Effective March 21st, Affiliate Window merchant details and directories will only be accessible via Darwin. Programme details in the former Affiliate Window interface will be switched off and affiliates will only be able to join new merchant programmes through the improved Darwin platform.

As we move additional features across to Darwin, it becomes necessary to retire outdated products and support the tools and technology available in the new interface.

If you do not currently have a Darwin login, we encourage you to create a user account as soon as possible. The sign-up process is simple, click here to get started. For extensive information on Darwin and all of the features and tools available, please visit the Affiliate Window Wiki.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the Darwin Team.

Affiliate Window is pleased to announce the release of the first reports marking the movement of the Reporting Suite to Darwin. As of today the merchant Affiliate Performance, affiliate Merchant Performance, merchant Product Performance and the affiliate Product Performance reports are available for use within Darwin. With a brand new design, the newly developed solution will see a dramatic performance increase for our users.

Our brand new reporting facility has been developed to react to the changing demands of our advertisers and publishers. The new product is significantly faster and more efficient for end users, allowing a much quicker turnaround time for analysing and accessing data.

These reports can be accessed through Darwin now; the first of many reporting improvements to be launched in the months to come.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please email the Darwin Team with any comments, suggestions or relevant requests.

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Shop Direct Group, the UK’s largest online and home shopping retailer, has launched affiliate programmes for six of their brands on the Affiliate Window network including Littlewoods UK, Very.co.uk, Choice, Additions Direct, K&Co. and the newly introduced fashion brand, isme. Littlewoods Europe and Woolworths will follow suit within the next few weeks. Working in collaboration with media agency OMD, Affiliate Window will implement their specialty tools and technology to drive SDG’s affiliate business forward.

The programme migration to the exclusive partnership with Affiliate Window provides Shop Direct Group brands and their affiliate partners with clear benefits including access to the new Affiliate Window interface, Darwin; the affiliate industry’s first interactive directory, comprised of detailed Profiles, real-time activity streams and comprehensive user dashboards. Additionally, a highly intuitive reporting suite becomes available along with the implementation of ShopWindow, Affiliate Window’s proprietary API software for product comparison searches.

Last month saw Shop Direct Group launch new brand, isme, aimed at the fashion-conscious mature customer and featuring the Savoir range of clothes which offers beautifully fitted clothing tailored exclusively for mature woman.

To learn more about the SDG programmes or to join, email Katy Armitage.

Lisa Chaikin
PR Manager, Affiliate Window
e: lisa.chaikin@affiliatewindow.com
t: 020 7553 0333

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Maxinutrition, the UK’s leading sports nutrition retailer, look to strengthen their existing partnership with Affiliate Window through the consolidation of their affiliate programmes Maximuscle, Maxitone and Maxifuel. As the sports nutrition industry continues its upward trend of annual growth in 2010, the performance marketing channel remains a key component to their online business success, being a consistent driver of their customer acquisition.

Affiliate Window has consistently driven new customers to the Maxinutrition brands while generating a significantly higher ROI than previous network partners. Future strategic plans include a comprehensive recruitment drive for the Maxitone and Maxifuel sites to provide niche, content publishers who focus on nutrition and overall health and fitness.

Sam Musk, Web Marketing Manager for Maxinutrition has managed the affiliate campaigns for 3 years. He says: “Affiliate Window has impressed us with their levels of service and innovation within the channel. Now that we have additional brands sat alongside Maximuscle, it was the ideal time to consolidate. AW’s pro-activity will help to grow our infant brands while the technology and reporting will be an asset to our online team.”

Anthony Clements, Client Services Director for Affiliate Window adds: “It is great news for Digital Window that a brand like Maxinutrition, with its strong history of pro-active online marketing initiatives, has decided to consolidate its affiliate activity with us. We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Maxinutrition since launching their first programme, Maximuscle, at the start of 2007. Like their programme, our working relationship has gone from strength to strength, and we anticipate further growth in Maxinutrition’s affiliate activity in 2011 as the company look to put the channel at the core of their online marketing strategy.”

Maxinutrition was recently acquired by GSK who also own Lucozade, Horlicks and Ribena, further building upon their strong placement in the global, sports nutrition market.

For press enquiries, please contact:
Lisa Chaikin
PR Manager, Affiliate Window
e: lisa.chaikin@affiliatewindow.com
t: 020 7553 0333

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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK’s independent watchdog committed to maintaining high standards in advertising for the benefit of consumers, advertisers and society.

