Bonjour!  Matomy Media Group will be exhibiting for the first time at E-Commerce Paris, booth #C3, September 13-15. Will you also be at one of the biggest e-commerce exhibitions in Europe?

With 550 exhibitors, the e-commerce show focuses on three major areas; e-commerce, digital marketing and logistics.

On offer at the exhibition are 350 conferences and 20 training sessions spanning the 3-day event. The ranges of talks are designed to provide a practical approach to the various sources of leverage for performance and the development of your online business. http://ecommerceparis.com/2011/index.php?option=com_ebsession&task=programme&Itemid=93

What’s On in Paris?

Saunter down the Champs Elysées or take a trip up the Eiffel Tower, a mere two among many Parisian sights. In a city that is steeped in ancient history, yet cited as one of the fashion capitals of the world, you will be spoilt for choice with what to do when you are not at the E-Commerce Paris show. http://en.parisinfo.com/

Paris is renowned worldwide for its gastronomy and the choice of cafes and restaurants is simply huge. For something a little special and tucked away in the heart of Saint Germain des Pres, Huitrerie Regis specializes in serving impeccably fresh oysters delivered directly from France’s Marennes-Oléron region on the Atlantic coast. http://huitrerieregis.com/

Must have information about E-Commerce Paris:

Matomy Media Group will be exhibiting at E-Commerce Paris, booth #C3 on September 13-15, 2011.

We are currently taking meeting requests for the show. Please email anna.l@matomy.com

We are proud to announce that EL AL Israel Airlines has selected Matomy Media Group, and Matomy Market, as its exclusive partner for its international affiliate marketing solution.

EL AL Israel Airlines CMO Einat Yanai: “We chose Matomy Media Group as a partner to help us expand our international sales online.  We trust in their extensive experience in affiliate program management, its vast media reach around the world and its dedication to meeting EL AL’s sales goals. ”

EL AL currently offers around 180 international flights per week to destinations across 6 continents. The program is built to offer a top-paying, tiered commission structure.  Affiliates can earn from 1.92% CPS for sales of up to $20,000 to 3.85% CPS for sales totaling more than $60,000 per month.

“We are proud that EL AL has made us a strategic partner in increasing its revenue through our affiliate marketing services” says Keren Marom, VP of Affiliate Programs at Matomy Market “Our reporting and tracking tools, combined with the dedication of our account management team, will enable the airline to monitor and adapt its program as activity grows.”

For web publishers who are interested in promoting El Al travel deals, more information can be found at http://www.matomymarket.com/BrandedPublisherRegistration/ELAL/.

What’s On at Affiliate Summit East 2011?

Start spreading the news! Matomy Media Group is exhibiting at Affiliate Summit East, New York, August 21^st -23^rd.  We are at Meet Market table #4 and conference booth #222.

Each year the number of people attending Affiliate Summit East gets bigger, and this year, we are sure, is no exception.

Affiliate Summit kicks off with the Meet Market, an exhilarating networking opportunity for affiliates to meet with merchants, discuss their affiliate programs and make deals.

The main conference follows on from this, and a jam-packed agenda has been lined up for exhibitors and trade show visitors alike. http://www.affiliatesummit.com/11e-agenda/

What’s On in New York?

In the city that never sleeps there is always something to see! If you are a fan of Mozart, you might be interested to know that the ‘Mostly Mozart Festival’ will be taking place until August 27^th. http://www.nycgo.com/events/mostly-mozart-festival

If classical music is not your ‘forte’ the must see sights of New York should be second priority on your list of things to do (after meeting Matomy at ASE!). Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty or seeing a show on Broadway are but a few of the famous city locations, accessible day and night. http://www.nycgo.com/must-see-nyc/

If you are looking for a culinary treat after a long day networking at the show, we would advise you to book in advance for a dining experience at Per Se, specializing in French cuisine and voted #10 in the world by The Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in 2011. http://www.perseny.com/

Must have information about Affiliate Summit East:

Matomy Media Group will be exhibiting at Affiliate Summit East,  August 21s -23rd, 2011.

Our Meet Market table is #4 and our conference booth is # 222.

We are currently taking meeting requests. Please email anna.l@matomy.com or come and meet us on the day.



My first question is for those who are new to Matomy Market or maybe never heard of Matomy Media Group. Can you give me a brief history of what Matomy Market does, how it started, and the structure and purpose of the company?

