I've been doing a bit of reading on this forum, and what i have noticed is alot of people getting banned from facebook, google adwords and other traffic sources.
No real surprise there. I was banned back in 2008 from adwords, for direct linking.
So whats the situation with other networks, like self-serve platforms like pulse 360, adbuyer, adbrite, bing/yahoo, trafficvance, etc?
History shows (facebook and google were once affiliate friendly) that these networks would eventually end up like google and facebook (today), and become very strict with affiliates.
Or is there just way too much inventory out there for that to ever happen?
Better yet, if they are getting rid of affiliates then who's left, corporations? How can they use up soo much inventory, surely there's too much space out there.
I want to both HIT it HARD while i can, but i also want to be in it for the long-haul.
Squeeze pages and CPS model seems to be a good direction to go, building long-term customer value and your own products.
Believe me you are in it for the long haul. Major networks/platforms have taken a hard stance against a lot of affiliates due to the few that really take users for a ride and/or have promoted 'non brand friendly' products/offers/content. Brands are the biggest spenders on both Google and Facebook, hence they need to preserve a brand friendly environment in order to attract the big spenders (brands). Yes the aggregate long tail is significant, however in brand land we're talking big dollars.
Conversely some of the stronger, ethical affiliates have built strong relationships with media owners because some of them are huge spenders who follow the rules but still play the game.
You have to remember that ad inventory is essentially now a commodity product. Publishers, ad networks & platforms compete against each other on reach, targeting capabilities, innovation, audience engagement and above all else.... cost. There are very few media owners who can truly hold their pricing & yield position. When a few networks are willing to under cut on price, it puts pressure on the rest of the market. Except in the case of where Google are concerned as they've got a really strong product and a strangle hold on the search market. Facebook falls into this category as well - they (essentially) own social and can deliver high quality traffic as well as a premium offering for brands.
Also if you're a buyer planner at an agency, it's part of your job description to get the best possible rate for your client. Agencies drive a hard bargin on price because again, if someone is willing to undercut, the rest of the market has to respond. Obviously it's a little more complex than this, however in a nutshell that's how it is. There's always going to be price pressure in the market and there is always going to be networks who will (and in some cases need to) take your money.
Brand advertising takes the lion share of the display market from a revenue perspective, however there is almost an infinite amount of scale available in display. There will always be networks who will cater to affiliates and who are willing to work with you just so long as you follow their guidelines.