QUESTION: Has the time finally come for a real alternative to the big three traditional affiliate networks?

That’s a question for everyone in the affiliate marketing industry to carefully ponder.

While you’re thinking about the above question here’s something to consider:

As part of the launch of Pepperjam Network here is what Shawn Collins, Founder of Affiliate Summit, had to say:

“Even after all these years using Commission Junction on the merchant and affiliate side, I still find it terribly clumsy to find what I want. With Pepperjam Network it is quick and easy. Pepperjam Network is what an affiliate network would look like if it were built from a wish list from both the affiliate and merchant perspective.”

Shawn Collins
Co-Founder,
Affiliate Summit

Note that prior to Shawn providing Pepperjam with a testimonial for Pepperjam Network he spent a considerable amount of time comparing and contrasting his experiences on other networks and asking the question: Does Pepperjam Network address many of the concerns I (and others) have about the other major networks?

Shawn’s quote speaks for itself. So do the dozen+ other testimonials we received from affiliate marketing experts.

Apparently, on the day of the Pepperjam Network launch (1/15/08) Shawn got a phone call from Kerri Pollard, General Manager of Commission Junction, asking for details about why Shawn knocked Commission Junction (and presumably praised Pepperjam Network, at CJ’s expense.)

Shawn made a post today with details of his communication with Kerri Pollard, as well as Craig Battles, Principal Product Development Manager at Commission Junction.

While I am glad that the launch of Pepperjam Network instigated this call and temporary resolution, Shawn (and hundreds of others) have been complaining in private and in public about CJ’s old school, outdated interface for years.

I find Commission Junction’s (parent company ValueClick) interest / concern with Shawn’s sentiments very interesting and encouraging, especially to the viability of Pepperjam Network.

The truth is that the affiliate marketing industry was gasping for air in need of a next generation affiliate network. Our friends at Commission Junction, Linkshare, and Performics have been busy for the last several years competing with one another, leaving open the opportunity for CPA Networks like AzoogleAds and Hydra Network, and now a hybrid CPA / traditional network like Pepperjam Network, to come in and address real problems that have been plaguing the industry.

I will note that of the alternatives / supplements to the big three traditional affiliate networks, Pepperjam Network is the only Network that attempts to address what I believe are the two most significant issues plaguing the affiliate marketing industry - (1) poor, unreliable communication tools and (2) lack of affiliate transparency.

If you are an advertiser….how many times have you attempted to locate affiliate information on any of the major networks with little or no success? How many times have you spent 30 minutes or more drafting an e-mail, only to send the e-mail and have it returned to sender? When was the last time you became frustrated (and gave up?) and exhausted by a failed attempt to address an affiliate concern (or to proactively reach out to a performing affiliate)? Did the problem take days or weeks (or never got addressed) to address because of poor communication tools and unreliable contact information? Here’s the worst scenario, which according to many Pepperjam clients is most concerning…..Repeated attempts to contact a rogue affiliate fail because of inadequate contact information and a complete lack of transparency.

As an advertiser, you’ve been hungry for more information about your affiliates, not less. That’s why Pepperjam built Pepperjam Network - to put power back in the hands of affiliates and advertisers to build relationships that are not only built upon results, but also upon being open, honest, and trustworthy. We think this next generation approach is in the best interest of affiliates and advertisers alike.

While I went off on a bit of a tangent above, the truth is that the major networks have failed for years to provide affiliates and advertisers with adequate communication tools. At the same time, the networks have been reluctant to provide ALL advertisers with necessary information about the promotional methods affiliates use to generate transactions. As a result, the affiliate marketing industry has become less transparent, at the same time advertisers have been calling for more transparency. Advertisers want more affiliate transparency so that they have the power (not the Network) to control brand integrity and acceptable promotional methods.

In short, Pepperjam Network not only has a stylish Web 2.0 interface, but we successfully address and provide our advertisers and affiliates with a solution to the poor communication and inadequate transparency conundrum. If you don’t believe me, take Pepperjam Network for a spin and give me your feedback.

OK, back to the primary purpose of this post - kudos to Commission Junction for stepping up to the plate.

We have long considered (and still do) Commission Junction a strategic partner. As a leading outsourced affiliate program management agency we have been working with Commission Junction very closely to address advertiser and affiliate concerns.

Therefore, any progress on CJ’s part to address concerns is a positive sign of progress.

In Shawn’s post, he talks about how he expressed to CJ that his main gripe was having to drill down to get details on commissions earned. Shawn mentioned how he’d like to be able to see specific reporting data upon log-in.

Note that this type of reporting data is available upon log-in on Pepperjam Network.

CJ’s Response:

“Craig suggested that I create a desktop shortcut and browser favorite to the Performance Reports page on CJ. And if that page didn’t have all of the details I wanted, then I could create a Saved Report (”Saving a report actually saves the query, not the data, so you can create very complex customized queries that can be saved and run with one click.”) and save the actual report results page in my Favorites or a desktop shortcut.”

Hmmmmmmmmm. That’s a Web 1.0 solution. If I had to create a desktop shortcut for every Web 1.0 problem I had my desktop would be quite sloppy.

With all due respect, why not actually address the problem, instead of recommending a solution that is really a short-term fix at best?

By the way, I tend to agree with Shawn that the reporting (and most other parts) of the Commission Junction interface are clunky.

It’s not because Commission Junction doesn’t have the adequate resources to address the real problem - CJ has some incredibly talented and intelligent workers.

It’s that CJ is trying to fix an old system that is in need of a Web 2.0 update.

That’s just my two cents.

Shawn / Kerri - thanks for the opportunity for me to make the case why Pepperjam Network represents next generation affiliate marketing.

With Pepperjam Network, we’ve built the technology that others have been asking the major networks to build for years.

Take Pepperjam Network for a spin at www.pepperjamnetwork.com and tell us what you think.

Please also provide us with feedback so we can make it even better.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 5:50 pm and is filed under affiliate marketing, Pepperjam Network, affiliate network, Shawn Collins, Commission Junction, Linkshare, Performics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.