Brogan! Howes! Shankman! Yea, It Was Affiliate Summit East

Earlier this week, Affiliate Summit East rocked the shizzle. OK, so that's a lame way of putting it but, well, this conference always turns out to be one of the most informative and fun. Particularly because it's peripheral to the world of "regular" advertising.

Affiliate marketing is a segment of marketing that doesn't get much mainstream advertising press. Why? Because it doesn't consist of sexy, :30 spots made by primadonna ad agencies which are concerned, mostly with winning awards. Affiliate marketers, on the other hand, care mainly about one thing; making money. (Yes, I have written this exact paragraph before)

Not that "regular" advertising isn't about making money but Affiliate Marketing leaves the flash behind and focuses entirely on the substance of things.

Here's another great definition: "Affiliate marketing widens the scope of your internet presence by encouraging other websites to become advocates for your services, increasing your online exposure and improving the efficiency of your advertising spend."

One of the more interesting aspects of Affiliate Summit is the Meet Market. On Saturday, the first day of the conference, simple tables are set up in a large room where merchants and affiliate networks can talk to publishers about the kinds of programs they have and what might work best. It's a bit different than your typical exhibit hall with fancy booths and glossy presentations. The Meet market is all about sitting down together and doing actual business.

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Remembering Paul Silverman

I got an email about Paul Silverman and figured the brief description in it along with a comment on Mullen's blog would sum it up better than I ever might:

"Just wanted to let you know that Paul Silverman, a founding partner and the original creative director at Mullen, passed away on Monday. He will be laid to rest tomorrow in Peabody, MA.

Not sure if you knew Paul or about him, but he was a legend in the ad business in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Won every award out there and did famous work for Timberland and BMW, among others. Also a genuinely nice and beloved man. His passion was writing and he was prolific in the short story format. His work is hosted on his site."

Other tributes can be found at Adweek and a Flickr page with a collection of Paul's advertising work.

...and this from Jim Mullen:

"Over my thirty wretchedly long years in advertising, Paul Silverman was the best I ever met. Ever."