In a blog post from Shawn Collins over at Affiliate Marketing Blog, I learned that Performics, the #3 online affiliate marketing network, announced the creation of a VIP club to top publishers. You can check out his blog post here. My initial response to this news is that Performics should recognize top affiliates with special perks like personalized account managers, increased visibility/recognition, and invitations to special events. This is a good thing for top affiliates. However, based on this information, it really doesn’t sound any different than what Linkshare and Commission Junction, Performics’ two top competitors, have been doing for quite some time. I guess DoubleClick has finally realized that to compete for top affiliates, Performics needs to offer the same perks that the two other big guys (#1 & #2 in the industry) are already offering. Yes it will add additional costs to the business, but I think it will be worth it in building long-term relationships with companies (mostly large rewards programs) who will generate sales for their advertisers and the network.
