PhonepayPlus published on 31st March, a discussion paper on affiliate marketing. To view this paper please click here.
Since June 2013, AIME has engaged with PhonepayPlus, to establish a fair, transparent and pragmatic treatment of the premium rate industry who are running compliant services but have had some issues – not of their making- with digital marketing.
Companies in the mobile premium rate services market have put in place and continue to evolve, methods to deal with the rapidly emerging issues that rogue publishers in the affiliate marketing value chain can cause. However, despite best efforts, the industry has found themselves to be increasingly at risk of regulatory intervention into their businesses, causing a collapse in confidence.
AIMEs engagement with PhonepayPlus has been misinterpreted to make it appear that AIME is supporting companies whose services are non compliant, which is not the case.
AIME has engaged with other UK regulatory bodies and Government bodies to establish like-for-like treatment of other industries and to ensure that AIME members are aware of the governments cyber crime initiatives.
AIME welcomes the PhonepayPlus discussion paper and welcomes that it mentions two AIME initiatives that came out of a the specialist Digital Marketing Working Group, formed to look at the issues.
The paper supports the proposed AIME (Digital Marketing) Code of Practice and the Early Warning System for submitting and distributing notifications of malware and misleading practices and implies that demonstration of involvement in these initiatives will help to show an advertisers controls over their digital marketing.
AIMEs engagement with the Home Office, BIS, the ASA and the Cabinet Office will improve Members knowledge on internet malpractices through cybercrime reporting and also provide a route for Action Fraud to be notified of PC and Mobile Handset malware that Members may identify.
AIME is committed to involving PhonepayPlus in AIMEs initiatives to help them achieve their published values of transparency and industry collaboration and our response to the discussion paper will give an opportunity for the voice of industry on this topic. AIMEs objective is to help Members and their customers operate with business surety and confidence in the UK digital market.
AIME is also active in encouraging all consumer contact points in regulators and Members to discuss virus and malware protection, leveraging off the back of the Cyber Street initiative (www.cyberstreetwise.com) led by the Home Office, BIS and Cabinet Office. A significant amount of home computers and smartphones do not carry active protection software, leaving consumers and their children at high risk of fraud and malpractices.
The AIME Digital Marketing Working Group will be meeting on the 14th April to discuss the Affiliate Marketing Discussion Paper. Members involved in delivering or using affiliate marketing that wish to be involved with AIMEs activity and discussions on this matter should contact info@aimm.co.”
