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Why You Should Not Allow Affiliates to Place Pixels and Partner with Networks

Before I post this I would like to mention that I am not a Lawyer and cannot give legal advice.  I am also not able to determine what is or is not legal since I am not a Lawyer but what I can do is give my opinion.

So this morning a bunch of people have been going crazy and acting like the people who have “hacked Twitter or found a programming flaw” “Another Twitter Hacking Report on Mashable” are anything new.  The reality is that I don’t see what the big deal is and how people have all of the sudden discovered something new when in reality this same type of behavior has existed for years.  Intelligent companies, Affiliate Managers and forums like Abestweb or companies like Affiliate Fair Play have been warning against this type of behavior which usually exists from Adware Applications.   I don’t see how it is any different than what I consider to be unethical Affiliates or what Media Companies pitch as a good thing and name Contextual, PPV, Interstitial, Pop Ups, Slides, Reminderware, Couponware, Loyaltyware, etc….  or in other words fancy names for adware that target a website’s url or target specific keywords and phrases on that site then activate.  When the application recognizes these urls or phrases it looks through who is advertising or bidding on these and can react in a number of ways.

It can redirect a link and set a tracking cookie by forcing a click.  It can pop an add over a site.  It can force your browser to open a new tab and display a new webpage and it can also start flashing or blinking and offer coupon codes taking the person off your site and giving credit to a third party channel that didn’t do a thing to bring the person to your site.  There are a number of ways that these nasty applications can have the ability to be able to take credit for sales that they didn’t earn or can redirect your traffic away from your site.  Because we have seen this type of behavior with pop ups or a new tabs and screens for years, I don’t see why everyone is going crazy over this.  Don’t you think it was bound to happen that someone would eventually start targeting the url Twitter.com for pop ups to sell impressions or drive traffic?  Adware companies pop ads over websites without paying the webmaster all the time, that is how they generate their impressions and sales.  I don’t think it is right and I also think it is unethical.  People have known about this for years so why all of the sudden is it different because it is on twitter?  Is it an actual hack?  If so, could this bring the FTC into the adware game and will the PPV, Contextual, Interstitial, etc… companies take another hit?  This also leads me into another conversation I had yesterday and a few days ago as well.

I was talking to an Affiliate on the phone and much like a few others they asked if they can place a pixel on my Client’s site and in their shopping cart.  The reason they gave me was that they want to be able to better track their sales from their end.  It sounds harmless right?  Think again.  This could have some serious potential issues for you and your company.  The first questions you should ask yourself are:

Are they their own Affiliate Network?  Should you allow Affiliate Networks in through your Affiliate Program or even launch on multiple networks to begin with?  What is the actual value add by being on multiple networks?  Numbers is not an actual value add or benefit in the Affiliate industry.

The thing is that most of the Affiliates who ask you to place a pixel on your site have their own CPA or Affiliate Networks and internal programs.  Although that may not sound bad at first, lets think about what this could mean for you and your company.  Will they give you access to approve in the Affiliates in their Network so you can see them all?  Is one of your selling points being stable and exclusive on one network?  If you don’t have access to see who is promoting you and where they are from and your company does not work with NY Affiliates because of tax issues.  Could you now be at risk since you do not know who in their Network now has your offers and where they are from?  Do they have the same standards as you do with people using adware and are they as dilligent as you are with testing for it?  Can you see info regarding last referring url to check and see if the sites you are on match your companies guidelines as far as content and graphics?  What about the FTC guidelines on Review Sites and Blogs?  How about Affiliates that are already partnered with you and they convince them to join through their program now?  Could those same Affiliates now set two cookies, steal from a two tier commission or just flat out rip you off?  There are a ton of things that can go wrong. I would like to point out real quick that this is different than Adwords tracking code.  This is an actual pixel that can fire and it is there so that they can tell which Affiliates are generating clicks and sales… you’re basically opening a second network and one that may give you no exposure into what they are doing.

1.  Will they give you access to approve in the Affiliates in their Network so you can see them all?

Not every Network has the same strict approval processes as you do.  What happens if you reject an Affiliate and they let them in?  If you don’t have access to their Affiliates or who is promoting you then the people you did not want to partner with may now have access to your offers.