Its role is to monitor digital and non-digital advertising and respond to consumer concerns about potentially misleading claims. In other words it covers digital marketing advertisers carry out either directly or through third parties like Digital Window.

On September 1st, 2010 The ASA announced an extension to the remit of digital media it currently covers, expanding it to oversee new digital channels, most notably social networking sites.

The remit and processes are defined through mandatory Advertising Codes. These codes are designed to ensure that advertisements, wherever they appear, remain legal, decent, honest and truthful. The codes are drawn up by the Committee of Advertising Practice.

For nearly 50 years the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has set out the remit and the rules via a broadcast and non-broadcast code. The non-broadcast code that covers digital marketing is known as the CAP Code.

Over time the CAP Code has been updated to take account of new technologies and to reflect changes in advertising standards. Today it applies to marketing communications across all non-broadcast media including online where it already covers advertisements in paid-for space and sales promotions wherever they appear.

Following a six month grace period the revised CAP Code will become effective 1st March 2011.

Whilst we don’t envisage any particular direct consequences for advertisers running affiliate programmes we felt it useful to provide you with full details of the changes with an affiliate marketing context. These are outlined in a document you can access by emailing Digital Window’s Strategy Director Kevin Edwards.

It’s important to remember that advertisers should not be alarmed by the CAP Code extension; it’s simply a reaction to the changing digital landscape.

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Reader’s Digest is expanding their online offering in the UK through the exclusive launch of an affiliate programme with Affiliate Window. With a portfolio of products including the hugely successful magazine, DVDs, CDs and books, Reader’s Digest is one of the UKs best loved and most successful brands, making growth potential via online channels a key component for the future success of the business.

Working in collaboration with digital marketing agency twentysix Digital, Affiliate Window will introduce their proprietary tools and technology to propel Reader’s Digest’s affiliate campaigns forward. Together they plan to utilise the performance channel to generate targeted and relevant site traffic to Reader’s Digest’s website www.readersdigest.co.uk. They are tasked with increasing subscription rates the magazine and accelerating e-commerce sales revenues for Reader’s Digest’s books, CDs and DVDs retail arm.

Kevin Edwards, Strategy Director for Affiliate Window comments: “Affiliate Window is really excited to be helping Reader’s Digest increase their reach through the performance channel. We’re aware the affiliate campaign is part of a significant push by the company to drive online subscriptions and product sales and the range of affiliate partners available should make for a fruitful partnership.”

Andrew Chung, Head of Affiliates at twentysix Digital adds: “We are delighted to launch Reader’s Digest’s affiliate campaign on Affiliate Window exclusively. We chose Affiliate Window because of its market leading technology, desirable set of affiliates and key relationships with exclusive publishers. We believe this will give the programme every chance to succeed and become a key channel for Reader’s Digest.”

As Reader’s Digest further develops within the online arena, through increased resource and new strategic campaigns, they look forward to harnessing the affiliate channel to ensure the growth and success of the business and brand.

For press enquiries, please contact:
Lisa Chaikin
PR Manager, Affiliate Window
e: lisa.chaikin@affiliatewindow.com
t: 020 7553 0333

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Following on from Chris Frost’s recent blog post discussing advertisers removing affiliates from their campaigns, Client Strategist at Affiliate Window, Matt Swan, looks at how ignoring longtail affiliates could be a risky strategy.

Why ignoring your longtail affiliates could be a risky strategy
An increasingly common question posed by advertisers running affiliate campaigns is what value having hundreds, or even thousands, of dormant affiliates on their programme offers.

It’s a topic that has become increasingly relevant with a number of merchants removing inactive affiliates from their campaigns.

While there are a number of reasons for working with a smaller number of partners such as to ensure brand protection, there is a great deal of value that can also be derived by developing the longtail.

A key objective for driving incremental growth for an affiliate campaign should be development of as wide an affiliate base as possible. While top performing affiliates are able to deliver significant sales volume, the Holy Grail is ensuring an affiliate programme offers both breadth and depth of coverage.

Also advertisers shouldn’t necessarily be completely focused on volume, it’s also about the value different affiliates add. The best fit and most professional sites that would reflect best for an advertiser brand may fall well outside their top ten affiliate list.

By growing the longtail, the natural focus on a programme’s top ten affiliates is reduced and advertisers can look beyond incentivised traffic to the wealth of promotional methods available to them.

A typical affiliate campaign will be made up of the top performing affiliates and then a larger base of affiliates who are able to deliver a handful of sales each month. Individually these affiliates do not count for a significant proportion of sales, but combined they could collectively be classed as a top performing affiliate.

