Very little.
In the past I had organized a boycott of casinos that use it. The trouble with that was that some of the users were also the better performers for many affiliates.
I used to watch carefully and approach each casino that was doing a trial and let them know affiliates did not like this. Most stopped after the trial run.
I was so opposed to this that last year I boycotted a convention in Montreal because they had invited gator to speak. This made me unpopular in some circles – but I acted my conscience. We organized an alternate event and it came off well.
Eventually the main scum company then, Gator, since called Claria and the sister company for whenu, agreed to remove popups from casino affiliate sites on request of the advertiser.
This brought some relief, and about that time I “made my exit” from GPWA and let the matter rest.
A year has passed.
The popups are not back, but the problem is the same now.
If I go to your site and click on – let’s say SciFi – I will go on and suddenly find myself at – let’s say Piggs Peak.
Piggs Peak has popped on top of SCIFI. Scifi has your aff code, Piggs Peak paid whenu to steal that customer from you and Scifi.
This problem is becoming aggravated now with the “good venues” for advertising being unobtainable for us. Where do you think the lost PPC traffic went?
I am willing to bet most of it went to scum. Whenu is just one very visible company. There are dozens.
The larger affiliates have taken to using them also. I was recently talking to a manager who is losing money big time because apparently another program and two affiliates are targeting his casinos like crazy.
Despite my enormous disaste for this overt theft I had to tell him that I could not blame him for striking back at this point. What is he to do, lose most of his business but know we all love him? He has to defend himself.
In the last week I was contacted by 4 other concerned managers. This problem is taking off like crazy again.
It is so stupid, it’s like everyone is standing in a cricle shooting each other in the foot.
The only ones who are happy are the scum companies.
If no one bought their ads, everyone would make the same money most likely. And they wouldn’t have to pay ransom to scum. Everyone would be ahead.
But – what ‘ya gonna do?
I am waiting to see what Ben’s next piece on research digs up. He is working on the effect on affiliates.
He had a beautiful tool he had to deactivate because of his involvement in a legal case against gator – but you can still see cached results here:
http://asp-cyber.law.harvard.edu/gator-sites/test.asp?host=www.casinotropez.com
Type casino names in and you’ll see who used to target them. The main culprits are usually still at it, with a considerable number added.