2.  Is one of your selling points being stable and exclusive on one network?

Merchants that launch on every network, even sometimes that just launch on 2 networks are clearly unstable and do not understand how Affiliate Marketing works.  It is the job of your Affiliate Manager to get the Affiliates you need into your program.  Every Affiliate can get into each Network if they follow that Networks guidelines (with the exception being Google since not everyone can have an Adsense Account or Share a Sale and Buy.at because they don’t let well known and active in their network Adware applications in (With that said they cannot catch everything but they do do a good job with trying to catch as much as they can)).   What is important to remember is that you should sign up for a Network based on program goals and not on the number of Affiliates.  If you do not want adware or toolbars or bhos and the Affiliate is well known but not on Share a Sale or Buy.at, chances are you shouldn’t be partnering with them.  The same thing goes for your Affiliate Manager or Outsources Program Management company.

You hire an Affiliate Manager or OPM firm to manage the program because their job is to bring those Affiliates into your program and onto the Network you are on for you.  If the Affiliate is not allowed in Share a Sale or Buy.at but are allowed on the other big networks, there is probably a good reason for why they are allowed on other Networks but not Share a Sale and Buy.at and you should then ask yourself again if they meet your goals or if they use Unethical Methods to generate sales.  You need to remember that the Affiliates you will want to work with because they don’t use Adware will be on Share a Sale or Buy.at.  If your AM or OPM cannot bring them on or they recommend you open up somewhere else so you can partner with them, you should reconsider their employment with you as they may not have your best interest in mind.  There are a million reasons why you do not need or should not launch on multiple networks from double dipping to more but that is another post.

3.  If you don’t have access to see who is promoting you and where they are from and your company does not work with NY Affiliates because of tax issues.  Could you now be at risk since you do not know who in their Network now has your offers and where they are from?

Now this is one of those things where you need to talk to an actual Lawyer.  The thought behind it is that if you cannot see who signs up and where they live and if the Network does not have reports on how many sales certain Affiliates generated from which states, then they may be violating your own companies terms and conditions with regards to State Tax Laws.  You should also ask yourself and talk to your legal team about if you are now back to the issue with collecting state taxes.  If you don’t work with NY Affiliates for example and you remove them all and those Affiliates are in the Network that signs up as an Affiliate, how can you be certain and how can you prove to the tax people that you did in fact do your best to control the state tax issue if you don’t even know who has your offers and they won’t let you log in to see?

4.  Do they have the same standards as you do with people using adware and are they as dilligent?

Does this “Affiliate” who is actually an Affiliate Network or whose site has an Affiliate program and will be giving your offer out to their Affiliates have the same adware controls as you do?  Do they encourage or allow Contextual, PPV, Loyaltyware, Couponware, Reminderware, etc… in and what will they do to enforce your policies?  Won’t this create double the work for you now?  This is especially bad if you have ads popping over other sites and don’t know who is doing it and another company decides to sue you for interfering with their customers.  How can you stop it and how can you show you were even remotely proactive about preventing it when you don’t even get to review each Affiliate, communicate with each Affiliate and approve or reject each Affiliate.  Furthermore, why couldn’t you just bring that Affiliate onto your main Network in the first place.

5.  Can you see info regarding the last referring url to check and see if the sites you are on match your companies guidelines as far as content and graphics?

The next issue is if they open the offer to their network, all of the sudden sites that the new network may have deemed ok which could be discriminatory or have offensive graphics and words may now have access to your brand and your companies products.  If you find this and want to take action, instead of having access to each partner who was in your program through your original network you have to 1.  find their Affiliate ID 2.  keep track of their site 3.  Get in contact with the “Affiliate” who is actually a Network and get them to be proactive and 4.  understand that you lost control over your brand and potential customers may see your products and logos next to porn or hate messages.  Instead of just looking through your internal program you now have to scour the web to see where your banners are and where your brand and your images are being displayed and wait for other people to be proactive to get other people to be proactive.  You may have now lost control over your brand to try and make a couple of quick dollars.  This on its own is an almost full time job.

6.  What about the FTC guidelines on Review Sites and Blogs?

This is another question to talk to your legal department about.  Because the review and advertising disclosure guidelines are still fairly new it is important to ask your legal team to figure out the best policy with how to work with Affiliates who do reviews or have reviews on their sites.  If you now have a second, third or fourth and fifth network and some of those are posing as an Affiliate who needs to or wants to place a pixel on your site, do you know how many review sites have your products and how many of them actually have an FTC advertising disclosure on their sites?  How can you also honestly say and prove that you did your job to review and look for them or enforce your policy with FTC advertising disclosures?