Whilst discussion has been dominated over the past couple of years by incentivised traffic there has been a significant growth in longtail affiliates. It is probably inevitable so much focus has been on cashback and voucher code traffic because these affiliates have taken affiliate marketing mainstream, giving context to advertisers about who their affiliates really are.

The affiliate landscape has changed significantly over the past few years. There has been a shift in the promotional type of affiliates since the inception of affiliate marketing (How promotional methods have changed). These changes have been brought about by advances in technology, more sophisticated browser behaviour as well as the consequences of the economic downturn. Additionally the way users interact with the internet has changed over time, impacting on a typical purchasing cycle.

In the past, affiliates have needed deep pockets to carry out an extensive PPC campaign to drive traffic or have needed the technical expertise to develop sites and integrate product feeds. Advances in technologies have made the affiliate channel more accessible. It is now easier for new affiliates to enter the channel with the development of third party applications that allow for longtail affiliates to monetise their sites effectively without having to develop the tools themselves.

With so many products to promote, it is possible for affiliates to focus on a particular niche and add value by creating sites with unique content and product reviews. By cultivating affiliates such as these, affiliate managers are able to increase the productivity of the longtail.

An interesting sector to look at regarding longtail growth is the mobile sector. The reliance on the top ten affiliates has decreased considerably over the past four years. It is also a sector where a number of new tools are available to affiliates.

Top ten as indicated by the blue column, the longtail by the red, traced annually from 2007 (first set of data) to 2010.

In 2007 the top 10 affiliates across the mobile campaigns run by Digital Window were contributing around 65% of all sales. This has decreased gradually year on year. Last year, the longtail outperformed the Top 10 affiliates slightly, accounting for just over half of the sales.
As these figures show, advertisers who don’t invest in growing the longtail could be missing out on fantastic opportunities to add true incremental growth to their campaigns. It is important the longtail of any campaign is embraced – today’s longtail affiliate could be one of tomorrow’s top ten affiliates.

Matt Swan
Client Strategist

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The Marketing Lounge today announced the February 10th unveiling of their website themarketinglounge.org, the UK’s most comprehensive, free online marketing resource.

Themarketinglounge.org is the UK’s first site written by marketers, for marketers to span the entire range of online marketing channels, showcasing relevant and insightful content for online marketing professionals. It works as an informal communication hub for digital marketers of every level, featuring an array of exclusive articles from leading industry experts, current sector specific news, thought-led opinion pieces and upcoming workshops and events.

The UK’s leading performance marketing networks Affiliate Window and buy.at are among the site’s biggest advocates. Kevin Edwards, their Strategy Director said: “As digital matures, it’s imperative to provide in-depth analysis and insight. It’s vital we have a site like The Marketing Lounge to help spread best practice, thought leadership and deepen industry expertise.”

Jessica Howe, Managing Director of themarketinglounge.org, believes the site’s strength lies in its redefinition of the term ‘thought leader’. She says: “Who is really leading the way in online marketing today? Some of the site’s experts are from large, successful companies, but we also found some highly creative ideas coming from up-and-coming bloggers who are pioneering in their genre. Themarketinglounge.org levels the playing field by giving every talented marketer airtime to show the country what they can do.”

Themarketinglounge.org is tipped to become the UK’s ‘must-join’ portal for digital professionals who want to keep their finger on the pulse in this fast-paced, dynamic industry. The site’s launch party takes place on Thursday 10 February, and press and industry professionals wishing to attend should contact Ed Gawluck at ed@themarketinglounge.org.

For press and launch party enquiries please contact:
Ed Gawluck
PR Manager, The Marketing Lounge
e. ed@themarketinglounge.org
t. 01753 646 292

For enquiries relating to Affiliate Window and buy.at please contact:
Lisa Chaikin
PR Manager, Digital Window
e. lisa.chaikin@digitalwindow.com
t. 0207 553 0333

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Overview & Brief
BeCheeky is a chic, UK-based lingerie and swimwear retailer with a trendy and easily navigable website.  Offering stylish and sexy products from more than 70 brands, both famous names you’ll have heard of and up and coming new designers; a combination you won’t find on the High Street. 

Stepping into 2011, five months since the consolidation of the BeCheeky affiliate programme from Linkshare to Affiliate Window, we take a closer look at how the exclusive relationship has resulted in a distinct increase in overall performance, and a new recruitment strategy geared towards attracting content fashion sites who add value to the programme.

