Day 1 of Affiliate Summit has come and gone. As usual I have some observations/thoughts so here goes….
Speaking solo is way harder then speaking on a panel.
It literally seems like 75% of the old CPA guys are gone from this industry
The guys that are left don’t seem to be using Affiliate Marketing as their main business model. Everyone from back in the day seems to now own a product, service or network. It makes sense because the stability of CPA offers is like the stability of a drunk giant riding a unicycle.
Meet Market was packed and a lot of new companies in there.
NDemand Affiliates & Ian Fernando throw a hell of a party. Great dinner and every attendee got a pair of designer sunglasses…..now that’s baller….I missed the Ian Fernando party bus though.
Affiliate Summit is doing a much better job at check in. I remember years ago when there were huge lines at check in. Now they have so many people working that it’s nice and smooth.
I’m hoping that i’m not starting to see history repeat itself but i’m fearful that I am. As soon as I see new companies pop up that are spending way too much money on showing how successful they are…..well…that never seems to end well.
The amount of people that read this blog amazes even me…and I thank each and every one of you for that.
Have any observations? Post a comment!
Ad Hustler
Marc Cuban – 10. Never buy swag. A sure sign of failure for a startup is when someone sends me logo-embroidered polo shirts. If your people are at shows and in public, it’s okay to buy for your own employees, but if you really think people are going to wear your branded polo when they’re out and about, you are mistaken and have no idea how to spend your money.
My pass was missing and it took at least 10 minutes for the staff to retrieve my info, check with the supervisors and print a new one.
Two broken escalators? Tsk-tsk.
Over all a good show and yes, it was packed. So many fledgling young networks do the Meet Market and not the main floor show. I already got talked into joining two of them.
I like the t-shirts and wear them, except not in public. Please, no unkind words about show swag.
^^^What he said. Also thought there was a pretty positive vibe, which is a good thing. I wish the aisles were a little wider in the meet market. 🙂
Edit- I meant “what dr NGO said”
Hey Brandon, Long time man…. Your second to last comment was very interesting. Usually when you see those over the top displays of grandeur, it’s almost always a facade. I can’t tell you how many times Cresta and I consulted for companies doing just that and it ends up being their last hurrah. That one last push to get themselves over the hump and survive. It sucks no matter what, but usually holds true.
Yeah the show is def changing, its awesome to see guys who’ve been around including you Brandon, Charles, and Nick. As for swag it depends, we bought our display in NYC returned it next day, and the shirts were mostly for our own team, but also for our affiliates and partners, giving out to “swag hunters” is a waste of time.
” the stability of CPA offers is like the stability of a drunk giant riding a unicycle.”
haha… i can’t stop laughing
The show is evolving, I found that this was a very happy show, everyone took advantage of the time and networked to the fullest.
“The guys that are left don’t seem to be using Affiliate Marketing as their main business model. Everyone from back in the day seems to now own a product, service or network. It makes sense because the stability of CPA offers is like the stability of a drunk giant riding a unicycle.”
I have been in the industry since 2004 and I agree with this completely. These days I just lay low and rarely attend a show unless I need a vacation I can write off. I work mostly with the same few people I have grown to trust over the years. This only emphasizes your comment about history repeating itself with new networks throwing around cash. I refuse to work with these types as it makes me wonder how much I have been scrubbed so they can give away a car.
-mwt