7.  How about Affiliates that are already partnered with you and they convince to join through their program now?  Could those same Affiliates now set two cookies, steal from a two tier commission by signing up for a second account and get credited twice for the same sale or just flat out rip you off without being tricky?

What happens if you have an Affiliate in your current program and your boss loves them and asks for updates on their performance.  All of the sudden the new “Affiliate” recruits them because they have a better landing page or something and they now leave your current program.  A lot of times these “Affiliates” which are really networks also convince you to give higher commissions or payouts to them and they may end up now offering more money to those partners who have left you so now you have to spend more to make the same sales.  You’re now actually operating at a loss since you are paying more for the same sales and traffic.  The other issue is that these same Affiliates could set two cookies and send the same visitor to your site and get two payouts.  If you allow other pixels on your site or other Networks to have your company as a Client or your offers, you have to have custom programming built to not only address this issue but a number of others.

When an Affiliate asks you to place a Pixel on your site, find out the real reason.  Better tracking for them on their end is not an answer.  Them having an Affiliate Network or wanting to work their adware magic is more than likely the real reason and something you need to be careful of.  I do understand Adwords tracking code because they want to optimize their general search campaigns and need to know what keywords convert and what do not convert but for a pixel, I always say no.

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What is the difference between PPV and PPC?

Someone asked me about what the difference between PPV and PPC is and why I am opposed to PPV and not to PPC.  This was not only a great question but one that I thought would make a great post for this blog.  My answer was actually pretty simple but I think it could be complicated to people who don’t understand the negative effect that PPV advertising can have, so lets cover that first.

The reason I am opposed to PPV and will never knowingly let Affiliates who use this method in my programs or will use it as a way to increase sales with Media Buys for my Clients, regardless if they use it in my programs or not or request this type of Media Buy.  When I find Affiliates using it or find out they use it in other programs, I remove them instantly because allowing them to stay encourages this behavior and negatively effects our industry as a whole.  This is because the traffic that PPV Affiliates and that PPV Media Buys are driving isn’t their traffic since the person buying has no actual traffic of their own.  PPV is driven by popping ads over or under or opening new tabs when an end user reaches a website or url or recognizes a keyword phrase.

The PPV Affiliate targets specific urls or servers or keywords and when the adware or software application recognizes that url or those keywords or servers it shows an ad.  This ad shows whether or not the site, Webmaster or Search Engine opted in for the ad to show.  The Webmaster or Search Engine who worked hard to get that traffic from SEO, from their Newsletters or their own paid channels like PPC has now had a PPV adware application try to poach its sale and its traffic.  In some cases you may even find a forced click over the Merchant’s own site which would give that particular Affiliate or Media Planner credit for a sale that they did not drive but stole from whomever or however that end user found the Merchant’s site on their own.  If the Merchant who had the ad pop over their site paid for the ad with a TV ad or PPC ad or other paid channel, not only are they now paying to bring the customer to their site, but they also have to pay the Affiliate a commission because they popped an ad and forced a click over the Merchant’s site.  What is even worse if the Affiliate also offers a coupon because now the Merchant spent money on bringing the person to their site only to have the sale poached but now loses more margin to the Affiliate Commission and even more margin to the Coupon Code, not to mention Network overrides and other fees associated with a channel that didn’t even have anything to do with the sale.  In my mind and my opinion is that if you have to use PPV to pop ads over other people’s sites because you are not talented or smart enough or creative enough to build your own sites and drive your own SEO traffic, then you probably should not be in Affiliate Marketing or even in Online Marketing in general.  There is no reason to have to steal traffic from people who worked hard to build their own traffic and to me it is just wrong.  So how does it relate to PPC and why am I ok with PPC when I’m not ok with PPV.

PPC is similar to PPV because ads show up along side search results when certain keywords or phrases are searched.  You can buy these ad spaces and they will more than likely show along side these phrases.  With PPV you can buy phrases and show ads just like this, except the ads will pop up or sometimes pretend to be links inside articles on the phrases the adware buyer is targeting.  The difference in this case is that the Webmaster (the Search Engine) opted in to letting you pay for that ad space and they will benefit from their hard work.  With PPV the Webmaster or Search Engine never gave you permission to try to poach their traffic and pop ads over their sites to interfere with their website experience.  They also don’t benefit financially or in any way from you showing ads over their sites or search results.  You are in a way stealing from them not only by trying to take their traffic from them but you are also trying to steal from them financially since they are not getting revenue from impressions, clicks that leave the Search Engine or Webmaster’s site for the PPV ad and for sales that are stolen by cookies being overwritten by the PPV adware application tempting the end user to leave or in some cases forcing a click.

