Performics Opening Up
02 March 2008 – 3:48 pmThis is turning out to be quite an interesting year of developments in the U.S. Affiliate Networks. Or maybe there has just been so little going on for the past few that it just seems that way.
Pepperjam Network launched. Buy.at was aquired by AOL. Linkshare launched a new publisher interface. Hell froze over.
Last night Larry Adams from Performics announced their own second release of 2008.
I like this. Lots of little releases. Push out the features as they come.
I tend not to get excited about small interface changes, but this one isn’t an interface change. It’s a paradigm shift.
Performics has been for over a year now making publisher emails available to the merchants that they’ve partnered up with. I don’t *think* that’s an opt-in thing like on the CJ network. Correct me if I’m wrong. While you’re at it, tell me why a merchant that I’m partnering with shouldn’t have access to my contact information, and vice versa (a la CJ)?
They’re taking it a step forward and allowing publishers to opt into making email addresses available to non-partner merchants for recruiting. It’s opt-in only, and certainly not for everybody, but a good open-network-minded move.
It’s turning out to be a good year for affiliate network improvements. I expect some more big things.
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8 Responses to “Performics Opening Up”
I never understood why would any one want to hide their contact info from your merchants? Unless you are doing something shady. I loved what PepperJam has done, and how easy it is to communicate with your merchants. I actually never realized that CJ had an option to “hide” my contact info.
By Vlad on Mar 2, 2008
Scott,
Interesting announcement - I certainly expect the Big Three to continue to respond to the changing marketplace.
It remains ironic to me that over all these years the networks have treated affiliate information as if they owned it. The irony comes from the fact that advertisers can’t build strong (i.e., open, transparent) partnerships without knowing who they are partnering with - opening up contact information is a start and I commend Performics for stepping up to the plate!
Pepperjam Network (PJN) is completely transparent - we provide our advertisers with full and unfettered affiliate information of ALL affiliates within the Network - it’s not an opt-in, opt-out policy at PJN. In fact, affiliates that are more transparent receive higher transparency ratings, which entitles them to special treatment by our advertisers, such as automatic private offers and a dedicated account manager. Pepperjam Network was built on the premise that the future of affiliate marketing includes transparent relationships for affiliates and advertisers alike.
Kris
By Kris Jones on Mar 2, 2008
Kris, why don’t you then open up some contact information yourself, and put a telephone number on the front page of your site? I searched and searched all over your site and can’t find your phone number. That’s hardly transparent.
By Mike on Mar 3, 2008
Mike,
You can access our toll free # from multiple locations off the Pepperjam Network homepage.
For instance, all of the services links (fourth button from top right navigation bar) provide our 800 #. That’s 12 different links - all off the homepage!
The reason why Pepperjam Network, along with all the other major networks, including http://www.linkshare.com, http://www.performics.com, and http://www.commissionjunction.com do not provide an 800# on the homepage has to do with logistics.
While we don’t have an 800# on our homepage I’m pretty confident in saying that the fact that we have 12 links on our homepage linking off to our 800# is industry leading.
Also, I’m pretty confident that if you spent just a few minutes on the http://www.pepperjamnetwork.com Web site you’d find that 800# you were looking for.
Moreover, we have contact us links throughout the Web site, as well as a blog (www.pepperjamnetwork.com/blog) so that our advertisers and affiliates have open lines of communication with the Pepperjam Network team.
Lastly, once you actually become an affiliate or advertiser and log-in to the Pepperjam Network EVERYTHING CHANGES. Everything is transparent - there is no other affiliate network that is even close in terms of the amount and quality of information we share with advertisers and affiliates.
Best of luck!
And by the way - our 800# is 877-796-5700 and my personal e-mail is kris@pepperjam.com.
I’d give you my cell phone # but that would probably be pushing it.
Kris
By Kris Jones on Mar 3, 2008
Scott,
Thanks for taking notice and for your support of our decision. We’ve been doing roughly a (small) release a month for the past year, and have plans to keep this pace for the foreseeable future. Lots of small releases means no big bangs (ala Linkshare’s big interface redesign) but it allows us to get things out quickly and more importantly respond to feedback and improve the features we build.
To clarify a question in your post, publishers cannot opt out of displaying their email addresses to joined advertisers. They can opt out of receiving promotional messages from their joined advertisers, but contact info is always available for business related communications.
Kris, thanks for your comments and glad you agree with our stance. Hopefully, we’ll see more transparency across the industry (networks, advertisers and publishers) in the future.
Larry
By Larry Adams on Mar 3, 2008
Scott and Larry,
I am somewhat new to DoubleClick. I can’t quiet understand how to request the data feeds for some of the merchants. I am thinking to have an FTP setup. Do I need to request different sent up for each merchant? Or once I requested as set up I will be able to download the data feeds from all my approved merchants? Thanks in advance.
By Vlad on Mar 3, 2008
Vlad, take a look at this post: http://blog.performics.com/affiliate/2007/06/performics-adve.html
You can get the feed via email if you can’t accept an FTP . Currently we have to set this up on your behalf (any time you add new advertisers), but we’ll be enabling self sign-up soon. When we do, you’ll be able to designate a setting that will automatically sign you up for data feeds for new relationships you create.
Larry
By Larry Adams on Mar 3, 2008
Thanks Larry,
Off to read the article on your blog. More questions there…
By Vlad on Mar 3, 2008