iblaine - 11:10 pm on Jun 21, 2006 (gmt 0)

LinkShare & CJ will not be 'doomed' by Google in the slightest. CJ & LS have recognized brand names. Merchants must pay activation fees. Merchants have a vested intrest in remaining with their current network. In LinkShares case merchants are contractually obligated to stay.

CPA networks realized years ago their technology was not a competitive advantage. So they turned into marketing machines that now have loyal clients. All merchants have representatives to help build their program. Simply building a slightly better mousetrap is not going to win over their business.

Now if Google were to take their CPA merchants and arbitrage their offers against Google's clicks then that would be an interesting business, much like Fastlicks, that could make a ton of money for Google.