The main reason why I am ok with PPC but not PPV is not because they show ads based on keywords, it is because the PPC model has the Webmaster and Search Engine opting in to allow you to show ads and they can benefit from it.  With PPV they did not opt in to having their user experience interrupted or their traffic redirected.  I am 100% opposed to this type of behavior and take instant action when I find it in my programs and I highly recommend you educate yourself on this if you have an Affiliate program or do online Media Buying.  Media Buying can end up popping ads over your own site or your Client’s site and if the person clicks those ads with the end user already on your site, or sometimes the end user doesn’t even have to click the ad, it’ll look like the customer came from the PPV application but in reality they were already on your site and the PPV ad is pretending to have sent the sale.

If you would like me to take a look at your program or want an outside source to look at it, you can leave a comment here and I will respond back to you privately or you can contact someone I trust with adware testing and applications by visiting her site AffiliateFairPlay.com.

If you found this interesting and would like to add to the post, please feel free to leave a comment below or click the tweet or retweet button at the top to share it on twitter.  If you disagree with my opinion and want to share why, please also feel free to leave a comment below.  The only thing I ask is that you do not mention any person or company’s names and don’t use any personal attacks as this is a touchy subject for people who use PPV and get caught using it.

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The Only Good PPV is Boxing on Comcast, An Interview with Kellie Stevens

I had the pleasure of getting to talk to Kellie Stevens from AffiliateFairPlay, the Leading Adware Expert in the USA, last Friday for an interview for AdamRiemer.me.  Kellie is a wealth of knowledge and thanks to her efforts many of us have learned how to not only detect adware and theft in our programs like through the use of toolbars, PPV, bho’s etc… but without Kellie we probably would not have even known it existed.  I consider her one of my most valuable mentors and influences and am thankful for the interview below.  She is a wealth of knowledge and I highly recommend using her services.  They more than pay for themselves.

How did you get started testing adware?

I started hearing talk about these applications back around 2000 or so. I was just curious as to what they were really doing and what impact they might be having on my sites. So I installed some to see for myself first hand. I didn’t like nor agree with much of what I saw. I began posting some of my testing results in discussions on ABW. People began to ask me to test particular applications or check on a specific incident. Over time, things just seemed to grow.

We all remember some of the toolbar videos you shot and made famous, we all also know that toolbars are still an issue in most major Affiliate Networks and are still active, so how is this PPV any different?

I’m not sure about the famous point, but you bring up a very good question regarding the different technologies out there. The behavior (manner in which revenue is generated) has always been the issue for me, not the various technologies which may be used to engage in the behavior. Whether a behavior, like a hidden forced click, happens via a toolbar, widget, BHO, desktop app or web page wasn’t as important to me as the hidden forced click itself.

When the joint network Code of Conduct came out, one of my biggest contentions was why there was even the need for a separate standard for software technology. The rules of engagment should be the same whether it is a software Affiliate or a web-based Affiliate.

I still contend it should be about what is considered appropriate revenue generation tactics by Affiliates. Indeed, I think it is even more significant to take that approach as technologies have continued to rapidly advance.

PPV (via adware) isn’t anything new. It’s been around for years. It just has a new name and a new following. If it is deemed unacceptable to elicit an automatic click of an affiliate link via PPV adware, then why is it not also unacceptable to elicit an automated click through a toolbar?

There remains a need in our industry to objectively evaluate traffic and revenue generation tactics and apply consistent rationale behind acceptable and unacceptable methods.

I noticed you had started writing some great articles on Revenews.com.  What got you to decide to start posting there?

Thanks for the compliment and I hope people find the posts on Revenews.com helpful. I’ve known Angel for a long time now and have worked with him on numerous occasions in the past. I have a lot of respect for his standing in our community and his knowledge of the industry. Ultimately, Angel was persistent in his goal to have me post on Revenews. I am enjoying my work with Revenews very much. I suppose I should have succumbed much sooner.

Do you think that the Government will get involved with things like toolbars or PPV considering what has happened with eBay and the cookie stuffing issue?

