The Naughty List
I can’t believe it’s been 11 years since I last did a Naughty and Nice List! (Looking back at that one is actually pretty fun.) This year’s version combines Naughty and Nice with Blind Gossip. Companies have their bottom lines and shareholders, so I won’t reveal any names, but Santa still knows!
Dasher and Dancer
These two go together as they share the same parent company. Big-name jewelry companies sent out an email on December 13th stating they had to "reduce publisher commissions" due to "budget constraints." (Peak holiday shopping season, anyone?) What they meant by "reduce" was actually "eliminate." 4% down to zero. Affiliate links would still work but affiliates wouldn’t earn any commissions. A bit late to switch out all those high-converting page links for the remaining holiday season—so they just scored some free traffic.
Prancer
You know how we always tell customers that they won’t pay more if they shop through our affiliate links? Well, a merchant I discovered this week disproved that. My conversions dropped suddenly from 5% to 1%, so I started investigating. Turns out the product I was heavily promoting was 25% cheaper on the merchant’s website than through my link. They’re advertising the lower price everywhere outside of the affiliate channel—a secret not shared with affiliates. We look like fools promoting a "great deal" at a higher price than customers see elsewhere.
Vixen
This season, it was a company known for its frequent industry news fluctuations. Big rule changes, huge traffic implications, and no one knowing where they stood from day to day. If you define "Vixen" as "shrewish and ill-tempered," this company nailed it—both attractive and frightening. (Wait…same company on my Naughty List last time for a different reason!)
Comet
This astronomically large company made a huge change to its terms of service in the middle of holiday shopping season, with just 7 days’ notice. Publishers had to make some big decisions about their links, potentially changing out tens, hundreds, or thousands after reviewing conversions and commissions. So much for family time this week! While the policy change was likely necessary, the short notice and holiday timing were unacceptable.
Cupid
What’s not to love about a company that promises an easy solution and then immediately charges your credit card double? And when you ask for help, they direct you to a support database and say they can’t assist any further because you don’t pay them enough. I mean, what’s not to love, Cupid?
The Nice List
Donder (the O.G. Name from the Poem)
I logged into a network account this week and saw all transactions for a niche merchant for November reversed. It seemed odd since I’d promoted strictly via content, used no coupon codes, and had separate clicks on different days. I reached out to the merchant, and within an hour they’d not only investigated but reversed the transactions and were working to figure out what went wrong in their system. A+ for believing in affiliates and stepping up to help! This was a merchant who had previously been on my Naughty List.