Events

Wrap Up: Affiliate Management Days 2013

Becky Doles

Last week we spent a few days in San Francisco for Affiliate Management Days 2013, where we had the opportunity to introduce HasOffers to other performance marketers, as well as learn some tricks, tips and trends from others in the industry. We especially enjoyed Hunter Boyle’s session about maximizing affiliate relationships via email, the panel on what performance marketing managers should know about publishers, and Brian Massey’s landing page tips for affiliates.

I recently had a chance to sit down with Geno Prussakov, Founder & Chair of Affiliate Management Days, and chat about his thoughts on the conference and current trends in the Performance Marketing industry:

1. How do you think Affiliate Management Days went? What were some of the best moments, sessions, etc.?

I think this was one one of our best shows yet. The quality of sessions was amazing and the networking was excellent too. While I hate to turn the spotlight on any specific sessions (as all were really good), the three that really stood out for me, personally, were “The Role of the Affiliate Network” panel, as well as keynotes by Jim Sterne and Roger Dooley.

We have our first European Affiliate Management Days coming up in London on May 15-16, 2013. We hope to see many Europe-oriented advertisers, managers and affiliate management tool providers there.

2. Some interesting news broke during the conference, particularly the news that GAN is shutting down. What are your thoughts on this?

As I mentioned in an interview with Small Business Trends GAN’s closure is creating a great opportunity for other affiliate networks, not only those who hope to have GAN affiliate programs migrate to their platform, but also those who already have a GAN merchant affiliate program running on their network. An opportunity also exists for “in-house” affiliate program solution providers, like HasOffers. Bottom line: it’s not the end of the world. I’m sure it was a well-weighed business decision on Google’s part. I’m glad they’re wrapping it all up in a way that gives both advertisers and publishers plenty of time to tweak their strategy.

3. What are your thoughts on the current state and future of the performance marketing industry?

Issues such as mobile tracking and attribution pose a significant challenge to the Performance Marketing industry, but it’s great to see both affiliate networks and in-house platforms working to integrate them into their products. I believe in Performance Marketing. I think that while we still have multiple issues to tackle, the future is bright. This week’s news from the Congress is encouraging too.

If you missed Affiliate Management Days in San Francisco, be sure to sign up for Affiliate Management Days in London on May 15-16, 2013!

Author
Becky Doles

Becky is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at TUNE. Before TUNE, she handled content strategy and marketing communications at several tech startups in the Bay Area. Becky received her bachelor's degree in English from Wake Forest University. After a decade in San Francisco and Seattle, she has returned home to Charleston, SC, where you can find her strolling through Hampton Park with her pup and enjoying the simple things between adventures with friends and family.