Vizeum chief to lead council during ‘significant’ 2008
In 2007 the Affiliate Marketing Council took big strides towards becoming a valuable industry body. The introduction of voting rights has given the AMC the platform to make decisions that will improve and profile the affiliate marketing industry as a whole. The appointment of Ben Woods as chair will help us realise our objective to put affiliate at the heart of digital marketing.
- David Hall, Communications director of Affiliate Window and former chair of the IAB Affiliate CouncilThe IAB Affiliate Council has voted Ben Wood, managing partner of Vizeum, as its chair for the coming year. As Council chair – a year-long position - Wood will oversee all meetings, act as an official representative and spokesperson for the group and play an integral part in its development in what has been described as a ‘significant’ year by Council members.
In 2008 the Council, which last met on 24 January, aims to establish robust best practice guidelines and standards for affiliate marketing in the UK, to reinforce its integrity as an effective online discipline. These guidelines will initially deliver a voluntary best practice framework for affiliate networks.
Following the launch of the Affiliate Marketing Handbook last year, further publications are planned as well as the possibility of dedicated events and market research. The Council also has a presence on the popular affiliates4u forum which facilitates discussion about the group, its aims and objectives, and also hosts minutes from each meeting.
The 17-strong IAB Affiliate Council features the UK’s leading affiliate networks as well as representation from a mix of publishers, agencies and merchants. The Council was first launched in 2006 in response to a need for greater representation within the industry and educational initiatives to effectively communicate the dynamics of affiliate marketing to UK merchants.
We are delighted to have Ben Wood on board, as both an authoritative and also impartial chair. He was up against some tough competition, but it is clear that he holds a genuine passion for the affiliate marketing and its inevitable growth. Wood is an excellent asset to the Council in such an important year, when we will make great steps to achieving best practice within the industry and further communicating its virtues to the merchant audience. - Dan Redfearn, Membership manager of the IAB and coordinator of the Affiliate CouncilWood succeeds David Hall, communications director of Affiliate Window, who was responsible for chairing the Council throughout 2007.
Before his role at Vizeum, Ben spent 4 years running the communications planning department at creative agency Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, before moving to Carat Digital as joint Managing Director in the Summer of 2005. Prior to this he also worked at digital media agency i-level.
Ben Wood, managing partner of Vizeum and Chair of the IAB Affiliate Council said: 'I'm really looking forward to chairing the IAB Affiliate Council at such an exciting time in the development of the industry. At a time when clients are increasingly demanding that their marketing investment demonstrates tangible return on investment, Affiliate Marketing is in a position to become a dominant digital channel.
“The council will play an incredibly important role across 2008 in helping the industry grow both in size and in stature and in pulling together industry-wide best practice recommendations to ensure that clients, networks and advertisers are all working to the same high standards and to the same rules of engagement. I can't wait to get started.”