I think it should be clear that the government is getting more involved. The FTC, as well as some Attorney Generals, have already laid the framework with regards to some aspects of adware distribution and behavior related directly to the consumer. Now we are seeing the FBI addressing cookie stuffing, not only with some affiliate allegedly engaging in the behavior, but a case involving an individual selling a cookie stuffing script. That case has already been settled with the defendant pleading guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

We’ve seen other involvement of the Government in Affiliate Marketing issues, such as with Gratis Offers. It is a natural evolution of a new industry for the Government to become more involved, especially when there is significant money flowing through that industry. I don’t think the question is whether the Government becomes more involved but rather how many opportunities we give the Government to become involved based on how we are doing business.

What would you recommend to Merchant’s just starting out and what they should consider if they are launching an Affiliate program or looking at Media Buys with ad networks?

I’m assuming you mean in relation to adware activity.

You bring yet another good point regarding media buys and ad networks. There is a lot of talk about adware and Affiliate Marketing, but Affiliate Marketing isn’t the only revenue source for adware applications. Revenue is generated via adware through all the online marketing channels.

The first thing a merchant needs to do is educate themselves on the adware business models. They need to understand exactly how ads are being delivered and how advertising dollars are being generated.

I think the second most important aspect for a merchant is to truly understand what behaviors their ad network (whether Affiliate or otherwise) allows via the TOS with their Affiliates and Publishers. The networks TOS may not always be in alignment with the merchant’s advertising goals.

Are you available for private consultations and how can people reach you to have you help them look for adware like PPV in their programs or Media Buys?

I can be reached through www.affiliatefairplay.com. I’m also on IM, Twitter and FaceBook.

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What is Affiliate Fraud and what does it actually mean?

What is Affiliate Fraud and what does it actually mean?  Affiliate fraud for me isn’t the same thing as most people would consider it.

Most companies consider Affiliate fraud when an Affiliate sends bad and false leads or incentivizes traffic to shop then return goods within the return period after they have already been paid, then those Affiliates move on to the next Merchant and offer.  Other Merchants consider using co registration Affiliate Fraud if the end user is being incentivized to fill out forms or sign up for services with no intent to buy in order to win a prize or get cash back or something along those lines.  Other times Affiliate fraud is clear cut as Affiliates using stolen credit cards in order to place sales and hope they get paid in between the time the person finds out their card has been stolen and their checks from the Affiliate Networks can be cashed.  Although I do agree that much of that can and should be looked at as Affiliate Fraud, for me the real Affiliate Fraud is along the lines of how sales are being generated for the Merchants.

Most Merchants still haven’t realized how their sales are being generated.  They see the website listed or the Affiliate who claims to be a PPC or other type of Affiliate and assume all is well, especially because they trust the Network they are on and the Network may have recommended that Affiliate as a good partner.  That is the problem, trusting Networks and trusting Managers and some Outsourced Affiliate Management Companies.

I recommended things to think about when hiring an Outsourced or Part Time Affiliate Manager or what to think about and ask when you hire an in house Affiliate Manager or what to expect and what you should expect from your Outsourced Affiliate Program Management Company.  These articles more than hold true in that if they don’t know about adware, if they don’t know about spammers and if they don’t know about parasites, they cannot help you find or control fraud in how a sale was driven to your site or claimed by someone already on your site.

The way I see another form of Affiliate Fraud (besides bad leads and stolen credit cards) is through adware applications that that set cookies on your site directly to take credit for sales and customers that you already had on your site.  Many Networks promote and endorse this behavior and because they don’t educate the Managers or Companies on how this works or happens, the Merchants have no clue what to look for or don’t even think about it since they don’t know to which is why I post about Parasites and Adware on a regular basis and why I always refer people to Kellie Stevens at Affiliate Fair Play.

Allowing or having Affiliates pop ads over or use adware and toolbars or loyaltyware, couponware, etc… to set cookies when people are already on your site regardless if they found you through other Affiliate sites, through your own paid for PPC, through your own email newsletters and other forms is not acceptable (at least in my opinion).  Even though the end user opted in, you brought that consumer back and you kept them on your site and closed the sale, not the parasite who is taking credit for the sale, so why should they get paid for a stolen customer or for stealing from another Affiliate? They shouldn’t.  That is why to me that this is also a form of Affiliate Fraud.

