Chris Bishop's Online Marketing Blog

a4uawards nominations now open

2010-02-11T09:59:00.000Z

DRUM ROLL...........................

The nominations for the integral a4uawards are now open....

....when we all sit back and realise the industry that has built around us nothing really makes me consider the importance and contribution of the affiliate forum both for its guidance/assistance but also building the community – starting the relationships, nurturing the future – absolute kudos to Matt Wood and the team there for both the idea plus the huge efforts to continue its existence as the affiliate industry matures.

Anyways, I know maybe blogs posts will be flying up begging for votes or aiming to persuade – not my style. The awards and community awards are a fantastic opportunity to have your say in our industry – if it happened to be for 7thingsmedia or one of the team here; good times!

I've personally had the great gratitude of being shortlisted twice for "Affiliate Manager of the Year" and it is incredibly humbling to realise your efforts are being recognised by your peers.

Please vote – and vote wisely and see you at the awards!

Posh Spiel About a4uawards:
The a4uawards have grown to become the most glamorous night in the affiliate marketing calendar and provides unrivalled exposure and networking opportunities with the crème of the affiliate marketing industry.
The 4th Annual a4uAwards will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, Mayfair on the 9th June 2010.

The nomination stage of the a4uAwards is now open.

This is your chance to personally put forward those who you think deserve to win an award this year. Once nominations have closed, we will be opening the voting phase shortly after, allowing you to once again select a winner from the shortlist.

Nominate Now @ http://www.a4uawards.com/nominate/

Geeks.co.uk Relaunches for 2010

2010-02-11T09:37:00.000Z

Online gadget magazine geeks.co.uk has relaunched for 2010 hoping to continue last year’s success.
Stewarded by Editor-in-Chief and award winning writer and journalist Ally Millar, the site was recently named as one of the Top 30 Gadget Sites Taking the Internet by Storm.
The website is branching out to cover popular media such as music, film, DVD and comedy whilst staying true to gadgets and gaming.

The site has evolved into a community and lifestyle portal for people on the move who want their interests in one place.

The design is a bespoke concept drawn up by Stone Creative Design’s Eamonn Foy.
He said: “We created a contemporary and funky logo, something that will appeal to the target audience. The logo and site are bright, fresh and individual. We worked closely with geeks and produced a brand bible that acted as our brief and as away to access the work. Geeks now have a look and feel that is right for the audience.”

With marketing agency 7thingsmedia behind the redesign, Founder and Managing Director Chris Bishop believes the website is now ready for the 21st century.

“We needed to brand the site, show our personality and realise the site’s potential. I chose Stone Creative Design because of their branding expertise and skill in really pinning down the appeal and message of a business like geeks.”

“We needed a creative website with a distinctive look and voice to compete in a competitive market, and to realise our commercial value. The new-look geeks website is immediately appealing to our demographic: it’s urban, edgy, progressive and fun – it’s not stiff yet still has its swagger.”

Affiliate Management Casestudy - Q4 Sales Increase

2010-02-01T09:06:00.000Z

Young branded fashion multi-channel retailer, USC, has reported a huge turn around for its underperforming affiliate channel in 2009. The fashion vendor has seen an incredible 851% Q4 year on year increase in sales generated through its affiliate channel.

The company achieved this outstanding improvement by handing the management of its affiliate activity to 7thingsmedia in June 2009. The Farringdon based affiliate marketing agency implemented a full communications programme for the brand support by comprehensive account management. From an affiliate blog and weekly offers via RSS, to full trade PR and one to one meets with top affiliates; 7thingsmedia was able to connect the brand with a lucrative target audience.

Working closely with the brand, 7thingsmedia was able to maximize every opportunity for USC. Unlike traditional ‘one-to-many’ approaches, 7thingsmedia applied a holistic strategy. Taping in to the brands trading calendar, every USC activity was partnered by individual and often bespoke affiliate marketing plan. It was by drilling down into each different affiliate type that led to the dramatic turnaround in performance.

Chris Bishop, Founder & Managing Director of 7thingsmedia, explained, “many advertisers make the mistake of assuming that just having an affiliate programme will result in improvement in sales; this is not the case. We are exceptionally proud of our work with USC as it highlights that affiliate marketing must be intelligent marketing. We have been able to generate an 800% plus increase in sales by investing considerable resource into granular affiliate planning, recruitment and optimisation relevant to the brands activity. It is by matching the brand with the most pertinent affiliates that we have been able to deliver this success with a 10:1 return on investment, in the vital Q4 trading period”.

Lyndsay McGonigle, Head of eCommerce at USC said, ‘the management of the affiliate activities and sales achieved by 7thingsmedia has been astonishing. The improvement of this channel has highlighted the real potential this department has for our business. We are now fully aware of just how important our affiliates are and are excitedly looking forward to seeing how far this, already, highly profitable sales channel can grow even further in 2010.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Armed with passion, creativity and knowledge London based digital marketing agency, 7thingsmedia delivers tactical online marketing campaigns, with a core focus on outsourced affiliate marketing management and full service paid search.