Matomy Market is the affiliate marketing arm of Matomy Media Group.  The group also has Matomy Media for our display clients, Matomy Money for virtual currency publishers, and Matomy Mobile, a mobile ad network.  From 2006 until April of 2011 we were separate brands (Adsmarket, Xtend, and Matomy, respectively).  In April we all came under the one brand name, Matomy.   We are now able to easily bring an integrated advertising solution to our clients, and they benefit from the superior results we provide as well as the ability to promote their business on many platforms through one  relationship.

What was strategic reasoning behind opening a branch in Amsterdam?

Our Amsterdam location is part of Matomy Market’s “glo-cal” vision.  The Netherlands is considered a gateway for the BENELUX and Nordic countries, thus it is one of the most important expansion moves yet for Matomy Market.  At the heart of this strategy is the understanding that as a true premium, international affiliate network, we maintain the most intimate and mutually beneficial relationships with our advertisers and affiliates by serving them locally.

Will the Amsterdam affiliates have the same Matomy Market experience?

Of course.  Our platform is for all no matter where you are located.  Just like McDonalds, you will enjoy the full power of Matomy Market no matter where the branch is.

Remmert, what does the future of online advertising look like for the Nordic and Benelux markets?

The Netherlands has always been up front in the performance-based marketing business.   For more than 10 years already we see native networks growing constantly as well as international networks opening an office here.  From The Netherlands the lines to Belgium and the Nordics are short. Now local companies are either being bought or specialize into a sub market.  In order to differentiate as a new player we have to focus on details. Can you differentiate in technique? Can you bring additional traffic to an advertiser? Are you able to bring a new business approach to the advertiser? Etc.  Again, everyday we see new advertisers stepping into the CPA market, all of them with their unique strategy.  Bringing quality traffic, leads and sales for advertisers outside the conventional CPA affiliate industries, being able to optimize, based on advertiser’s feedback looking at every individual consumer. This is where our market is going to and where the men are separated from the boys.

How does your tie to Matomy Media Group benefit your affiliates and advertisers?

The Matomy Media Group offers a 360° approach.  We have all media types available in-house so we are able to test and optimize every campaign before we bring it to the market. Working with Matomy is an instant  big step ahead both for advertsiers as well as publishers.An advertiser can always consult with us and develop a well-converting performance campaign together with us. Test and optimize the conversion of the landing page, test and optimize the ROI (conversion from lead to paying customer) of each one of the traffic types and develop your selection of  methods. The advertiser is always 100% sure he will benefit from his campaign before the campaign goes live in our network. As soon as he is live, we can bring volume anywhere in the world on all disciplines.

For publishers it’s very convenient to know every campaign we offer them has been tested and optimized and is already live on our own media. We don’t abuse our partners as testing animals, we only bring them those campaigns who already proved themselves as being moneymakers

What are your strongest categories and some of your advertisers?

Our advertisers are looking for expansion of their consumer base and want to benefit the full potential of being featured on display, email, search, social media, etc. We bring them interested consumers and buying customers. The categories (industries) they are in are predominantly  Daily Deals, Travel and Gaming. But the category for us is not leading in our approach towards the advertiser market. If you are an advertiser that is setting up an customer loyalty database and is looking for the right target audience to yield, then collaborate with us and expand your database with continuous optimization based on your ROI and 100% no-cure-no-pay. If you are looking for names, Groupon, Travelbird, iBood and Vodafone.

How many commissions do you expect to pay out in 2011?

If we draw the current line towards the end of 2011 we will hit the 2.5 million. Euros, that is…

What resources do you have for your affiliates who are just starting out?

We have a variety of international, fast-converting, generic lead campaigns. If you have audience, we will bring them the right proposition so you make money with them.  As said, you can be sure these campaigns work, since they’ve been tested out and optimized. Also, a tip, take your advantage from the fact we are still building up here in Amsterdam. Every publisher that signs up directly gets personal attention by a call or an email to map the potential. In this phase we are interested in everybody who has ideas on how to create added value online. In this business everybody learns new things every day. So, if you are an affiliate who is just starting out, feel free to get in contact and share your thoughts with us please.

How can affiliates work with you? Is it difficult to become an affiliate?

Sign up via matomymarket.nl and we’ll be in contact with you.  Signing up takes you 2 minutes.

