The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) continues its assault on Internet-based false and deceptive advertising, including enforcement of recently published guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials. On May 31, 2011, the FTC announced its first settlement with an individual consumer charged with deceptive representations made in relation to a product or service testimonial. The … Read more
According to a lawsuit filed May 16, 2011 by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, a renowned Canadian online marketing operation that obtained credit and banking information by offering purportedly “free” or “risk free” trials subsequently withdrew over $450 million in unauthorized charges from consumers’ … Read more
One thing hasn’t changed since I started working in this industry over a decade ago: brand marketers still often look at performance marketers as if they are a crazy step-brother, locked in the basement for fear that he will get out and eat small animals. Yes, there is that part of the performance marketing industry … Read more
Right now, perhaps the biggest “new job” in online media is the social media manager, and similarly the social media management company. Agencies all over are scrambling to create social media divisions and every major brand out there has been equally hurried to hire “experts” to assist them in this new empire of social media. … Read more
In the strangest news this year, Epic Advertising Announced that they were no longer going to be in the Affiliate and Performance Marketing space, instead focusing on new revenue model based completely on their new DailyDealSite called GroupLiving.com. Epic, formerly known as AzoogleAds, (from the French, pronounced AzoooGleeehhh) was at one time seen as the … Read more
Waging battles in the growing number of states proposing affiliate nexus bills that threaten affiliate marketers is a lot like the classic episode of “I Love Lucy” where Lucy and Ethel attempt to keep pace with the conveyor belt at the chocolate factory. Staying on top of what is happening in each state is becoming … Read more
Gone are the days of desperately probing through the yellow pages in the middle of the night, searching for a plumber in close proximity, to resolve an unexpected blockage of inconvenient proportions, only to find that their printed number is no longer in service. Times have changed. The digital Goliath now reigns supreme and brings … Read more
After many months of development, we have released the latest version of Offervault, which has been totally re-written from the ground up. Aside from several new features that you can take advantage of right now, the new system lays the groundwork for the rest of our planned upgrades throughout the rest of 2011. The new … Read more
Adotas-“The Wall Street Journal’s front page is typically littered with mistakes now,” a coworker randomly commented. “That’s because they laid off the proofreaders and copy editors to cut costs,” I snorted. “Huge mistake.” I often lament not having a copy editor or proofreader at Adotas, not just because I’m in such a rush to produce … Read more
ADOTAS – The relationship between an affiliate and an affiliate manager can be very rewarding over the lifetime of an affiliate program. However, there are times when as an affiliate manager you may experience the wrath of an angry affiliate. Affiliates can feel hurt about a company’s decision to lower a commission, or eliminate a … Read more
I’m not normally someone who pitches books to people, since I believe that a lot of information can be found on the internet for free. That being said, my parents actually gave me a Kindle for the Holidays and because of that I’ve actually started to read again. So here are Five books that are … Read more
ADOTAS – I can’t stop grinning about Gavin Dunaway’s truth-sharing post, “Google Stands Up For Its Search“; no doubt bloggers like us “are giving big G a headache.” I applaud him for having the courage to write the truth as he sees it. (There is only ever what truth we can each deduce which the … Read more
ADOTAS – Even though it’s early February, you might still be recuperating from Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas. If you weren’t there – big mistake!! The affiliate community was out in force (more than 4,600 delegates), taking part in the mayhem that Vegas has now become renowned for – endless seminars, impromptu networking, crazy … Read more
Welcome to 2011! Well, not yet, but we’re just about there. With the New Year being just around the corner, it’s about time we lay out our predictions for next year’s major marketing trends. Here’s what I think will both happen and be important for businesses owners and brand marketers. Offline Mobile Marketing will Grow … Read more