ShareASale Performance Awards 2009

This marks the second year of the annual ShareASale Performance Awards. Congratulations to all the winners, we had so many great choices this year and it was a pleasure (yet a difficult task) to go through them all.

1. Exceptional Affiliate of 2009 – This award is presented to a single affiliate (which is hard because there are so many good ones) based upon the following criteria:
a) Creativity/Ingenuity
b) Value
c) Merchant Feedback and
d) Earnings/Earning Potential.

What that means is that you don’t necessarily have to be the biggest earner in the network to win this award. We look for Affiliates who continue to be the model for Affiliate Marketers everywhere by bringing creative solutions to the marketplace.

The ShareASale Performance Award for 2009 goes to Stylefeeder.

2. Exceptional Merchant of 2009 – While it is also difficult to pick out one from this category, we judged this based on the following criteria:

a) Affiliate Feedback
b) Creativity
c) Earnings/Commissions
d) Exclusivity/Consistency
e) Responsiveness.

Again, it isn’t necessarily just the biggest that are the best, but those Merchants who are the best to work with.

The ShareASale Performance Award for 2009 goes to Vann’s.

3. Exceptional Affiliate Manager 2009 – This is an individual award given to an Affiliate Manager who brought the most value to his/her Affiliate base. Affiliate Managers frequently have to take their Affiliate’s concerns up the ladder, and this award recognizes those that do it best. We judged this award on the following criteria:

a) Responsiveness
b) Willingness to listen
c) Creativity in Problem Solving
d) Affiliate Feedback
e) Results

The ShareASale Performance Award for 2009 goes to Jared Saunders of JensonUSA.
4. PowerRank Champion 2009 – This award is given to the 1 (one) Merchant who leads the “PowerRank” statistical category for the most cumulative days in an individual year. “PowerRank” is a ShareASale specific statistic encompassing things such as EPC, Volume, Reversal Rates, Conversion, Program Uptime, etc…

The ShareASale Performance Award for 2009 goes to Checks Unlimited (second year in a row!!!)

5. Emerging Technology 2009 – This award is given to the individual Affiliate or Merchant who displays above board, industry changing technological innovation. The Affiliate or Merchant does not necessarily need to be “new” to the industry, but their innovation must be new within the year of the award. The winner doesn’t need to be big or small, just innovative and inspiring.

The ShareASale Performance Award for 2009 goes to Spadout

6. Pay It Forward 2009 – This person doesn’t even have to be a ShareASale client. In summary we are going to recognize someone each year who is doing something positive and special within our internet marketing community. Something that makes our industry stronger, which in turn will help all of us thrive. The name is, of course, inspired by the movie of the same name which involved a boy doing remarkable things for his community, and asking those receiving help to then give it. On that note – while we will give this award annually, we will also be asking that the recipient of this award name an additional winner next year at this time – 2009. Of course, the choice will be theirs – but that is the spirit of the award.

Karen Garcia – Industry Adovocate Karen was a lead member of a very important group of people who fought for the industry in the #AdvertisingTax battle in California. Karen was tireless in organizing, recruiting, and scheduling in-person sit-downs with State Representatives. There were dozens of people who sacrificed their time and energy this year in this battle – and I’d like to take this moment to thank each and every one of them – and while it was difficult to name just one person, we felt that Karen’s contributions were critical to the success of this year. We need everyone to continue their efforts in 2010 as it promises to be an even more difficult year regarding the #AdvertisingTax. So – congratulations to Karen Garcia…. and thank you for your contribution to this industry that we all share.

As you may remember from last year, the spirit of the “Pay It Forward Award” is that winners from the previous years are then able to name additional winners … so we have 2 more to give out!

Scott Jangro – Industry Advocate (Paid Forward via 2008 Winner Missy Ward) Congratulations Scott!

“The reasons why I’ve selected Scott are because he’s been a vocal affiliate marketing advocate for many years, enriches the industry through his blogging efforts and participation in multiple advisory boards and has been outspoken when it comes to industry issues such as affiliate tax, software, etc. In addition, with the launch of Affbook.com this year, Scott continues to contribute to the advancement of the industry by providing tactical no-nonsense information on building sustainable online businesses utilizing affiliate marketing.

To sum it up, Scott gives his knowledge freely all in an effort to champion the affiliate marketing cause.”

Michael Coley – Education (Paid Forward via 2008 Winner Melanie Seery) Congratulations Michael!

“Michael Coley goes above and beyond in trying to educate merchants, affiliates and networks on ethical and fair practices. He takes the calm and quiet approach and is able to diffuse volatile situations without shutting down communication. Michael does not hesitate to speak out on controversial issues and express his opinions. Active in the affiliate marketing communities, Michael is always willing to share knowledge and advice to help other succeed.

Michael’s approach and dedication builds bridges in our industry and empowers others to succeed.”