From left: Oosterling; Ilja de Boer, CS Manager; Koen Ruitjer, Publisher Manager; Matomy Bike!!

What’s on at Gamescom 2011?

Are you going to Gamescom in Cologne?  Don’t miss Matomy Media Group at booth #022!

This year Gamescom are pulling out all the stops with a string of exciting networking and gaming opportunities guaranteed to get you out of the stuffiness of your hotel room at the end of your day.

The Gamescom Exhibitor party on August 18 is an excellent networking opportunity and Matomy will be there!  If you would like to meet us at this event please fill out the meeting request form here.

While you may not want to jump into the Rhine River that runs through Cologne, you can ride a wave in a virtual surfing experience!  A motorbike circuit and Gamescom Beach can also be found in the outdoor area.

You will also find the Gamescom Festival, located in Cologne’s city center and the third annual Gamescom Camp, located in the heart of Cologne’s Cathedral City.

http://www.gamescom-cologne.com/en/gamescom/fuer_alle/events_veranstaltungen/events_und_veranstaltungen.php

What’s on in Cologne?

Why not take advantage of Cologne’s tourism attractions and visit Cologne’s gothic cathedral Kolner Dom, Romanesque churches, the historic town hall and the city’s many museums.  For information on these sites and more visit http://www.cologne-tourism.com/attractions-culture.html

If you are looking for some recommended dining experiences, look no further than Lommerzheim, a top rated restaurant serving local German cuisine, located on the North Rhine-Westphalia.

El Gaucho – Argentinian Restaurant also comes highly recommended for business diners. http://www.el-gaucho.de/

Must have information about Gamescom:

Matomy Media Group will be exhibiting at Gamescom, Cologne, 18-21 August, 2011!

Our new stand is located in Hall 4.2, Aisle D, booth # 022. We are currently taking meeting requests.  Please send an email to anna.l@matomy.com for a meeting.

Feel free to meet us on the day and steal some of our new Matomy giveaways!

Auf Wiedersehen for now! We look forward to seeing you at the show.

One thing that caught my eye was the fact that as basic as these elements were, the actual truth is that a lot of advertisers are either A) not aware of them (which I hope is not the case) B) not paying the right attention to audience targeting or C) not willing to share their insights. For affiliates, audience targeting insight is highly important and essential to their success. Everyone wants better ROI; in a business which rewards per action the risk is on us.  The difference is that we need better ROI in order to profit.

Still, affiliates keep making money, keep growing both in revenue and in marketing share. So, how do they overcome this obstacle? I thought this would be a great opportunity to gather the same 5 basic elements of audience targeting only this time, from the affiliate perspective.

1. Audience targeting – a must- have.

A sum up: Audience targeting is a must-have rather than a nice-to-have. If you are working as an affiliate and you do not match your target audience with the offering, you are bound to lose. Even run over net campaigns needs to be targeted at some level otherwise it’s just decoration. Solid affiliates are the ones that not only understand this element but practice it to perfection each day.

2. Research or, in other words learn, your target.

All the big and solid affiliates started slow on purpose, not because of budget issues. Before starting any affiliation channel, there is a need for some research. Learn your traffic audience. Even if you are not using a very targeted media type such as email marketing, which enables you to know your users up to their age and hobbies, you can gain knowledge based on your user’s behavior online. Every site has its main audience target: females, pensioners, teens, etc.; each group prefers different products, so act and follow different offer flows.

Once you’ve recognized your main audience, increase that knowledge using other available sources like public survey results, articles and news updates.  It takes time, but eventually, this information will be your safety net – every new offer you’ll pick will be compared to the insights of this research. That way, you will not be solely depended on the information the advertiser provides or not.

3. Audience targeting isn’t a magic bullet.

As mentioned several times already, insight from audience targeting is not something that can be gained at a glance, and similarly, the best campaigns aren’t chosen or set up in a moment.

You now know the basic information about your audience – information that enables you to search offers which you think best interest your main audience. In order to pick the best match, you need to gain as much information about theoffer: read the info the advertiser was kind enough to provide. The offer’s restrictions, descriptions, flow, etc. Understand the conversion and what will be considered as a valid action. Of course there will be other elements which best serve you, such as the crucial factor of payment terms. Evaluating all the info at hand will lead you to the best choice.

The offers which you’ve chosen are now facing the “test period” – Try the varied products you’ve picked in small traffic portions and review the user’s response on each.

