Q&A with 7thingsmedia on the Affiliate Manager Plus Launch

Launch Video for Affiliate Manager Plus

How did you come up with the idea and did you consult anyone within the industry prior?

"Whether client-side or heading up the agency, I've always been impatient to know more: Who are my top trending affiliates? Which affiliate performed the best in the last mid-season sale? Where are the gaps in my programme? Where are competitors succeeding where I'm not? What sales trends am I missing? And ultimately which affiliates sells the most of our top selling product? This data, naturally, has always been available but not in an instantly demonstrative format that can aid business decisions.

"It was actually dinner with a close friend - who is an IT Consultant in the Finance sector - when the idea fully formed. His day-to-day is setting and automating large indefinite amounts of data to trend volatile financial markets to give the traders the best possible insights in their decision marketing. That led to the eureka moment – use the best econometric theory to collect, analysis and trend performance marketing data for 7thingsmedia."

What are the main features and benefits of the product?

"Affiliate Manager Plus pulls a ream of client information via the affiliate network's or tracking APIs to form the basis of reports, analysis, and forecasts.

"The reports go far beyond the standard impressions, clicks and sales and are tailored to the client's present margin, product, affiliate, and seasonal campaign-level data. This then gives our Account Management the insights locally and instantly therefore allowing them to reinvest their efforts from the involved process of manual reporting to further build affiliate relationships and service clients to produce greater campaigns.

"We are then looking forward to enabling elements such as the affiliate opportunities module – which will business case the value of an affiliate for a brand base on their relative success on similar programmes. Or the gap analysis module that will instantly seek and highlight missing affiliates or affiliate types based on a programme's size, objectives or vertical – then actually being able to forecast the potential uplift.

"Ultimately – aside from the data and clever econometrics – it allows the team, the agency and the channel to be more accountable, tangible and demonstrative. A very powerful asset."

When will the product be available to advertisers?

"The first phase of Affiliate Manager Plus is being released exclusively to 7thingsmedia's affiliate clients and we are about to start the first phase for our long-standing clients such as USC, Ted Baker plus newly signed brands such as Ideal World.

"Affiliate Manager Plus will now be a product that accompanies any client that joins the agency for affiliate management."

We love the launch video, what was the idea behind that?

"I know David and Fi were both delighted to unveil the video at A4U Expo London. The whole agency got involved in the concept, process and even voice-over and we are delighted with the end outcome. The video is all about going from good to great with Affiliate Manager Plus, with our usual 7thingsmedia signature style."

Interview was conducted with Chris Bishop, Founder & Managing Director of 7thingsmedia.