Client List: Acne Jeans UK, C.P. Company, Crombie, Guthy Renker (UK), High and Mighty, Koodos.com, Leekes, Shoe-shop.com, Space NK Apothecary, Stone Island, Touchnote.com, UNICEF Shop, USC , Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

7thingsmedia – http://www.7thingsmedia.com/

For interviews with Chris Bishop or further information and comment please contact Leo Kellgren on 07545982319 or leo.kellgren@7thingsmedia.com

Retailers turn to 7thingsmedia to scale Christmas trade

2009-12-07T20:07:00.002Z

7thingsmedia the affiliate marketing & search agency, has been appointed by a number of retailers to manage their affiliate marketing programs prior to the key Christmas trading period.

Joining the likes of USC and Stone Island & C.P. Company; 7thingsmedia have signed a handful of established multi-channel brands including Space NK Apothecary, Guthy-Renker UK, High and Mighty and UNICEF Shop.

The retailers all selected 7thingsmedia because of the quality of their account management service, specialist retail sector knowledge and the high quality network of affiliates that they work with.

Nadine Sharara, International eCommerce Manager, Space NK said “Affiliate marketing is a key part of Space NK’s online growth objectives. We have brought onboard 7thingsmedia, as we wish to utilise their considerable experience in growing a luxury brand within a performance-based marketing channel with sizeable incremental growth. This will enable Space NK to fully capitalise on the opportunities this channel can offer.”

Tom Edwards, eCommerce Manager, High and Mighty said “High and Mighty is pleased to be working with 7thingsmedia. In a period of new media expansion we are delighted that 7thingsmedia are fully focused on nurturing profitable publisher relationships to ensure success continues for both ourselves and our affiliates.”

Chris Bishop, Founder & Managing Director of 7thingsmedia said “In the time since our launch in April 2009, we’ve used our vast expertise within the affiliate marketing sector to considerably scale retail programmes demonstrated by absolute month on month growth. We are therefore, delighted to add these key retailers to our growing client list, to instantly add value for the key Christmas period and more importantly drive long term channel and business profitability.”

Notes to Editor

About 7thingsmedia
Armed with passion, creativity, and knowledge London based digital marketing agency; 7thingsmedia deliver tactical online marketing campaigns, with a core focus on outsourced affiliate management and full service search.

Client List: Acne Jeans UK, C.P. Company, GardenBargains.com, Guthy Renker (UK), High and Mighty, Koodos.com, Leekes, Shoe-shop.com, Space NK Apothecary, Stone Island, UNICEF Shop, USC , Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

More information
Chris Bishop
7thingsmedia
Founder & Managing Director

http://www.7thingsmedia.com/
020 7440 8716

I'm attending A4U Expo London 2009

2009-10-04T21:42:00.003+01:00

Just a quick note to mention the team at 7thingsmedia will be visiting the annual affiliate marketing conference & exhibition, a4uexpo.

I've attended and spoken at the last two A4UExpo's and they are a great indication just how far affiliate marketing has come in the last few years - the agenda has just been released and it appears to be another succesful event.

Here are a few tips to make the most of the expo

- Get the relationship started. Don't worry at all about doing business, or even much about talking about what you do. Save the details about your business for follow up time, and focus now on finding out as much as you can about new friends so you can begin a solid relationship.

- Take business cards. Viewed possibly as too cliche or outdated in current business, but always ensure to pass on business cards, especially after a few drinks it becomes impossible to remember the details of everyone you met!

- Scheduled time for meetings. If you know fellow attendees to the event, be sure to schedule a meeteing time, whether for a break out coffee or event for a beer to wind down.

- Always follow up. The a4uexpo is just the beginning. If you've made a thoughtful first impression with the people you met then you've laid the groundwork for your future relationship. Within 24 hours, send an individual follow-up email to each person you met, letting them know you enjoyed meeting them.

I'll look forward to meeting you at the event.

Thanks, Chris

Dragons Den Dinner 2009

2009-09-23T20:07:00.002+01:00

Last week I was delighted to be invited to the Dragon’s Den Charity Ball which took place on 18th September 2009 at Prestonfield House Hotel, Edinburgh. BBC Dragon, Shaf Rasul, invites Stacey and myself along for what ended up a great weekend in Edinburgh.

We flew up on the Friday morning and stayed in the 5-star, Fraser Suites Edinburgh Hotel – a fantastic new hotel in the centre of the old town in Edinburgh. Part of the agenda of the trip was to meet up with Editor-in-Chief of geeks.co.uk, Ally Millar and we managed to sneak in a few hours prior to the event.

The event was a black tie event and Stace and I were suitably dressed up and were even snapped for No.1 Magazine in Scotland – apparently most popular glossy magazine. After a good few glasses of champagne at the event we were seated to a splendid three course meal with a few trips to the bar to network.

Then came a number of speeches from the hosts of the night and the online Dragons, Julie Meyer & Shaf Rasul – his speech is below.

