The Affiliate State Tax is Not Our Friend

The power of social media demonstrates how information flows rapidly around a very new and troubling issue. There is a rising tide that the affiliate marketing community needs to pay close attention to. The New York State affiliate program tax has been quietly gaining a head of steam.

The buzz started yesterday when Overstock.com pulled its New York State affiliate marketing program. The Twitter marketing community lit up as the news traveled across the social web. I was Twittering with @affiliateTips Shaun Collins (who first picked up the story) that this was the beginning of a problematic trend. States wanting tax dollars act like herds of animals looking for food - even if it means putting small business owners out of business in these already trying economic times. Bravo Elliot Spitzer and Governor Patterson! Immediately @5StarAffiliate shot us and @techcrunch a Tweet that California is now looking to follow New York. Kiplinger has the coverage of the CA tax warning.

Overstock’s affiliate program manager Ryan Sorensen shared a link to Overstock’s response letter with more details and that he felt other large retailers were soon to follow. Amazon filed a complaint in State Supreme Court in Manhattan objecting to the new law. The problem is that the new tax kicks in on June 1st which means that online retailers can’t hold out for resolution of the Amazon complaint.

All this being said, we cannot sit around and wait to see where this goes. The very large and fragmented affiliate marketing community needs to come together and get involved to address this issue before it exceeds our grasp. We need to stand up as solutions & service providers and act on behalf of, and protect, our community and affiliates. We at MediaTrust have reached out to the IAB to see what actions are suggested. If you would like to work together as a collective on this issue, please contact MediaTrust thru the following email: affiliatepetition@gmail.com

This is an important issue that affects the livelihood of our industry. Lets join together to advance our cause.

Advaliant Details PlayPhone’s Affiliate Marketing Success

Campaign Experiences Clear and Measurable Results.

Advaliant, MediaTrust, Inc.'s award-winning, performance-based affiliate marketing network, detailed a successful customer acquisition and retention program that was architected specifically for PlayPhone, Inc., a mobile media company that offers premium, branded mobile content to consumers.

PlayPhone gives consumers access to one of the widest selections of ringtones, videos, wallpapers, games and more. According to MIC (Market Intelligence Center), an ICT industry research institute based in Taipei, the number of worldwide mobile phone subscribers is expected to grow from two billion in 2005 to approximately 3.3 billion in 2010, representing a CAGR (compound average growth rate) of 10.1 per cent. Rising industry forecasts create a competitive environment that forces companies to look to more efficient marketing strategies and tactics in the hopes of gaining market share.

In the fall of 2006, PlayPhone engaged Advaliant to propose a creative marketing strategy to acquire and retain customers. After studying the PlayPhone business, Advaliant executed a custom designed affiliate marketing campaign that included search, highly targeted email, targeted banner placements, joint ventures and private labeled sites.
"We selected Advaliant for its quality of service, its commitment to developing a long term partnership and its studied approach in selecting trusted publishers and affiliates," said Ron Czerny, founder and chief executive officer at PlayPhone. "After running one successful campaign after another, affiliate marketing has become one of our primary means for customer acquisition."

The PlayPhone affiliate campaign has experienced clear and measurable success. The dramatic increase in the number of new PlayPhone customers per day has exceeded the expectations of both PlayPhone and Advaliant. In addition, Advaliant and PlayPhone were awarded the 2007 ad:tech award for "Best Affiliate Marketing Campaign." On the heels of its successful affiliate campaigns, PlayPhone has partnered with some of the world's most well-known brands and is in the midst of global expansion.

"Modern affiliate marketing is proving itself as the most effective way to acquire customers on a pay-for-performance basis," says Jivan Manhas, president, Advaliant. "By partnering with a trusted network such as Advaliant, customers can experience measurable results while extending and safeguarding their brands."

About MediaTrustMediaTrust (http://www.mediatrust.com/) is an ecosystem of online media properties. MediaTrust combines innovative interactive media and advertising technology with human service and expertise. Companies that choose MediaTrust benefit from relevant and intelligent online campaigns that deliver higher ROI and greater success in acquiring customers, creating brand awareness, generating sales and driving traffic.
MediaTrust is comprised of Advaliant, a performance-based affiliate marketing network, Advario, a proprietary ad serving platform, leading-edge media technologies and the MediaTrust Integrated Solutions Group (ISG). The ISG is comprised of specialists that analyze customer needs and build custom performance-based campaigns that optimize returns for each advertiser and publisher.

Building Trust in Today's Business World

Building Trust in Today's Business World

From the pre-internet era to Web 2.0 and beyond, times have changed, but fundamental business values have not.

It used to be that you could trust someone by their word and the look in their eye when you shook hands. Just because there is less personal contact today, it does not mean that traditional values can be disposed of.

Business has become more virtual but the loss of interpersonal contact does not mean that companies should be able to ‘get away' with more or obfuscate the truth. Trust still must be earned, even if a virtual handshake replaces a physical one.

Even in the internet world, relationships are built one at a time and are not something that technology will ever replace. Relationships will always require trust and meaningful dialog between two mutually benefiting parties. Business partnerships are built with care and attention through intelligent dialog and genuine interest from both parties.

Building trust is a constant, ever-changing process that does not have an end. To grow trust companies must work together, plan, test and repeat. Trust requires learning from one another and sharing knowledge to mutual benefit. Trust means delivering what's been promised and more. Trust means being true to yourself and true to your word.

Understanding the Importance of Trust in Media

The words “trust” and “media” are historically contradictory. In fact, in today's online world, the synchrony of these two ideas is almost extinct. However with more and more of the marketing budget being allocated to online advertising, trust is of extreme importance. Marketeers need their budgets to perform for them, and they need to trust their partners with their investments. So marketers need to be able to trust the affiliate networks that they pay – and rely on - to bring them leads. Real leads. Marketers need a media partner they can trust.

Finding an Affiliate Network Built on Trust

With so many options in today's industry landscape, finding the right affiliate network can be a daunting task. First, businesses should ask pointed questions to ensure the affiliate network is closely aligned to the company's success. Businesses should also review case studies on past and current performance of existing clients. Second, companies should review the existing client lists of an ad network to determine which other companies have trusted them - and received positive results - in the space. Finally, businesses should request a “trial period” to ensure successful results.

Finding the right affiliate network shouldn't leave a marketer feeling nervous. Marketers should be confident about working with the right partner to generate returns on their investment and make sure their brands are protected from an un-vetted network of advertisers and affiliates. Companies that believe in putting the trust back into business should collaborate. Companies should partner with an affiliate network that offers:

1) Trust, Honesty and Integrity.
2) REAL Leads.
3) On-Time Payments.
4) World Class Technology.
5) Excellent Customer Service.

If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact me at Jivan.manhas@gmail.com

By Jivan Manhas, Managing Director, Advaliant. For more information, please contact press (at) advaliant (dot) com.

Advaliant (http://www.advaliant.com/) is a next generation performance marketing company comprised of the Advaliant affiliate ad network and the Advaliant services agency. Advaliant offers a ‘one-stop-shop' for solutions across all online marketing channels including: affiliate and search marketing, contextual and display advertising, lead generation, e-mail marketing, mobile marketing, data management, Web publishing and list management.

Advaliant affiliate ad network and services agency work seamlessly together to deliver high-performing, customized, marketing campaigns that create awareness, generate leads, drive sales, and retain customers. Advaliant is a wholly owned subsidiary of MediaTrust.