By setting a cookie on someone who found your site without going to their site for the original referral to your site or services is (in my opinion) not legit and because they would have shopped on your site regardless of the adware, that is where it is fraud.  They claimed a sale that you would have gotten regardless and you now have to pay out a commission on the customer you already had which in my book is Affiliate Fraud.  Anyways, with all of the talk about PPV being a good thing and toolbars being owned and operated by certain Affiliate Network parent companies, I wanted to share another form of Affiliate Fraud that most people don’t think about because they do not know to think about it.

If you found this article interesting or helpful, leave a comment below or use the retweet or tweet button at the top to share it.

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Adware and Media Buys. Does Opt In Mean it’s OK?

Before you read this, please understand these are just my thoughts and opinions.  I am in no way shape or form able to legal advice but what I can do is voice my opinions and thoughts on adware and the possible consequences that I think may end up becoming a reality.  If you want an actual legal opinion call a lawyer, if you want my opinion which I can easily back up, read this post and then contact me by leaving a message below.  Also, not all of the adware applications in the videos still exist.  Please feel free to write me if you would like to know which may no longer exist and which do.

The argument almost every adware company and Affiliate makes or Media Agency or Media Buyer makes is that their adware is opt in so that makes it ok.  The reality is that you can go either way based on being opted in but do you actually understand what opting in means in this case and who is actually effected by the opt in and who actually didn’t opt in?

The opt in argument for me is mute.  It doesn’t matter and I am still opposed 100%.  I am not talking about all adware but I am talking about PPV, Pop Ups, Toolbars, Plug Ins, Windows, Interstitial and other forms of adware applications that actually show ads over other people’s sites, the Merchant’s own site, overwriting other cookies and tracking methods to take credit for sales, etc…

So here’s the deal.  Adware companies and Affiliates will say the end user opted in.  By this they mean that the end user or person who has the adware application, toolbar, software, etc… on their computer and browser has said it is ok to place the adware there.  Yes that is opting in but it isn’t always clear that they know what they opted in for.  Maybe they only opted in for the flash game or the ringtone but in reality the person that owns the computer and does the shopping never actually did opt in to the adware application and because the terms and conditions of downloading the ringtone and adware are long and or the adware is hidden in the legal jargon, it is unread and unkown.  Unfortunately the opt in of the end user isn’t actually the bigger issue, I just wanted to clear up that yes, someone on that computer may have opted in, but opting in doesn’t mean for adware and doesn’t mean they knew what they were opting in to like with a newsletter or email campaign.  Now lets go to the bigger issue.  Although someone on the end users computer opted in to whatever they were downloading, they are not the ones who are being stolen from and although they may get annoyed with pop ups, reminderware, loyaltyware, couponware, etc… their overall lives are not going to be that effected.  The Merchant’s and webmasters the applications are stealing from are the ones that are effected.

The end user opted in so the adware company got their adware installed.  First goal completed for the adware company.  But how is the traffic generated from the adware since it doesn’t have a website or blog and many don’t have their own actual search engines and how does the end user actually come to the company whose site receives the traffic from the adware application.  That is where the real issue is.  The traffic has to come from somewhere and an adware application for the most part cannot drive its own traffic.

The traffic has to come from somewhere and an adware application for the most part cannot drive its own traffic.

Adware doesn’t know what the person is looking for or searching for at the current moment the person is searching.  Adware for the most part doesn’t need or does not have a website that recommends a product and gets it’s traffic by activating and stealing from the search engines, newsletters, CSEs and other forms of traffic drivers like referrals, legit Affiliates and social media sites.  Instead adware can only tell what a person is looking for because someone else did the hard work of getting their websites and blogs to rank into the top positions in the search engines, through their newsletters, etc… and the adware then overwrites the tracking cookies and can offer a coupon or discount (With or without a click being made to set the cookie).  Adware can also pop an ad over the merchants website for a competitor’s site or for the Merchant’s own site for the same Merchant which will then take credit for a visitor already on the site and take credit for a sale from a customer already on that Merchant’s website that the Merchant paid for.  Adware can create an ad in between loading the Merchant’s own website for that Merchant’s website which allows it to take credit for a sale for a customer it never referred and so many other ways.  If you’re confused, don’t worry, I am going to share some examples from Affiliate Fair Play that break down how different Affiliate use or have used adware currently and in the past to in my opinion steal from Merchants and other Affiliates.  Now, this isn’t just an Affiliate issue.  The adware comes from somewhere and your media companies and Media Buyers are quite possibly buying this type of advertising as well and doing the same things that Affiliates may be doing.  The only way to tell for sure is to go over your Media list and channel list and look for the known players and then hire a service like Affiliate Fair Play to review your Media Plans and Affiliate program or to hire me or an actual honest firm (these are actually harder to find, especially ones that actually know what is going on and will be honest with you) which I am also happy to recommend over the phone

All of these are very common practices and the sad reality is that because many Marketers are to “uneducated” but make decisions based on ass kissing and terms like opt in.  They forget that “opting in” doesn’t always mean a good, ethical or in some cases legal thing.  Think about it.

