Re: Affiliate Junk - Do the Math

From: Wayne Browning <coffeenews_at_homepagers.com>
Date: Mon 24 Sep 2001 12:21:02 -0500

PESACH LATTIN <plattin_at_spyretech.com> WROTE:

>"No one is making money off commission junction."

TO WHICH GLENN SOBEL <YourWebURL_at_aol.com> THEN REPLIED:

>Without getting into a long debate with Pesach Lattin's
>angry attack on affiliate marketing I just want to give
>one stat for all to ponder.

>Commission Junction has something like 1500 merchants
>offering affiliate programs. As one of CJ's top partners
><see http://AffiliateAdvisor.cj.com> I think I had referred
>around 20 active merchants at one point (less than 2%
>of CJ's active merchant list) a few months ago and the
>commissions paid to affiliates by my merchants alone
>totaled over $200,000 for that one month.

GAIL LEINO <Gail_at_PersonalizedPartyFavor.com> REPLIED:

>I'll let you do the math and draw your own conclusion.

>Glen, we need one more figure to complete this
>maticatical problem.How many affiliates received a slice
>of that $200,000?
>100? That's $2,000 each for the month.
>1,000? That's $200 each for the month.
>10,000? That's $20 each for the month!

>We await the missing number.

I have to agree here. Glen uses the dollar amount paid
out on the whole program as the barometer, and honestly
that barometer is only taking into account the success
of the advertiser not the individual publishers. It
makes one wonder if Glen has understood the comments
made here or if there is some ulterior motive for the
propaganda:-)

CJ offers very little in the way of good or profitable
programs. Retail advertisers make up the bulk and offer
very little in the way of support or real opportunity,
most just trying to cash in in some way on the CJ type
presence. Knowing they do not have to pay for traffic
or brand exposure by paying a commission on some over
priced retail item.

Truth is, currently, the programs that provide
publishers some possibilities reside in the entertainment,
dating, gambling niches, subscription driven programs.
There are some good programs but i'll never say which
ones they are, it only leads to their demise:-)

And sites like our own have had the good fortune to have
and maintain several cpm clients over the span of 5
years. They remain CPM clients because their offers
work extremely well in our niche, it's no big secret.
If your niche is not supported by advertisers best fold
up shop:-) Trying hundreds of different CJ offers just
won't cut it. But again i stress that there are
opportunities but in most cases they are ones that
develop through mutual demographics and therefore mutual
profitability. Affiliate programs run by programs like
CJ do not allow for any interaction between advertiser/
publisher in real terms, it's a bloody bureaucratic
technocratic jungle there.

Saying that i must admit we run one or two programs
tracked by CJ, but only because the advertiser has
asked us to and we know the program fits us. We never
go looking to CJ for advertisers, we try to go direct.
That can be difficult as most assume CJ does all the
affiliate maintenance, and they don't really do that.
The are just a "software" that employs hundreds:-)
really.

Wayne Browning



Received on Mon Sep 24 2001 - 12:21:02 CDT