them ( more likely) or they have to expand like hell to maintain their market share intact.And its not daunting at all. These are the pathbreakers and they'll be rewarded aptly.

Now truely Microsoft has outfoxed Google, I would say, by a mile. Although Google has spent $3 billion to acquire Double Click, that doesn't push Google towards innovating performance based advertising. They get a larger share of display and rich media publisher base but the business model remains the same.

Relevancy of search is definitely going to be a true measure of search business, but, Live Search does embark on an interesting path.