In your Affiliate program, did you agree to pay honest Affiliates with organic traffic and not just your company name plus the word coupon code for the traffic and sales they send you?  I believe you did and have a legal contractual agreement with them to pay them for the sales resulting from this traffic.  So when a toolbar Affiliate or Media company comes along and overwrites their cookie without a click being made or the person visiting their own website because of the adware and steals that original Affiliate’s sale, why aren’t you going to pay that Affiliate?  In my opinion you are legally responsible for paying that Affiliate and because the adware is commonly known amongst Affiliates but not Merchant’s because Merchant’s don’t want to hear it, I think we will see more class action lawsuits popping up in the future.  Here is an example video of an Affiliate with Adware overwriting another Affiliates cookie and taking credit for the traffic which could have ended in a sale that the original Affiliate actually sent and in my opinion that Affiliate should get credit but wouldn’t get the credit.  The video is being provided by AffiliateFairPlay.com.

Click here for the adware video of an Adware Affiliate overwriting another Affiliate’s cookie.

Besides the fact that the adware in this case and in my opinion is stealing from someone you agreed to pay, it gets worse from a Merchant’s perspective.

If you would catch an Employee stealing from you, you would probably fire them.  Unfortunately in the Affiliate and Media world, because Affiliate Managers and Media Buyers really just don’t get it or do get it and know the Merchant and higher ups won’t catch them because they are not educated on this, and because the companies don’t do their due diligence and their job is to make their channels work, they rely on adware to keep their jobs instead of actually having to work and find a way to make the Affiliate and Media Channel work.

There are plenty of ways to buy media without having to pop ads over your own site (i.e. pay for the traffic and customers you already have) and allow Affiliates to steal from each other and from your own internal efforts (again, paying for traffic and customers you already had).  You also cannot rely on the Affiliate Networks to be honest with you and you especially cannot trust a media company to tell you the truth.  The only way you can find out what is going on is to study and learn about how adware works, test the media and even go a step further and hire someone like Kellie Stevens or use someone’s services like mine that are actually honest with you.

If you are being pitched terms like PPV, Toolbar, Shopping Window, BHO, Interstitial, Pop Ups, Arcade, Couponware, Loyaltyware, Reminderware, Affiliate Syndication, etc… then chances are you may have theft going on

If you are being pitched terms like PPV, Toolbar, Shopping Window, BHO, Interstitial, Pop Ups, Arcade, Couponware, Loyaltyware, Reminderware, Affiliate Syndication, etc… then chances are you may have theft going on and you should really consider doing some research on your own or hiring me or Kellie Stevens to get involved and find out what is actually going on.

Here are some more adware video tutorials from Affiliate Fair Play.

Direct Type in Traffic

Organic Search Results Overwritten

Overwriting other people’s PPC campaigns

Another direct type in

Sending to another site over a direct type in

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Google Search Results with Playable MP3s

Today I was searching for some new cds or mp3s on Google from one of my favorite artists, The Captain Tinrib from Tinrib Recordings, and I noticed something that I don’t think I have seen before, or at least never paid attention to.  Google is featuring songs and MP3s in their search results.

It isn’t just like when they show a Youtube.com video which is a screen capture, but actual playable MP3s in their search results.

music in google search results
music in google search results

So here is why this is interesting.

When they started including Video, Video Optimization companies sprung up everywhere to do Video SEO for Google Search Results, not just in the main video sites like Youtube.com out there that all of us distribute our video content to, but organic listings and results.  Then Marketers and Marketing Firms started playing with their Google Shopping/Froogle/Base algorithms and people started to mess with those results when Google changed the submission process and fields formats.  This was nothing special or exciting as we could all predict how to better optimize for it.  However, this is somewhat of a new thing since you get to preview and here is where Google gets interesting and scary at the same time with allowing MP3s in their organic search results.

