Performance marketing industry watchdogs at the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) have announced big revisions to the code of conduct that supports the blossoming voucher market.
The IAB UK Affiliate Marketing Council’s (AMC) code, now in its third edition, provides a best practice framework for all those involved in this channel of performance marketing. It governs fair dealing, nurtures consumer confidence and gives advertisers confidence in the voucher model through transparency and control.
Three specific areas that have been changed. Firstly, responsibility for the vouchers has shifted. Networks have historically been culpable for them, but now the onus will be on advertisers to organise certain details like the exclusivity of a voucher with publishers.
There has been a tightening and simplification of the language used in the Code to minimise misinterpretation. Voucher providers must also now specify an end date in addition to the start date previously insisted on.
Code Enforcement
There are repercussions if the code is broken. A voucher that fails to adhere will be shunned by IAB member networks, Affiliate Window, affilinet, Commission Junction, OMG, Omnicom Affiliates, Rakuten LinkShare, Tradedoubler, TradeTracker and Webgains.
Reported breaches of the code will be handled by the advertiser’s network. Repeated breaches could result in collective network penalties that might include a publisher’s affiliate tracking being disabled for a limited period.
IAB AMC chair and chief operating officer at OMG, Nathan Salter, said: “As affiliate-enabled businesses continue to grow, it is incumbent on the IAB’s AMC to produce a code that supports this highly popular and increasingly trusted form of online shopping.”