After the dinner came the charity auction with a host of items available from a Pele signed Brazil shirt, Lewis Hamilton memorabilia, Madonna signed items etc – the rush of the auction (and the good cause) slightly got to me (nothing to do with the beer) and I was very close to winning a formula 1 driving day for £3,500, unluckily (or indeed fortunately) I was outbid in the end.

It was a fantastic invite which I was delighted to attend and mix with fellow entrepreneurs, the full team at geeks, a few old faces from Ambergreen Internet Marketing and Shaf.

Here are a few pictures from the event....

Geeks tie up with BBC's Dragon Den, Shaf Rasul

2009-09-01T21:06:00.001+01:00

Online magazine geeks.co.uk has appointed start-up digital agency 7thingsmedia to spearhead its new media strategy.

Geeks.co.uk - which was launched in July and has the backing of Scots BBC Dragon Shaf Rasul - covers news articles, features and reviews on the latest gadgets, phones, MP3s, computers and games consoles.

London-based 7thingsmedia has been brought on board to implement a branding and commercial strategy which will support the site in realising its ambition to become the most popular lifestyle gadget site in the UK.

Entrepreneur Rasul - who stars in an online version of the BBC's Dragons Den alongside American Julie Meyer - said: "The objective has been to create a fun consumer resource that allows every day gamers and gadget users to create fun debate on the gadgets and technology we use very day.

"The site benefits from an outstanding domain name and we have brought 7thingsmedia on board to head the strategic development of the magazine.

"They have extensive experience in brand development and online advertising which will add significant value to the site and support our objectives to become a popular lifestyle portal and the most successful of its kind in the UK."

7thingsmedia is a digital marketing agency focusing on outsourced affiliate management and full service paid search marketing. The tie-up with geeks.co.uk has allowed further expansion into publishing services.

Managing director and founder of 7thingsmedia, Chris Bishop, said: "We very much look forward to expanding our services into publishing and building the geeks.co.uk website.

"This link-up with geeks.co.uk represents a fantastic opportunity to create a consumer brand and to monetise through traditional online media and new innovative technologies."

Bishop has also joined geeks.co.uk as a non-executive commercial director.

He added: "I'm delighted to be joining Shaf and the wider Geeks.co.uk team. We are now driving hard to be in a position to offer advertisers a range of opportunities linked to our members' interests and passions."

7thingsmedia are recruiting!

2009-07-08T20:59:00.003+01:00

April (7thingsmedia birth) already seems a million miles away. As I create this post in early July we already have a strong handful of clients including multi-channel retailers, well known brands and new adopters to the online space. Last month I brought in a strong senior recruit bringing Femi Omoluabi from Zed Media as Director of Client Services and I'm delighted to say we are now looking to further strengthen the team with an Account Executive to join 7thingsmedia.

We're a very passionate start up digital agency and believe very highly in good, honest service. I feel, 7thingsmedia can provide an excellent opportunity for a bright individual who certainly isn't afraid of hard work and are looking for excellent career opportunities - with an aim to have some fun along the way.

We are looking for an individual to grow into coming a confident account executive to communicate with easy to clients our partners and naturally internally to the wider team. If you feel this suits you or you know someone who you'd think would be interested in working within the affiliate and search side of digital marketing please check out the link to the full job description below.

Here is a link to the full job description - http://www.7thingsmedia.com/about-us/careers/account-executive/

...and a nice trendy shot of the 7thingsmedia office.

If you are interested in the role, please submit your current CV and a covering letter to jobs@7thingsmedia.com.

NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES PLEASE and we can only take candidates who are eligible to work in the UK.

Newborn entrepreneur separation anxiety

2009-05-29T00:39:00.004+01:00

Those who follow my blog or know me will be aware in April I left the safety of being employed by a large company to going it alone and setting up my own online marketing agency, 7thingsmedia.

Well as I come to the fifth week of trading I am glad to say I am still here trading and armed with over double the passion and drive for the business as I had on day one. From a young age I’ve always felt a strong passion for business and demonstrated entrepreneurial flair – my earliest memories are either selling toast at primary school, trading with my toys, or my mafia esq car cleaning patch – it’s something that has always been with me.

Even in its early embryo stage (and blatantly honeymoon period) I feel such enlightenment from actually directly owning the business and being involved in all business matters – well, apart from now understand the cost of printer cartridges! Cliché as it sounds but I am learning every single day and delighted I’ve taken on the challenge to assist/make a difference to my clients online trading and grow myself as a young businessman & person.

I’m delighted to say the company has already managed to sign clients for both affiliate management and search and these are ranging from multi-channel premium fashion retailer; USC, new entrant into the UK market from France; Croquet & Golf, gardening specialist; Garden Bargains, personalised & celebrity jewellery from KendiJewlz.com and last but certainly not least US luxury chocolate retailer Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Each to whom I thank for their trust and business to which I will aim to exceed their expectations with service levels from the agency.

The biggest challenge I set myself was to move from a one man band operation to a recognised and respected independent agency and I am now setting the foundations to both employ individuals into the business and currently in the final sets of securing office space in Central London – I’m happy with the pace I’ve managed to come to this step and feel pace is a very importance word to uphold to.

