Like many DM Confidential readers, I spent the last week recuperating from the whirlwind of activity that was the Las Vegas Affiliate Summit. With over 2000 attendees, I would have to think that Missy, Shawn, and the rest of the Affiliate Summit Corporation must be pleased with the overwhelming growth the conference has experienced in just three short years. As a network manager, it certainly makes me happy to see this growth play out, with new affiliates, new advertisers and new partnerships entering the game every day.
The sheer volume of people was just one of the positive trends that we saw at this Affiliate Summit. It was great to see so many of the same faces - people we’ve developed relationships with over the past few years, as well as new companies that are just entering the affiliate marketplace. In lead generation, which is a large part of our business, we saw a number of unique buying and selling techniques. The auction and bidding models that have been so popular in the cpm/cpc world are gaining momentum in the cpa space too. With so many different hosting and posting methods at play, the need for an industry-wide uniform lead distribution system becomes increasingly apparent.
As much variety as there is in distribution models, there is little diversity when it comes to targeting customers. The cash advance, sub-prime financial, and online education verticals are as hot as ever, and continue to grow at a rapid pace. The majority of lead generation community is focused on these particular areas.
With all the parties and distractions in Sin City, it’s not hard to imagine that the informational sessions - while pertinent - were sparsely attended. No offense meant to the speakers, but I think most of us had heavy eyes and short attention spans after the first night hitting the clubs and trying our luck on the casino floors! Upon reading some of the threads on the Affiliate Summit Forum, it was clear that most attendees find that the greatest benefit of the summit is making human connections – something that is highly valuable but often difficult in our over-mediated industry.
And as I watched people standing in line at a club, pushing to get in to an already-packed place, I couldn’t help but think that the Las Vegas scene was a metaphor for the current state of the affiliate marketing industry. Thousands of people reaching to grab a piece of the same pie. The cash advance, sub-prime finance and online education verticals are ripe, but as the potential grows, so does the competition. Will the inventory support the growing amount of companies reaching to get their share? Is there enough to go around? As the industry expands, is bigger really better?
