Brand Bidding and Closed Groups – A Step in the Right Direction?

There has been a lot of talk about closed groups and the opening up of brand bidding. Many, including mate Doug Scott have been getting their truncheons in a turmoil.

If you don’t know what sanctioned brand bidding is, it is where merchants allow you to bid on their brand terms. eg :

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What is different about closed groups is the old school network aproach where a merchant invites closed groups only to bid on brand type terms. The argument is that people in these groups will only do the basics, why bother doing any more there is no competition (never minid the affiliates with decent sites who are now having their cookies overwritten even though they built real traffic).

Anyway to cut a long story short, i got an email of DGM today about Icebuyer

“Icebuyer will be giving one affiliate the rights to bid on the brand name ‘Icebuyer’, and on this term and generic terms link directly through to the Icebuyer website, using the domain name www.icebuyer.co.uk. This privilege will be awarded to the affiliate that drives the most valid sales over the period from launch until 30 June 2008.”

That last line is a step in the right direction. So now an affiliate who drives traffic will be rewarded, not just part of the old boys network.

I am still on the fence on this one, but that’s because it wont shaft anything I do really.

Good work Icubuyer for going this route you will piss off less people this way.