Work-life balance is definitely a key factor and I’ve enjoyed the occasionally early night and weekend BBQ to relax however I do feel like a new mum that is unable to let her new born baby go and I must learn to relieve my laptop/iPhone separation anxiety.

Anyway enough of my late night ramblings (sorry for the sleepy typos!), I’ll aim to keep this blog up to date with the challenges and fun of running my own business and aim to keep as light hearted as possible – thanks to all whom have supported me so far with kind words and best wishes – apologies already if I now constantly bore you with my newborn company tales!

Clocking off at 00:49, but still lovin’ it!

Chris

New Affiliate & Search agency; 7thingsmedia

2009-04-27T13:41:00.002+01:00

As I posted earlier in April I've now left my position at House of Fraser and last week set up an affiliate and search marketing agency, 7thingsmedia.

Setting up a digital agency has always been on my agenda since I began in online media many moons ago - back in the early 2000’s I was an online publisher with a sports network but looking to move across into assisting advertisers and brands with their e-business adoption. From there I proudly became one of four people to graduate in the UK’s first BA (Hons) e-business degree.

Since then I have taken online acquisition roles at Johnson & Johnson, TradeDoubler, Hotel Chocolat and most recently House of Fraser to which I aim to use this wealth of digital experience to drive 7thingsmedia, to assist clients in the various aspects of eCommerce trading and build a very passionate online agency.

The core focus will be on outsourced affiliate management and assisting clients in their paid search campaigns whether on a traditional CPC model or a CPA method were 7thingsmedia pays the Google bill and we work on a commission basis.

Anyway, enough of the services information - please click for more information on 7thingsmedia.

Thanks, Chris

50% off Mid-Season SALE

2009-04-08T10:53:00.002+01:00

I am delighted to announce our up to 50% off Mid Season SALE will go live on the website tomorrow morning (preview & prices live today); this will be a fantastic consumer offer led promotion certain to get your visitors excited with up to 50% reductions across the majority of brands and hundreds of our products on website, plus our FREE standard delivery on orders above £50.

Fantastic reductions across all areas of the House of Fraser website including

Fashion
50% off Lingerie (inc. Elle Macpherson, CK & Wonderbra)
60% off Therapy
30% off a range of Max MaraRadley & DKNY handbags – 30% off
30% off Armani, Hugo Boss and Paul Smith

Home
Linea bed linen 50% off
Linea dinner wear 50% off

Even with the up to 50% Summer Reductions we are not lowering our commission levels, we are maintaining our standard 5% commission on all net sales with a 28 cookie period.

Quick Stats
Summer Reductions starts tomorrow and due to run until 23rd April .
Commission: 5% net salesAOV: Currently £92

Creative Theme

Supportive Copy
Up to 50% mid-season SALE now on at House of Fraser is now on. Enjoy up to 50% off* hundreds of brands and thousands of products ranging from designer clothing for men, women and children to home accessories. Don’t miss out on great savings. Plus receive free standard delivery when you spend £50 or more online.

- Go shop online at House of Fraser.

*Online price includes discount where applicable. Exclusions apply, see House of Fraser

Any questions please give me a shout.

Thanks, Chris

Leaving House of Fraser

2009-03-30T19:16:00.002+01:00

On April 17th I will be leaving my role as Online Acquisition Manager at House of Fraser to then seek a new role and challenge, I’ve left voluntarily and the company are close to finding a replacement.

I’m letting you know earlier to pass on all contacts to the team at House of Fraser but also to close off any unfinished business, issues etc before I leave - my work and personal details are below.

I fully believe in the product and aim for House of Fraser’s online store and have enjoyed my time setting up their online marketing from PPC, affiliates and then finally the SEO side. I’d like to thank those who have helped each channel become I success; from affiliates, agencies and service vendors and I know that they will continue to do so.

I’ve especially enjoyed the affiliate side of my role and continuing to work with the affiliates I knew during my time at Hotel Chocolat but also widening those whom I have come in contact to during my year at House of Fraser.

I’ll no doubt being updating my blog/twitter with further news in the coming weeks and also maybe a few drinks before I leave.

Thanks again and my details below.

Chris

Chris Bishop
Online Acquisition Manager
House of Fraser
Work Email: chrisbishop[at]hof.co.uk
Work Phone: 0207 003 4102

Personal Email & MSN: cpbishop[at]hotmail.com
Linkedin: LinkedIn: Chris Bishop

Further Tempting Offers at House of Fraser

2009-03-27T17:26:00.003Z

Happy Friday everyone please find below further tempting offers from House of Fraser which will be live tomorrow morning when Big Brand Event finishes early tomorrow morning.

Tempting Offers

No discount codes, no vouchers to print off – it’s quick, easy and convenient to make great savings with our fantastic offers… and far too tempting to resist. See below for our current promotions available online and in store today.

