Oct 6, 2008 - Merchants    7 Comments

Is It Time To Ditch Your MTV?

mtv Is It Time To Ditch Your MTV?Abel and Cole are the latest merchant that appears to be suffering from MTV (merchants tunnel vision). Having applied to their programme via DGM, I received an emailing saying my application had been declined – the first in over 2 years from memory! The response didn’t come as too much of a shock as I was given a heads up by the lovely Jess at DGM that this was likely to be the case.

The reason is that Abel and Cole don’t want to be advertised on Discount Code or Voucher Code websites, which is fine and totally within their right. However, it appears that some merchants presume that if an affiliate owns a discount code website, then that’s all they own and are therefore refused to promote them anywhere else. Sadly Discount Codes don’t make me enough money to the point where I don’t have to venture out into alternative verticals such as beauty, valentines, flowers, holidays and of course Christmas.

The major annoyance is there appears to be one rule for one affiliate, and another rule for others. I notice that anyone who has a discount code website via iCodes, which is a type of white label discount website, is able to promote Abel and Cole – see here. So why do they choose to be selective? Is it just an oversight?

Despite the selective approval, I think sometime merchants should remember that affiliates have their hands in many pies. If you don’t want to feature on a discount code website then that’s fine and totally acceptable (even if it doesn’t make complete sense) but enforce your rules on everyone and make it clear. At the same time it’s worth realising that a discount code website isn’t always the only website an affiliate owns!

  • mark

    on that icodes site there are no discount codes for that merchant, the merchant is listed but with n offers

  • http://www.webaffiliate.co.uk Chris Frost

    Yes Mark thats correct.

    However, I was declined as Abel and Cole don’t wish to be advertsied by Discount Code websites, yet they approve iCodes which is a….. Discount Code website.

    This is a minor issue to be honest. My point was that I have other websites which I could promote Abel and Cole, as do other affiliates, had I been approved. I just think sometimes merchants can be a little short sighted and suggest that they don’t jump to conclusions thats all.

  • purple

    Interesting post, It would seem we will have to have seperate accounts. At least for Content Sites, Cashback and Discount Codes maybe more.
    Of course the distinction between different kinds of sites will make it hard to pigeon hole affiliates.

    Just another confusion along with last cookie wins debates etc

  • Darren

    I use icodes and have been rejected by A&C and gathered the reason was due to one of my sites being a voucher code site. Each icodes user still needs to apply and be accepted onto the merchants they promote through the site.

    Not all icodes users have been approved, i guess the example you provided may have had to set up a separate account as suggested to get round the discount code site issue.

  • Gav

    Did you have the other sites’ URLs listed against your account, Chris? Dropping the AM a quick note will get you approved in 9 times out of 10 (I promise not to put you on my discount codes site!) so I’d give that a crack.

    There are so many affiliates that apply for these programmes you can see how (even though they shouldn’t) people just get blanket disapproved if they do have a code site. (Whatever the right and wrongs of that are).

  • http://www.webaffiliate.co.uk Chris Frost

    Hi Gav

    Yeah I always speak to the network and account manager involved – in this case it was DGM and Jessicaaaaaaa.

    It appears to be a stance taken by the merchant, but as has been noticed, it’s not been implemented the same for everyone.

  • http://discountcodes.onlinechristmasshops.co.uk/ Barbara Burgess

    I read with interest your article about ‘merchant tunnel vision’ but felt it was really a ‘discount code site tunnel vision’ I am a user of iCodes and searched for abel and cole on Google, there were no icode sites on the first page of listings. I am accepted for Abel and Cole but in no way do I say that they have discount codes! The site is for codes and offers and if there are neither I say there are none, but there are still consumers that would still want to buy from Abel and Cole. I accept that they have the right to be on whatever type of site they wish to be included on, but surely it’s the network that need to police it better.
    I personally am a small affiliate with no html experience and find that icodes is easy for me, it’s honest and it only contains valid discount codes and I’m able to personalize it to me through an admin panel.
    I found this article by searching Google and feel it’s wrong to demonize any discount site. I actually don’t understand why anyone should want to do this.
    My site is http://discountcodes.onlinechristmasshops.co.uk/

    Barbara