Double Down: Q and A with William Cooper

July/August 2007 Issue: Page 74

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William Cooper, CEO of Europe's TradeDoubler, hopes the rising fortunes of affiliate marketing in the U.K. mirror the U.S.

As the CEO of TradeDoubler – a Swedish performance network with a vast European presence – William Cooper has his eye on global expansion. TradeDoubler, with its local offices in 15 countries across Europe, is known as the biggest affiliate marketing network in the U.K. Cooper was appointed president and CEO in March of 2007, riding a wave of first-quarter revenue for 2007, up 30 percent. Previously, Cooper, a six-year veteran of TradeDoubler, was COO of the company for a year. Before that, he oversaw the company's U.K. operations. Currently, TradeDoubler claims a network of more than 100,000 website publishers and has more than 1,000 advertisers across Europe, including a mix of local and international companies such as Apple Store, Dell, TeliaSonera, eBay and Kelkoo. Revenue Senior Editor Eric Reyes asked Cooper about affiliate marketing in Europe and the rise of globalization in an ever-shrinking business world.

ERIC REYES: Since the Sweden-based parent company seemed to launch its affiliate network almost simultaneously across Europe in 2000, was affiliate marketing considered a risky business back then?
WILLIAM COOPER: It was risky from the perspective that it was untried and untested across Europe; it was a concept that was almost completely unheard of. However, it had clearly gained some notable success in the U.S., and this gave us the confidence to succeed in Europe.

ER: Compare the opportunities and volume of affiliate marketing in the U.K. with its popularity in the U.S.
WC: I think it would be foolish of me to think that I knew enough about the market in the U.S. to make a direct comparison. However, with regard to the U.K. it is a very competitive market, and affiliate marketing is generally perceived as one of the most valuable digital marketing channels, and definitely the most cost efficient. It is held in high regard by the majority of e-commerce players.

ER: Do you run a network in Europe differently than you would in the U.S.?
WC: There are many more complexities to running an affiliate network in Europe compared to the U.S. In Europe we have to deal with different languages, cultures, tax regulations, currencies and constantly changing rates of Internet, e-commerce and broadband penetration. All this means that the need for local people in all the markets in which we operate is essential.

ER: Tell us a little about the growth of TradeDoubler UK. Have you been surprised by the interest in the affiliate space in the U.K.?
WC: No, we haven't been surprised. We believe that we have been part of the process of raising the level of awareness and the importance in this channel. We have positioned it as "premium" channel and not a mere commodity. Affiliate marketing, if performed correctly, can be a dominant driver of e-commerce for any advertiser, so it is right that it is so well-respected.

ER: As affiliate networks become more international, are you seeing competition from U.S. firms such as Commission Junction or LinkShare, and what are you doing to keep your lead?
WC: Commission Junction has always been present in the U.K. market since we have been here. They are a ver y good competitor and we hold them in high re - gard. At present we don't see the presence of Link- Share in our markets to any great degree but they are clearly a ver y knowledgeable and successful player outside of Europe, so it will be interesting to see how they tr y to gain market share in this already- competitive market.

ER: Is TradeDoubler planning to enter the U.S. market, and what would the challenges be?
WC: There are no plans at this stage.

ER: What are the regulatory and legal challenges of setting up networks in so many different European countries?
WC: There are numerous regulatory and legal challenges of setting up in all these markets. I will not make it easier for our competition by naming them!

ER: Would you consider TradeDoubler more publisher-focused than your U.S. counterparts? Why is that better?
WC: It is too difficult for us to sense that. I believe that we are more publisher-focused than most of our competitors and I believe that this is one reason for our success.

ER: Are there U.S. competitors entering your market that give you cause for concern, and why or why not?
WC: At the moment they do not give us concern, as it is a very competitive market. I just hope that players entering this market respect where we have tried to position the product since 2000. This is not just a technology play; there is much greater value that we can add as network operators to ensure an affiliate program fulfills its potential and reaches the expectations of the advertisers.

ER: What are the concerns of your U.K. merchants? Do they worry about the same things U.S. merchants fret about – trademark bidding, brand management, quality affiliates, etc.?
WC: I think they all worry about very similar types of issues. I would like to think that TradeDoubler is very proactive in trying to address these concerns, many of which can be easily managed.

ER: Are there plans to enter the Asian and Indian markets?
WC: There are no specific plans at this stage.

ER: Do your U.K. affiliates do business outside of Europe, such as with America or China? What percentage? Is it encouraged or are there stumbling blocks?
WC: Some of our U.K. affiliates work outside the U.K. and in our other European networks. We actively encourage it and there are some great revenue opportunities for them in these emerging markets. We help them address any legal issues that they might face, but in general it is an easy process for publishers wanting to work in multiple markets.

ER: Do you think specializing in certain vertical markets in the U.S. would benefit a European network?
WC: There are various ways to approach a mature market like the U.S., and becoming a vertical specialist is definitely one of them. However, the ultimate aim for any network should be to cover as many sectors as possible. This is driven by the fact that we all have interests covering many different sectors, and therefore a publisher that can deliver good results in consumer electronics can also deliver effectively across other sectors as well.

ER: Is there special technology TradeDoubler uses to track and monitor transactions and affiliates? Does technology play a role in serving geographically specific content?
WC: We developed our own proprietary technology back in 1999 and we constantly update and refine that technology. We have separate affiliate networks in all the 18 markets in which we operate; therefore, we don't need to rely only on technology to target a specific region.

ER: What qualities make up a really good publisher?
WC: A strong publisher in the affiliate world must have a well-defined target audience, i.e., one that is interested in a particular market sector such as travel or financial services. Continued on Page 2...

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