Is your offer really exclusive?

As our industry continues to evolve and change, we are seeing more exclusivity between advertisers and the networks that serve them. Exclusive is defined as something that is not divided or shared with others. However, it is important to note that while some networks operate under the auspice of exclusivity, the offer by which they stand is actually one that several other networks are running as well. Albeit with a few minor tweaks or variations, for all intents and purposes, the offer is still the same offer.

With that said, it is important to understand the various types of exclusive offers, because it will help you evaluate the authenticity of the exclusive claims. Doing your research will help you avoid the perception of an exclusive offer, when in reality, it may not be an EXCLUSIVE offer after all.

Here are the different types of exclusive offers you may run into:

White Labeling: White Labeling allows an advertiser to make slight variations to their product or service and then pass along these variances to several different networks/partners in the form of an “exclusive” offer. By changing the coloring, phrasing, and/or picture location on a landing page, a company can claim that they are giving you an exclusive offer, when in reality, you have an exclusive landing page, not the exclusivity of the campaign.

True Exclusives: A true exclusive offer differs from a White Label offer at its very core. The reason why, is that it gives only one network the exclusive rights to market/sell their respective product. No other variations or iterations of the product or service exists and the network offering the product or service has the right to call themselves the sole provider/marketer. The Network itself is allowed to make white labels of the offer, or re-brand them for their important partnerships, however all marketing flows through the network.

Traffic Exclusives: Another form of an exclusive offer is where a company has the exclusive rights to market an offer by a specific traffic type. In accordance, an advertiser might allow one network to be the sole email marketer of the offer and/or handle all of their SEO marketing, while still allowing other forms of distribution (via other traffic types) through various partners.

Agency of Record: The final agreement or arrangement worth noting is when a network becomes an advertiser’s Agency of Record. When this happens, the Network handles all of the online marketing for the advertiser’s entire line of products, not just one specific offer. The network becomes the advertiser’s marketing arm. All of the advertiser’s products must be marketed directly through their AOR partner. That being said, by running an offer through a network that is the advertiser’s AOR, means you are working directly with the Advertiser and thus running a true exclusive offer.

So in the future, when someone tells you they are giving you an exclusive offer, ask them a few questions to make sure. Are you the AOR for the advertiser? Is this a true exclusive or a white label? How many different types of exclusive offers are you running? Asking these types of questions will ensure that you know exactly what type of campaign you are marketing.