Momondo, sponsor of this year’s PerformanceIN European Publisher Survey 2013, answer some questions about the importance of this type of affiliate marketing research. The company’s global head of paid search, Emilie Mouquot, goes out on a limb to predict the type of trends that might be exposed by the survey.
If you’re a publisher, you have less than two days to complete the survey and be in with a chance of winning a Galaxy Tab, courtesy of Affordable Mobiles.
Why did you decide to get involved with the survey?
Emilie Mouquot: As an advertiser working in multiple territories, it’s important to us that we know as much as possible about all the markets we operate in. The publisher landscape is so varied and ever-shifting, so it’s fascinating to see how the results change year-on-year.
What are you most looking forward to seeing in the results?
EM: Well, the survey is targeting more countries this year with a greater range of languages available so it will be great to see how this influences the results in comparison with last year. I think the future trends section will also be highly informative, in particular when it comes to seeing how publishers in various markets view mobile; we already know that in some territories mobile is actually leading the growth in online traffic so it will be interesting to see how publishers in other markets predict this developing. Equally, the data on which technologies publishers will be using in the next 12 months will also help us build a comprehensive understanding of how the channel is changing across Europe.
Do you think the results have the potential to dictate a company’s future performance marketing strategy?
EM: Dictate is perhaps a strong term, but influence, certainly. Each year the survey broadens its remit and whether the results are confirming the trends advertisers are already tentatively predicting, or providing completely new insights, the data is valuable. This is particularly the case for emerging markets. International expansion, by definition requires advertisers to venture outside of the territories they know best and it’s in these instances that the kind of understanding that comes with the survey is so valuable.
Why are surveys of this kind so important to the industry?
EM: As advertisers we make our own predictions about the trends we think are emerging but what this survey gives us is the chance to understand the industry from the publishers’ point of view. After all, it’s the publishers who are the driving force of the channel. Understanding the various marketing strategies publishers are both currently using and plan to use helps to build a detailed understanding of how performance marketing is changing and how as advertisers we can work more effectively with our publishers.
Would you like to predict some of the trends we might see?
EM: Whilst I’ve no doubt that these will be varied, I think it’s safe to say we’ll see a significant increase in the number of publishers exploring mobile technologies, at least in the more mature markets where advertisers have already made the leap. It also wouldn’t surprise me if the natural variation between the mature and the emerging markets becomes more apparent especially when it comes to issues such as fractional attribution and data privacy. In a similar vein to this, it may be the case that our model of market maturity in itself also has to shift; with previously emergent markets having developed and new territories emerging to take their place, I think the survey will show the reach of performance marketing increasing significantly.