Not these are live from tomorrow morning :)

WOMENSWEAR

Linea lingerie - up to 30% off*
Untold - up to 30% off*
Ariella - up to 20% off*
Linea Weekend - £5 off selected lines
Episode - up to 30% off*

MENSWEAR

Howick lambswool knitwear - up to 20% off*
Howick denim - up to 20% off*
Linea knitwear - £20 off*
Kenneth Cole knitwear - £10 off*
Linea trousers - up to 25% off*
Linea T-shirts - buy one, get one 1/2 price
Linea stirpe merino knitwear - £10 off*
Criminal - up to 30% off*
Criminal - buy a T-shirt & get the 2nd half price
Dockers - up to 20% off*
Levi's - up to 20% off*
Men's formal wear - buy a suit jacket from New & Lingwood, Linea, Kenneth Cole, Simon Carter and get the trousers 1/2 price
CK, Diesel, DKNY, D&G and Armani underwear - up to 20% off*

HOMEWARE

Bed linen - up to 20% off*
Salter Scales - up to 50% off
Linea cushions - up to £20 off*
Linea vases - up to £10 off
Ghost bed linen - up to 20% off*
Kylie bed linen - up to 20% off*
Linea organic bath towels - up to 20% off*
Emile Henry - up to 40% off*
Art and Cook - 3 for 2*
Kenwood - £50 off K-Mix
Le Creuset - up to 20% off*
Denby - up to 20% off
Linea dining - up to 20% off*
Linea glassware - up to 20% off*

BEAUTY

Beauty - get a lipstick 1/2 price when you spend £50 or more on your favourite beauty brand
Benefit - free B Spot Fragrance when you spend £45 on Benefit**

FASHION ACCESSORIES

Radley - up to 20% off*
Badgley Mischka - up to 30% off*
Jaeger - up to 30% off*
Osprey - up to 30% off*
Episode - up to 20% off*
Linea - up to 20% off*

SERVICES
Free standard delivery when you spend over £50

Push, push, push

2 Day Brand Discount Details

2009-03-26T10:28:00.004Z

Further to the post about our 2 Day Brand Event - please find the link below which displays all the brands participating in our huge 2 day only brand event. The page lists those at 10% off, 20% off, 25% off, 30% off, & 40% off.

http://tinyurl.com/HoFSALEbrands

Here's the CJ affiliate deeplink to the page:
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-ENTER PID HERE-10661697?cm_mmc=CJ-_-2061295-_-2404670-_-HoF%202%20Day%20Brand%20Event

LS deeplink coming shortly!

Thanks, Chris

Ps. Don't forgot to follow the House of Fraser affiliate programme on twitter - http://twitter.com/HoFaffiliates

Up to 25% off - 2 Day Brand Event Thurs 26th & Fri 27th

2009-03-25T11:26:00.003Z

House of Fraser will be holding a their long awaited and now big annual Spring Big Brand Event, which allows customers to receive up to 25% discount off thousands of items and 10% off selected beauty, fragrance and electrical items; this is a fantastic promotion that will be starting on site Midnight Wednesday!

Our March 2 Day Brand Event is always a huge event in the trading calendar at House of Fraser and will be fully supported offline with national and regional ads, press & radio and of course, throughout our 62 department stores.

Don't forget our spend £50 or more online and receive free standard delivery promotion which is still running alongside this offer.

This is only live for 2 days –Thursday 26th and Friday 27th - (Due to our website it actually starts Midnight Wednesday - so feel free to push from them!)

Offline promotion
This is being heavily promoted in all our premium 62 department stores, extensive newspaper adverts and PR.

Top Line Offers
Womenswear – up to 20%
Fashion Accessories – up to 20%
Menswear – up to 25%
Childrenswear – up to 20%
Home - up to 25%
Beauty – up to 10%
Electrical – up to 10%
Gifts – up to 20%

Brand Highlights (hundreds more onsite):
Ralph Lauren – 20% off
Linea – up to 25% off
Estée Lauder – 10% off
Radley – 10% off
DKNY – up to 20% off
Calvin Klein – up to 20% off

Commission
Even with the spectacular savings we are maintaining our 5% default commission level – the highest public baseline commission amongst department stores!

Stats
Our average order value for online marketing last week was £91

Event Expiry
Do note this promotion will end midnight on Friday 27th March, please ensure you remove this copy and revert the banners to the generic offering.

Creative / Email / Printable PDF
Full creative can be picked up when you log into the CJ/LinkShare interface - concise and sharp up to 25% off call to action! Plus we have a HTML email for you to broadcast (prior approval) and a PDF version to include on offline offers pages - any questions please ask the network staff.

Supportive Copy
Please add some supportive copy to your House of Fraser banner/text links

Version 1
Shopping can be even more exciting with up to 25% off thousands of items in store and online, this Thursday and Friday only. Enjoy up to 25% off* hundreds of brands and thousands of products ranging from designer clothing for men, women and children to home accessories. Don’t miss out on great savings, ends on Friday 27th March.

Plus receive free standard delivery when you spend £50 or more online. - Go shop online at House of Fraser.