This information will always add to the insights you’ve gained about your target audience.

4. Prepare, prepare – Well, we already know that nothing comes easy and fast when it comes to affiliate marketing, so like my mother used to say, “prepare in advance”.  In other words, don’t wait for the last moment.    Like a good baseball player knows, if we wait for the last moment to react, we will always remain at second base…

5. Here’s another quote.  In the words of Oscar Wilde, “expect the unexpected”– Assuming your target audience will like the same products or act the same at all times is a wrong assumption. The cultural and commercial whims of the online world change at a mind-numbing pace.  “Expect the unexpected” means that we should always assume that changes will come, and the best way to handle change is to embrace it.  Be alert to changes, whether in our campaigns or the global news and “foresee” the next trend. What will keep you in the game is keeping an open mind and open communication channels with your audience, constantly learning your traffic instead of just monitoring it.

Affiliate marketers need to be reminded of the importance of audience targeting and that doing your homework pays off.

There is a lot more insight into audience targeting that can be shared by you!

What are some things you do to learn about your traffic demographic, and how do you judge which offer to pick?

Noga Kaizerman, Affiliate Services Manager at Matomy Market

affiliateservices@matomymarket.com

More and more people are using their mobile phones more and more and more.  Obvious, yes, but what does it mean for digital advertisers, who are always looking for new ways to reach their audience?  It means that there are more and more opportunities to get a new customer just because today’s consumers are now almost constantly “plugged in” to something that can show them an interactive ad.

A question: How many men out there between the ages of 18 and death still bring a newspaper to the bathroom?  How many home cooks (okay, women, since advertising is all about profiling), still read recipes from a book?

There is very little digital down-time in our lives these days, and advertisers should be taking advantage of these golden, shared amongst humanity moments that, until now, were the gray, “no reception” areas on the map of digital ad exposure.

Another notable note worth noting is that it’s not just one device that we are using at a time.  When my husband watches t.v. his iPhone and his left eye are in constant communication.  One beep and he’s checking emails or the latest alert from his news apps, then it’s back to the game on the (original) small screen.  And his laptop is… on his lap.

There are no tablets in our house just yet, but we’re getting close, because I need a place to jot down ideas for this blog, and unfortunately, using a pen makes my hand cramp up.

This post was inspired by this post at Business Insider.  The post is about distraction, and a recent study concluding that almost 60% of test subjects distracting themselves from TV with their phones.

Interestingly for the online ad crowd, 46% of test subjects are distracting themselves from online video with our phones.  So online video is apparently more interesting than regular TV.  Fancy that.  I wonder whose ads we pay more attention to when all this is going on?  For those who watch online video (me, my kids, my 67 year-old father, and a few more), that’s double the digital ad exposure opportunity as well.

Check out the results from Business Insider below, and let me hear your thoughts in the comments below.  How do you think the phone addiction will play out for big brands and smaller advertisers?  What do you think we will see next in cross-platform advertising?

Daneka Soudak is the Marketing Communications Coordinator and Social Media Manager at Matomy Media Group.  Please contact me at Daneka.s@matomy.com

The changes will take effect on May 17, 2011.

Please check your email or send an email to affiliateservices@matomymarket.com with questions.

Read the updated Terms and Conditions.
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If “Daily Deal Summit” doesn’t ring a bell, you should check your RSS feeder.

All the industry leaders from both sides – deal sites side as well as media side – hooked up for a day of interesting panels & networking examining the present and future of the daily deal industry.

The leadership discussion, including representatives from LivingSocial, BuyWithMe and Gilt group discussed the state of the industry. Others discussed issues related to audience monetization, international daily deal market, mobile daily deals and more.

As this industry is growing all the time, with at least one new daily deal site emerging every day, I’m sure we will see Daily Deal Summit no # 2 and many other related summits.

An interesting panel I was hoping to see, but didn’t, was one discussing the promotion methods of daily deal sites.  Converting anonymous users to buying users is one of the most complex goals, occupying all deal site owners, hence deserving a considerable chunk of conference time.

Not yet working with Daily Deals campaigns?  Don’t know much about it?  Where have you been hiding?  Read this post to find out how to get started with the Daily Deals vertical.

Nadav Trenter Moser

Sales & Business Development Manager at Matomy Market

For any further questions, feel free to contact me at – nadav.t@matomymarket.com