The New York Times published a post on their blog written by Mark Cohen, titled “Is Affiliate Marketing Worth the Risk” where he discussed some of the problems people face when harnessing affiliates to do their marketing. He also went on to interview Kellie Stevens, who works to identify different scams being run by affiliates. The title, introduction and first several questions in the interview paint a fairly grim picture about the industry as a whole, which may discourage some companies from starting affiliate programs.
I will say, however, that as long as you read the entire article to the end, it is a fair critique of the industry. The second to the last question was asking Kellie Stevens whether she felt that affiliate marketing programs are more hassle than they are worth. Kellie responded saying that they are worth it, and that there are ‘way more good, honest marketers than bad. And it’s actually gotten better.” She is clearly a supporter of affiliate marketing, both for businesses and marketers.
Prior to that last question, however, the article seemed quite negative on affiliate marketing as a business practice, pointing out a variety of different scams which some disreputable marketers employ, including cookie stuffing, coupon baiting and more. While that is certainly a problem, it can hardly be blamed on the industry as a whole.
Nobody would consider writing an article about businesses which hire new employees without an interview or background check, and then fall victim to a rising level of employee theft. The problems some businesses face with their affiliate programs are quite similar to that though, since they sign on to an affiliate program without learning about it, or even having a full understanding of the industry.
When most companies decide to implement an affiliate marketing program, they will research different affiliate networks and managers to find which ones are best. Sites like this one, and others, have long attempted to shine a light on the ‘bad apples’ of the industry, and provide this type of information free of charge, both to marketers and businesses.
When a business does their due diligence, an affiliate program can have incredible returns on investments.
You can read the full post from the New York Times HERE. As I said, it does have some good information, especially at the end. I just wasn’t thrilled with the implications that were being made (clearly as an attempt to boost traffic) in the headline and first half of the post. What do you think about it? Post in the comments below.
