John Lewis --- Rework Your Sites

[Pete Taylor]

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Dear Affiliate,

Beginning Wednesday 28 July, the following restrictions will be in effect for the johnlewis.com affiliate program.


Trademark Disclaimer for Organic Search

Affiliates' use of John Lewis's Trade Marks must be limited to the creative and text supplied by John Lewis through Trade Doubler. Any other use is not permitted unless prior permission has been granted by John Lewis.

The John Lewis names or any confusingly similar names, such as (but not limited to) "johnlewis.com" or "John Lewis" must not be used:

- as 'keywords', 'meta tags', 'alt tags', or any other such device;
- more than 4 times per page in any part of a site's HTML
- As part of the Uniform Resources Locator (URL), a path name, a directory name or an e-mail address
- in banner advertising or any other type of electronic advertising, that would, in the opinion of the Partnership, mislead the consumer to believe the site belongs to the Partnership
- For the purpose of diverting users to sites not owned by John Lewis or to give priority to sites not owned by John Lewis over johnlewis.com

The contents of John Lewis's literature and all webs sites owned by John Lewis, including but not limited to John Lewis, are protected by the law relating to trademark and copyright.

Affiliates must not directly or indirectly bid on the Word Mark ' John Lewis ' or derivatives or confusingly similar words.

No Doorway pages to be built around searches for John Lewis

No Masked URLs (Inc add to favourites buttons)

Must be able to navigate using the browsers back button


Regards,

The John Lewis and TradeDoubler affiliate teams


If in the future you do not wish to receive emails from TradeDoubler, please log in to our site and go to "Edit information," where you will be able to remove yourself from future mailings.

[getvisible]

has the Interflora online marketing team moved to John Lewis??

[Keith]

<img src=http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/b/s/bso104/crazy.jpg alt="john lewis alt tag">

[km8]

Glad I don't promote John Lewis then.

You mean I can sell your products so long as I don't advertise John Lewis, tell my visitors I'm promoting John Lewis or use any of your product descriptions to describe your products ....

.... ah, I get it - if we advertise your competitors but deliver them to John Lewis that's OK.

Well I'm off to have some sustenance from a purveyor of nourishment who are a bit like BurgerKing (but are not BurgerKing). Think I'll have a large scottish word for 'son of' by the people who trade under the inverted, sunshine coloured W.

B*ll*cks to that!

[km8]

Nice one Keith, you obviously have a more graphic interpretation than I do - but it seems we agree.

[Matthew Wood]

I'm quite surprised about this decision.

Especially the url name...

How else will affiliates be able to display reviews, products and information about a retailer.

The nature of most of our inhouse CMS systems and online databases is that we use the shop name as the url parameter, and I'm certainly not going to make special rules for john lewis here, so they will gradually dissapear from my sites.

Matthew

[drivetowin]

Incredible!!

Looks like someone at John Lewis has got sour grapes about some affiliates being better at SEO than they are.

[renegade]

Interflora rides again!
It's another links down situation.
Unbelievable.

[km8]

Originally posted by kbudden
Incredible!!

Looks like someone at John Lewis has got sour grapes about some affiliates being better at SEO than they are.

And wasn't it good of them to give everybody 2 hour's notice before quitting time to re-write their websites and get them spidered and updated by the engines before the changes kick in?

Isn't it nice to feel valued as a partner?

John Lewis? ........ suuuuuccccckkkkkssssss!

[Fraser]

It's amazing how this great program has gone downhill so quickly, first the commission rate was slashed and now these conditions

[999gi]

Im sure this is just a badly worded be sure to cover the spammer type of thing. Ive emailed asking for dispensation. I cant believe they wouldnt do it as I dont target their brand name, but if they dont give it then they'll be dropped.

[Qui Gon Jinn]

It looks like Interflora Part Deux.

They have certainly lost all sense of reality and of affiliate marketing, ultimately they should consider if they wish to adopt an affiliate program at all.

Will they clamp down on the major portals and ISPs, of course they won't. They are seeing affiliates as easy targets with less deep pockets.

At the end of the day, John Lewis or any other merchant cannot interfere with the copy of any publishers site inclusing tags. They cannot enforce it except reject you from their program...loads more to choose from.

If they wish to kick affiliates off, so be it, just use their product database and send to merchants with the same products.

I am really surprised that a network allows a merchant to be on their network if they impose draconian measures like a couple of those above. But hey, it's a big brand, we are piddly affiliates.

When is the network going to stick up for the affiliate? An say these are not acceptable, therefore John Lewis cannot remain on the network.

Of course they won't, bloody cowards !

[km8]

Originally posted by Qui Gon Jinn
It looks like Interflora Part Deux.

They have certainly lost all sense of reality and of affiliate marketing, ultimately they should consider if they wish to adopt an affiliate program at all.

If they wish to kick affiliates off, so be it, just use their product database and send to merchants with the same products.

I think the answer to that is they don't want 'affiliates'.
If they can get Goons to magic visitors for them - Good.

Or if you're an existing affiliate and don't realise the implications, maybe they'll get 6 months free traffic from you before you notice that they're not paying you anymore.

As you say Qui Gon Jinn (what is that anyway?), there are plenty of alternatives.

Do the decent thing Peter, terminate your affiliate program.

[billaffiliate]

What do they want me to promote them as, Joe Bloggs then?
Well it's their loss, they already shot themselves in one foot by dropping commission rates in half, now I guess they just want shoot themselves in the other.

[watcher]

Ditch John Lewis, create a page that talks about John Lewis a lot and stick Adsense on it - let them pay twice as much for the same traffic.

Jokers.