Forum Moderators: phranque
One my web sites is a "widgets" web pages builder. You subscribe to the service, enter information into the database, select a template and let your friends know that your pages are up. Pages are created on-the-fly from the database. We don't sell other services, or offer forums on this site.
One of our marketing strategies is ads on print magazines specialising in "widgets".
One of the magazines we advertise on called us to say "sorry we can't print your ads this month". The reason? Because one of the sites we list in our links page has a links page that lists a site that offers a similar service to the on-line version of the magazine.
How crazy is that? It's not me, or my direct link, but the 3rd link that makes them think my site is not suitable for their pages!
Since we really have good revenue from print ads, we had to bend a little and remove these links. But how can we do without this?
Ultimately, though, it's a business decision for both of you.
(This reminds me of some shopping malls that wouldn't let merchants mention their web sites in any store advertising - they felt that it would subvert the revenue sharing the malls get when customers buy in-store. I think these policies are long-gone just about everywhere now.)
Doesn't that seem the least bit, say anti-competitive? Can they legally refuse to sell you an ad just because you link to their competition, or someone you link to links to their competition? I would consult a lawyer on this one!
Even if the law is not on your side, these people are morons. Will this twice-removed link harm them more than the cost of losing you as a customer?
Of course... lawyers are expensive, etc, etc... but such behaviour is most definitely outrageous. Do you have that in writing?
It's just that were talking to media people used to press, and they have no idea about web, really.
We don't know what the site looks like, of course. If freitasm's home page featured a giant subscription offer from a competitor, perhaps ad rejection would be justified. But I have some sites with sizable link directories that list, among other topics, publications relevant to the field; I wouldn't be happy if an industry publication refused my ad on the basis of a perfectly logical and appropriate link. To extend that logic even further and refuse my ad on the basis that one of my links goes to another site which links (logically) to a publication... that's weird. To me, it says "newbie".
Nevertheless, it still comes down to a business decision. Either get the publication to back down, tell 'em to get lost, or go for profits & delete the link.
... there was no implication that the offending links involved adult content, hate speech, etc. Rather, it seems that Widget News is rejecting freitasm's ad because somewhere in his links there's one that goes to a site, say, Widget Resources, which in turn links to The Widget Journal (competitor).
Correct.
Yep, the decision was to take down the links, publish the ad. When the site in question has enough traffic to survive by itself, then we say "get lost" to the print.
Shame I can't drive traffic from my site with bigger traffic. What this one serves in one month, the big one serves in half a day... But 100% different topics :(