*Online price includes discount where applicable. Exclusions apply, see House of Fraser Online

Version 2
The 2 Day Brand Event at House of Fraser is now on. Enjoy up to 25% off* designer clothing for men, women and children. From homeware essentials to travel and gift accessories, it’s the perfect excuse to treat yourself.

Plus, spend £50 or more online and receive free standard delivery. Don’t miss out - ends on Friday 27th March.- Go shop online at House of Fraser.

*Online price includes discount where applicable. Exclusions apply, see House of Fraser Online

Promote the new England Kit & win tickets for the match with House of Fraser

2009-03-18T16:29:00.002Z

I’m proud to announce House of Fraser have been selected as an official partner of Umbro and theFA to sell the new 2009/11 England kit – which you can pre-order now on the website

Win Tickets to watch ENGLAND!
The New England kit will be revealed on 28th March at 5.15pm when England face Slovakia at Wembley and to celebrate House of Fraser being an official partner I have 5 tickets to give away for the England vs Slovakia game to affiliates who help us promote the kit launch.

What do you need to do to win?
Advertise the ‘pre-order England kit’ in association with House of Fraser; this can include
- adding one of our banners to your website
- sending a co-branded email to your database (ask the team for the email)
- including a text link promotion to buy the kit and receive free delivery (due to our free delivery on orders over £50) – this is ideal for special offer websites.
- any over cunning merchandising techniques – email them in!

How to enter
Email affiliates@hof.co.uk with the following:
• An active deeplink link or copy of email broadcast promoting the England kit launch sold via House of Fraser
• Full name and address
• Affiliate ID (either CJ or LS)
• Confirmation you are available to attend Wembley, London on Saturday 28th March 2009
• Acceptance of the T&C’s

The New England 09/11 Kit
The new England kit will be officially revealed just prior to kick off on 28th March. The kit is currently under severe confidentiality and until then nobody will know the design of the kit. Pre-order Information The kit is currently available online to pre order. All pre orders taken will be dispatched to the customer from the launch date (1st April), we are also expecting limited edition casualwear versions of the England kit too (more to follow). Once the kit has been revealed new creative will be provided and we will dynamically switch over the creative and keep the kit on the same deeplink – so no need for you to change the creative/links!

Example Creative Available
Full creative available on CJ and LS.

Terms & Conditions
• An entry into the competition constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.
• The competition is open to all UK based affiliates over the age of 18.
• One entry per affiliate, company or household.
• The judging will be independently supervised and the judge’s decision is final.
• Competition closes 11.59pm on 26th March 2009 .
• The prize consists of one official England vs. Slovakia match ticket. Travel to and from Wembley and any additional expenses are not included.
• The winner will be notified on the 26th March 2009 by e-mail.
• House of Fraser reserves the right to reclaim the prize awarded if affiliates are found to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of this promotion, as determined by House of Fraser. In such instances, House of Fraser will terminate the affiliates’ eligibility to participate in the promotion. House of Fraser reserves the right to cancel, reclaim or refuse this promotion at its own discretion.
• House of Fraser cannot accept responsibility for illegible, incomplete, delayed or lost entries.
• Employees of House of Fraser (Stores) Ltd, their families, agencies, or anyone connected with the competition are not eligible to enter. The name and county of the winner will be made available upon written request to the following address: England Tickets Competition, Chris Bishop , eCommerce, House of Fraser, 27 Baker Street, London W1U 8AH.
• Promoter: House of Fraser (Stores) Ltd, registered office: Granite House, 31 Stockwell Street, Glasgow G1 4RZ Company Number: 10677 Registered in Scotland.

Any questions or comments please feel free to ask.

Thanks Chris

£5 off designer fragrances

2009-03-12T08:48:00.003Z

Launching exclusively online today and to be followed then with a multi-channel support from Monday (16th), House of Fraser are running a £5 off fragrances on 50ml or above.

We've been able to push this online as a "sneak preview" before all our 62 department stores join in with the promotion on Monday. The offer will expire on Sunday 22nd.

This includes all the premium designer mens and womens fragrances on the House of Fraser website including Prada, D&G, Gucci, Chloe & Emporio Armani.

Here are the deeplinks to both men's and women's.

£5 off men's fragrance -
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Men+s+Fragrances/1006,default,sc.html?q=Beauty_offer

£5 off women's fragrance -
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Women+s+Fragrances/1007,default,sc.html?q=Beauty_offer

Supportive Copy
Go on... treat yourself - £5 off your favourite fragrances

Delicate and decadent... Rugged and refined... For the perfect gift, choose distinctive scents from top beauty brands from House of Fraser and enjoy £5 off fragrances on 50ml or above plus spend £50 or more and receive FREE standard delivery.

Any questions let me know and I'll off to buy a Hugo Boss smelly - The union between man and the unstoppable power of water. The pure energy that emerges from this partnership. Contains water accord, fig and muguet, massoia wood - Just in time for a weekend back home!

Up to £25 off handbags & shoes!