Lets start with the good.

Suppose you have a Band or are an Artist that isn’t signed to a label yet, doesn’t have a huge advertising budget and really needs help getting the word out about your music.  This is a huge opportunity for you.  Not only can you begin to try to figure out the algorithm for MP3s, but you can use it to start to optimize for the people who are the big players and for the types of music you play. For example.  Suppose you are a live PA producer of Hard Dance Music like the Captain Tinrib, but you never got your break during the 90s when raves were huge, and you never actually stopped producing music and performing at smaller venues so you have years of amazing music and content saved up.  If you can figure out Googles MP3 and Music Search Algorithm then you can now start to try and get your music to show up along side Tidy Tracks, Tinrib, and other Hard Dance Music Producer Labels when people search for terms like Hard House and Trancecore or even Hard, Acid EuroTrance.  Not only can you put yourself at little to no cost with the big guys, but you can also get free exposure in the search results and have people listen to your music right there instead of having to search through sites, shopping carts, comparison engines and get your song in front of your new fans before they go for the artists they already know.  This is a huge opportunity for small artists and people without huge advertising budgets.

Now for the bad.

Although this opens up a huge market for Artists and Affiliates who want to push concerts, cd’s and music, it also opens the door for some adware companies and what I consider unethical Affiliate and Marketing Adware Applications.

Have you ever seen those sites for “free” ring tones or “free” flash games download or click here sites and banners.  Then all you do is click here to get your “free” ringtone or flash game and agree to to their terms and conditions and you get the free ringtone or game because you downloaded the adware as well.  In some cases you also get free adware applications downloaded to your computer (not just your browser) and then you also get free ads popping up while you surf the web.  You get “free” reminders that coupons are available, free reminders you can get cash back at the Merchant’s expense, etc…  What would happen if these adware and reminderware companies figured out how to optimize their MP3s and flashgames before the legit ones and all of the sudden had a new way to install their adware on even more people’s computers?  Exactly, even more ways to rip off and steal from Merchant’s, Affiliates and honest people who spend the time to create their own traffic and drive real and legitimate sales to Merchants.  (Sorry if you disagree but this is a white hat Marketing blog).

Now, we’d think people are smart enough not to fall for downloading adware onto their computer in the form of a “free” game or ringtone for their cell phone.  Unfortunately we need to think again.

This is a huge Market and one that I can easily see the FTC getting involved in and breaking up in the next few years (so you may want to think twice about entering) and if these adware companies would realize that if they could get the rights to some of these artists songs then they could possibly say to teenagers and fans that they could “get this MP3 for free”, just download it and agree to our Terms and Conditions (i.e. put our adware on your computer so we can show you ads while you surf the web and shop) and guess what, people everywhere would fall for it.  Especially if it is a pre-release or a hard to find version of a song.

Is there any good to that?  Yes and No.

The no is because my opinion is that adware is almost always a bad thing and you should never use it.  Is there good in sending it out through music downloads?   Well the adware companies would be able to better target their audiences if they keep track of the download that convinced the end user to download the “free” MP3.

Think about it.  Most Artists have a specific demographic or lifestyle they cater to.  Those fans can be semi-easily defined and then if they can separate them out, you now have a network of adware installs and end users that can be targeted based on lifestyle choices.

Now, if it is a good adware like one that doesn’t interfere with cookies, doesn’t pop over competitors websites or other Affiliate sites but only shows ads on a desktop like through an RSS feed, this could be a great install and Marketing tool.

You can deliver messages and products to your install database based on what music they like and then bring them back online with a click here call to action based on a product catering to that particular lifestyle based on music choice and Artist.   This also wouldn’t interfere with other Affiliates or with the Merchants directly so you won’t run into as many PR nightmares.  Unfortunately most adware applications are not as nice or friendly so this would be in the very small percentile that I do like.

Anyways, not all adware is bad and not all Affiliates are evil either.  In fact, most legit Affiliates do add value through their content and user or reader base which is an audience you may not be able to reach without them.  One reason people think Affiliates are evil or bad is that Affiliates find things like the MP3s being able to be played in Organic Search results first and figure out how to optimize it and monetize it first.

These new search results are kind of cool and it was even cooler to be able to listen to his music before I even clicked through to the site to buy his new cds.  I highly recommend everyone try to figure out how to do this because if you could optimize your music or your links via organic MP3 search results you have now found a huge money making opportunity.