In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Roo Wright of Wag.io explains how the affiliate business has changed over the past decade.
The affiliate business has been under intense scrutiny from regulators for a number of reasons.
In February, investigators from the United Kingdom and Canada discovered that affiliates in online gambling and other digital industries failed compliance with rules on privacy and misleading advertising.
Roo Wright of Wag.io pointed out that affiliates and operators need to work hand in hand in order to make sure that they’re compliant with regulations. He said that affiliates are going to get in big trouble if they don’t help operators stay compliant, citing the case of New Jersey where even affiliates are regulated.
“I think the general overview is probably a little bit difficult, I guess. Basically, we now live in a new world economy, and that is an affiliate compliance economy,” Wright told CalvinAyre.com. “Gone are the days when affiliates can just go in and grab the banner and some tracker and throw them out on the internet and hope to make a trillion dollars.”
Wright said the burden of ensuring that regulations are faithfully being followed rests with the operators since they’re the ones that are usually going to be fined by regulators. However, affiliates also “need to need to take responsibility, step up to the plate, and help these operators to make sure that they’re compliant as well.”
When asked how affiliates can ensure that regulations are being followed, Wright said operators need to consolidate their programs at the moment, make sure that they’ve got the people and the technology in place in order to manage their affiliates effectively, and really build strong relationships with affiliates.
“Really work out deals and proper relationship. Know what those affiliates are doing. Make sure that the affiliate managers are well trained so that they know how to communicate well on a real world level with affiliates because knowing and having that knowledge will enable their relationships to grow and have a win-win situation. That’s what affiliate marketing is all about,” Wright said.