2009-03-10T09:59:00.003Z

This week only in womenswear - promote up to £25 off this seasons handbags and shoes. Must end Sunday 15th March.

Promote brands including DKNY, Radley, Fiorelli, Nine West, Bertie, Pied a Terre and Coccinelle.
Deeplinks

Save up to £25 off Shoes at House of Fraser
Supportive Copy: Step into the world of designer shoes and casual footwearfrom your favourite brands. Dare to wear patent stilettos or treat yourselfto gorgeous boots. Make sure you have a matching pair for every outfit.
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Shoes/080,default,sc.html?q=temptingoffers

Save up to £25 off Handbags at House of Fraser
Supportive Copy: Necessity or addiction? Don't answer that – you’re just wasting time, when you could be looking at our stunning range of handbags... Go!
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Handbags/090,default,sc.html?q=temptingoffers

Affiliates competition winners to be emailed...

2009-03-09T13:25:00.003Z

Just a quick note to thank everyone for the "Tempting Offers" push at the end of the week; we saw a positive increase. Ten lucky affiliates who drove more than 5 sales have been picked at random and have won £100 gift vouchers at House of Fraser as part of the affiliate competition we ran last week.

Congratulations to the lucky winners and for those who didn't win this time not to worry - plenty more affiliate incentives to come!

Thanks again to everyone for their support and please watch out for further promotions at House of Fraser (a few are listed below)

Accessories Promotion – running from today 9th to 15th March
Offer: Up to £25 off new season handbags and shoes

Beauty Promotion – running from 16th – 22nd March
Offer: £5 off selected fragrances 50ml and over

Thanks, Chris

Affiliate Voucher Competition during up to 25% off Tempting Offers campaign

2009-03-05T11:50:00.003Z

House of Fraser, the UK’s number one premium department store has launched a limited time offer across online and in-store. Running until midnight of Saturday they are offering up to 25% off 1000’s of products as well as exciting full price Spring/Summer newness from Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Armani Jeans & DKNY.

To celebrate the launch of “Tempting Offers” at House of Fraser are giving the chance for all affiliates to win £100 gift vouchers to redeem online or in one of their premium stores. 10 gift vouchers are available to be won and to enter affiliates simply need to generate 5 or more sales until Saturday night. Standard 5% net commission on all valid sales during this period.

House of Fraser Gift Voucher Competition
Generate 5 sales or more to be entered into winner £100 Gift Vouchers for House of Fraser. This competition will be running from today Thursday 5th March to Saturday 7th March and with ten vouchers to give away!

Top line offers
- Calvin Klein Men’s Underwear - buy one get second half price on selected items
- Up to 10% off fragrance & make up (including Estee Lauder, Prada, Marc Jacobs etc)
- Warehouse - up to 20% off
- Radley - up to 20% off Handbags & Purses
- Oasis - up to 20% off
- Gordon Ramsay - 3 for 2 on Gordon Ramsay pans
- Le Creuset - up to 25% off

- Plus free standard delivery when you spend over £50

View all offers
To view all offers currently available at House of Fraser please click here.

HTML Email
We have a HTML email ready to send to your customer base please ask one of the networks for more details.

Tracking Update
As you were probably aware, there have been some tracking downtime from Wednesday 18th February to Friday 27th February. We’re pleased to say that these have now been resolved and the program has been fully tracking again since last Friday. Publishers who have sent traffic during the period of down tracking to House of Fraser will be bonused, based on their previous conversion rates.

If you removed any links while the tracking was down , please put them back up on your website.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience, if you have any questions about the program please contact one of the team at either Commission Junction or LinkShare.

Thanks, Chris

4 for 3 on Linea Homeware offer

2009-03-02T11:10:00.002Z

Morning all

Please find below information on this week's tempting offer from House of Fraser - who needs voucher codes when we have fantastic consumer offers directly on the website - please feel free to add to your consumer offer websites.

Buy 4 items for the price of 3 when you purchase from the following Linea Homeware categories:
Linea Bathroom
Linea Bedroom
Linea Kitchen
Linea/House of Fraser Lighting
Linea Living room
Linea Luggage
Linea Tableware & Dining

To receive this offer, all purchases must be made from the same category within the Linea range.

Offer terms and conditions
- Offer valid from Thursday 26th February exclusively online and from Monday 2nd March in store and online until Sunday 8th March 2009 (inclusive).
- All four items must be full price and purchased from the same category within the range mentioned above.
- The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
- Subject to availability, while stocks last.
- Discount applied to lowest priced item.

Thanks, Chris

Men’s wardrobe essentials offer

2009-02-23T10:39:00.002Z

Please find below House of Fraser's this week only Menswear offer. Buy one get one half price on men’s wardrobe essentials.

