It really is going to be an interesting period of time with networks becoming agencies etc and UK affiliate marketing being so dominated by PPC. Your recent blog post and thread on a4u have really got me thinking!

Actually, as a general thought, if we really drilled down, a lot of aff networks already compete with affiliates at some level, which is just wrong, but we allow them to do this. If I were an affiliate today, I would be selecting my aff networks very carefully, as not all drops in traffic and sales is necessarily to do with SE Algo changes.

I think Moose is right too and that we could see TD acting more like the super affiliates it has created.

This move will hit affiliates hard as tradedoubler will not care about existing affiliates as much (not that they have much respect for them as it is - advertisers run the show) with the search works getting all the love and affiliates shunted to the sidelines. Tradedoubler doesn’t need affiliates as much any more as they can use the search works to advertise clients.

What do others think?

Offering service to affiliates would be a plus who have not developed their own in house tool this area.

However, I wonder if we shall see a trend with networks basically doing what affiliates do, either themselves or within their closed circles of affiliates for that controlling of the collective.

With lack of answers generally provided by a stock market listed plc’s without having to go through various channels of approval & authentication, we have to make our inferred comments.

Potentially, interesting purchase though to keep an out on.

I don’t know too much about bidbuddy so it’s interesting that you don’t rate it highly.

I don’t see first generation bid management tools like Bidbuddy offering much to a sophisticated affiliate.