Thanks for commenting Julian.

I think large scale advertising campaigns will act more like affiliate offers in 2012, rewarding major publishers for actual user engagement. In this way, affiliate marketing will play a role in very mainstream advertising relationships.

However, Real-Time Bidding platforms and other improved ad serving technologies will support the long tail oriented affiliate base and provide advertisers better access to users that they might never touch otherwise.

I would say that pay per action was once what divided affiliates from main stream publishers. Now that technology is improving and attribution is growing stronger, advertisers are demanding it at every part of the curve.

What I would be interested in asking you Peter is what your thoughts and predictions are for where Affiliate Marketing sits, in 2012 in relation to a growing environment of new technology, like RTB platforms and the growth of Video. Will Affiliate Marketing become synonymous with the long-tail of the curve?

I’m not going to pretend to understand stocks well enough to predict the market in 2012, but I agree with you in that most marketers are needing to become “technical” marketers. The old agency world of smooth hand shakes and quick tag lines is already having serious trouble. Even the most casual advertiser can smell their ignorance.

On top of that, advertisers are beginning to expect proof of ROI which is something only a marketer that understands how to interpret data can provide.

Massive & sudden fiscal tightening will mean that a lot of marketing budgets will disappear & many marketing people made redundant. Those without additional streams of income will struggle to find suitable & adequately paid jobs. That is why the knowledge & uptake of new techniques & technology to boost sales will become literally the be all & end all in this industry. Those without that extra skill & knowledge will have a very tough time, not just now but well into the next decade.