Free Apple Ipod! Special Offer Direct from SFGate.com
David Lazarus of the SF Chronicle writes today about the lead generation dilemma – the selling of personal information to a variety of marketers through "Special Offers" online, as he traces the workings of "I Want My Free Laptop." Or wait, was that "Free Apple Ipod"? We’re amused by the Google Ads ironically placed below his article. It just doesn’t get any better than that…
But save for complete AdWords control by publishers, what can, or is, being done?
From Internet Outsider: RBC Capital analyst Jordan Rohan’s report concerning accusations against ValueClick’s WebClients: There are ongoing investigations into companies in the incentivized lead generation space by legislative/regulatory groups, including the FTC, state Attorneys General, and the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection… the legislative/ regulatory efforts may narrow the definition of what is acceptable, making the highly-incentivized tactics unsustainable longer-term.
But since when does the FTC come sweeping to everyone’s rescue? And is it too much to ask for company’s to self-regulate using basic guidelines, as outlined here on ClickZ?
If you’re lost and have no idea what I’m talking about, let the Managing Director of Clearstone Venture Partners clear things up for you: see Jim Armstrong’s guest post on "The Future of Lead Gen."
He highlights the same problem as Lazarus, which is the existence of hundreds of small, highly profitable garage shop businesses that make up the majority of the lead gen market and is causing a "rapid overheating" – not to mention a lack of regulation. But he makes an interesting point that Lazarus does not address:
The rapid developments in this market have created great new
opportunities. As for instance commercial keyword price increases takes
lead generation out of the hands of the amateur arbitrage players, it
has driven marketing budgets seeking qualified customers to reach out
to professional, scale providers with entirely new, more sophisticated
processes.
There’s a niche that is waiting to be filled, someone that can be a highly-valued customer
advocate but also maintain a level of "quality,
professionalism, reporting and scale" that will fit larger marketing budgets.
Who will it be?
