We need to start demanding a percentage, a finders fee if you will, for every time one of our friends visits the Web site of an ad contained in our e-mail, or impulsively buys a BlackBerry or iPhone after finally succumbing to the subliminal pressure contained in the tagline of our outgoing messages. You see they've fooled us for a while now. They know that we are all brand-conscious people, and that informing someone about just what device provided the e-mail they are reading gives us a sense of identity: that we are forward-thinking enough to have the latest in cutting-edge technology. And it is with this strategy that they have taken advantage of our vanity. Letting everyone know what we use, they think, should be reward enough for us gadget-obsessed, egomaniacal workaholics. Meantime they are hoping we don't awaken to the income potential for our role as commodity mules in their marketing platforms.
So, folks, you heard it here first. Take back your power. Call the company that tags your e-mail with an advertisement and ask, no insist, they give you a referral bonus or you and everyone you know will boycott them! Keep track of your contacts and have them mention your name when they buy a new handheld device because they could no longer resist the flurry of suggestions they received from your signature lines. It's time to organize. Electronic ads are the Great White sharks of commerce, and for too long we have been the bloody chum thrown into the sea to be devoured, as our earnings potential is dashed against the paltry remains of our environmentally challenged coral reefs. People are getting rich on our backs, and the party's over. We need a new movement to unionize our up to now unwittingly non-participatory role in e-commerce, and force these cyberspace robber barons into an e-capitulation.
For the record, I'm willing to be your Jimmy Hoffa. But if I go missing, and you suspect that my dismembered body is now residing in a thousand different Hewlett-Packard circuit boards, please hold a midnight vigil for me. And know that my probable death will not have been in vain as long as the entire event is being Web-cast and sponsored by the entire Fortune 500. Oh, and you're all getting a fifty-percent revenue share.
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Recent Comments | 4 Total
August 13, 2008 at 4:31pm by J Cav
August 14, 2008 at 8:08pm by Shawn Jenkins
Great Article,
Funny thing to mention that. There is a banner ad at the top of this page that has been offering a similar opportunity, for the past 30 years. A referral fee based on , well simply put, the amount of traffic you bring to their site. Yes a website inclusive of an amalgamation of brand names, and products, yes the ones that make us feel hip, happy, young and cool to use.
August 14, 2008 at 8:31pm by cay vos
Interesting - this article could be shaved to 3 paragraphs and explain how to create affiliate links.
August 16, 2008 at 4:21pm by Dan Brantley
This sparks another idea - Why should Nascar drivers and golf pros be the only ones with logos all over their clothes? Think what a coup it would be for the Men's Wearhouse to get a logo on Donald Trump's back. And Vicotoria's Secret would love to get a nice.. (tatoo probably) on pamela Anderson. Fraternity brothers would have Cuervo logos and ads for Trojans on their jackets and Old folks would sport Depends decals all over their walkers. - We are missing out on a lot of branding opportunities people! AdSense for Toddlers? Hmmmm I bet Huggies and Pampers would jump on that. The mind boggles.