As reported in the August 2010 press release, BeCheeky launched an affiliate programme with Linkshare in 2009 hoping to gain access to a variety of new affiliate partners in an effort to engage a larger share of online shoppers.  It soon became evident that this objective was not being met, leading to the dissolution of their contract with Linkshare, and the formation of an exclusive relationship with Affiliate Window.

Strategy & Execution
Since consolidating, the programme has gone from strength to strength, demonstrated by a 45% increase in volume through the performance channel. Affiliates have proven to be an essential component to the success of BeCheeky’s overall marketing strategy, accounting for 23% of their total sales in 2010.

Following a successful migration campaign, consisting of increased commissions and discount codes, BeCheeky brought with them an exciting array of seasonal gift finder widgets teamed with their newly rebranded logo.

They employed an aggressive Christmas strategy including exclusive and bespoke codes, tiered commission increases for top performers as well as a competition to win £150. This consisted of a prize entry for every inclusion in a newsletter or homepage placement, with an additional bonus incentive for the overall top performer in the month of December. Their vintage inspired control wear for the party season was a big hit, as was their glowing Christmas gift range, resulting in a massive 47% increase in confirmed affiliate sales revenue in December 2010 compared with the year before.

Justine Wyness, Managing Director at BeCheeky comments; “The support and service we have received from Affiliate Window has been instrumental in reviving our affiliate programme and re-building sales lost from changing networks.  The ROI achieved from the channel has substantially increased from previous networks we have worked with. The easy-to-use technology and clear reporting suite offered by Affiliate Window reduces the levels of administrative tasks and allows us to communicate more effectively and strengthen relationships with our affiliate partners.”

Results
When calculating the success of the programme migration, combined with their tactical campaigns, YOY performance figures clearly outline how beneficial these modifications have been. 

Looking at the data from 2009 – 2010, the total number of sales for the BeCheeky affiliate programme increased by a substantial 45%, The programme also saw a 29% uplift in the number of approved transactions with a 14% rise in sales revenue and a 16% increase in confirmed commissions paid to affiliates.

This was no doubt aided by the additional 254 publisher memberships secured since the migration; BeCheeky has seen a 30% increase in the number of affiliates on the programme including a variety of fashion and beauty content based affiliates such as Fashion Web and Woman’s Health Vibe.

The results achieved demonstrate the positive impact that the efficient day-to-day running of a programme can have; including the enhancement of affiliate relationships. With the support of these newly formed partnerships, and the continuous nurturing of existing relationships, BeCheeky look to enter 2011 with a strong start.

For press enquiries please contact:
Lisa Chaikin
PR Manager, Affiliate Window
e: lisa.chaikin@affiliatewindow.com
t: 020 7553 0333

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UK based lingerie and adult toy retailer, Ann Summers, has closed their affiliate programme with Commission Junction and has moved to Affiliate Window. Managed via the digital marketing agency Locker Room Media, the newly launched programme offers a highly competitive, tiered commission structure, with up to 14% commission paid on sales generated.

With nearly 150 high street stores throughout the UK, Channel Islands and Spain, Ann Summers has become more than just a household name. Reporting an annual turnover of more than £150 million, they’re the best-known online and offline brand of adult products, novelties, lingerie and fantasy wear in the UK. The website http://www.annsummers.com is the number one online brand for its sector in Europe, and the fastest growing sales channel for the Ann Summers chain.

The appointment of Affiliate Window will provide Ann Summers with a greater breadth of website publishers committed to driving their online business forward, through use of their market-leading technology, Darwin Marketplace. The implementation of comprehensive product feeds will introduce a wealth of new opportunities with key partners, such as price comparison and content sites.

Duncan Connal, Associate Director for Locker Room Media, said: “We’re launching a programme with Affiliate Window in order to take advantage of the numerous tools and technology available via their platform including the new Darwin interface and affiliate directory which will prove invaluable for programme promotion and affiliate recruitment.”

Rachel Humphreys, Head of Agency Accounts for Affiliate Window added: “We’re delighted to be launching Ann Summer s on the network and look forward to driving performance on the programme throughout 2011 and beyond. By utilising our dedicated Partnerships team to strengthen relationships with affiliates, and by working closely with the team from Locker Room Media, we will deliver a complete account management solution that will harness the strengths of the performance channel for all parties.”

For press enquiries please contact:
Lisa Chaikin
PR Manager, Affiliate Window
e: lisa.chaikin@affiliatewindow.com
t: 020 7553 0333

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