To receive this offer, both purchases must be made from one of the following menswear brands:

* Levis
* Linea Casual
* Linea Formal
* Kenneth Cole
* Criminal
* New and Lingwood
* Duck & Cover

Please either deeplink to the specfic brands as above or link directly to the following URL which will display all the products available for Buy one get one half price on men’s wardrobe essentials at House of Fraser

Offer terms and Conditions
* Offer valid from Monday 23rd February to Sunday 1st March 2009 online and in store.
* The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
* Subject to availability, while stocks last.
* Offer applies to a selected brands only.
* Discount applied to lowest priced item

Any questions or comments please let me know.

Thanks, Chris

House of Fraser are moving warehouse

2009-02-18T17:39:00.002Z

We are currently moving warehouse so we will have space for even more new styles and brands. Hundreds of new items will be online at the beginning of March.

As we have said, it’s business as usual, despite what you may have heard in the press. In fact, we are upsizing so we can offer our customers even more and therefore scale the affiliate marketing programme.

Please find the notice below which we are currently stated from our homepage - any questions or comments please let me know on 027 003 4102.

Thanks, Chris

We are moving warehouse

We need more space…

…a very large space to hold lots of additional new styles and brands for you to choose from.

Get it online faster…

…our stocks will be held in the main House of Fraser warehouse in Milton Keynes, as soon as we get it - you can buy it.

In the meantime…

…deliveries will not be affected whilst our current range is being sent up the M1 and unpacked onto our shiny new shelves. Sorry to disappoint you if you can’t find what you’re looking for today. But, don’t forget to snap up something if you see it as it may not be around for long.

Come back…

… from the beginning of March to see hundreds of new items online or sign up for emails to be the first to know when they arrive.

The future…

…we have only really just started out with 500 brands now online and we are planning to at least double that to match our stores! Keep checking back as we are launching new brands every month or sign up for emails to be the first to hear about the latest launches and exclusive online events.

FREE Delivery offer on Lauren by Ralph Lauren

2009-02-16T09:48:00.003Z

Receive free Next Day or Named Day delivery when you spend £150 or more on Lauren by Ralph Lauren.

Exclusively available at House of Fraser, the new womenswear collection – Lauren by Ralph Lauren will leave you looking sophisticated, stylish and chic. To celebrate the launch of the new design collection, we’re offering you FREE Next Day or Named Day delivery when you spend £150 or more online. Don’t miss out, this is an exclusive online offer available until Friday 20th February 2009.

LinkShare Deeplink - http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/MidWeekOffers/M114_MIDWEEKOFFER_WK10022009,default,pg.html&cm_mmc=Affiliate-_-LS-_-Editorial-_-IBC

CJ Deeplink - http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/MidWeekOffers/M114_MIDWEEKOFFER_WK10022009,default,pg.html&cm_mmc=Affiliate-_-LS-_-Editorial-_-IBC

Offer Live: Now
Expires: Friday 20th February 2009

How to take advantage of this offer
Simply spend £150 or more on Lauren by Ralph Lauren on the House of Fraser website between Thursday 12th February 2009 and Friday 20th February 2009 and enter your promotional code EXCLUSIVE within the shopping basket page. The code is case sensitive and should be entered exactly as shown. Then select either Next Day or Named Day delivery at checkout, along with your preferred delivery date. Please note the voucher code will only be applied towards the end of the basket process.

Any questions or comments please give me a shout.

Chris

Should brands engage in Twitter?

2009-02-16T01:50:00.007Z

Social media and brand engagement strategies are being tested to the maximum in the beginning of 2009 with the high emergence of the micro-blogging website Twitter.com. The website enables real time connection between individuals, organisations and even Meerkats!

Web 2 and engagement has always been a hot topic and tough decision for brands across the world and it is only going to be further strained in the coming months as savvy players are identifying twitter as a resource for customer services and also driving considerable amount of traffic.

Twitter like other social media websites such as Facebook groups allow brands to display their identity to their loyal customer base – it allows full engagement from one to many and more increasingly one to one conversations to the extent that I’ve heard various Social Media consultants claim Twitter to be the new customer services or company phone as it has become such an extremely dynamic form of communication.

I’d thought I would take a look at some brands that I respect and see their engagement.

ASOS.com – http://twitter.com/ASOS
The successful pure play fashion retailer ASOS.com has set up an official twitter account with close to 500 people following. Judging on the current updates it appears this has had a high degree of uptake within their organisation as many of their employees are now listed and starting conversations.

Starbucks – http://twitter.com/Starbucks
Quoted by many following the emergence of brands appear to be using Twitter as a notice board to update their customer of various deals and offers. Starbucks currently have close to 50,000 followers and have tweeted close to 1,000 times.

e-Consultancy.com Experience
The guys and girls last week launched a fantastic little experiment based on the recently over-crazed twitter.

The team reference that the micro-blogging service is the fourth largest referrer of traffic to its website and as a result are now investigating areas to further embrace twitter with the newly redesigned e-consultancy.com. Well last week they pinged an email and launched twitter on their homepage with results promised this week.

What's certainly apparant was the amount of spammers instantly adding "econsultancy" to their tweets in aid to "build their own brand" - two I am sure you can spot below (haha) as it was a twitter conflab between a close friend Femi Omoluabi (Head of Search at Zed Media) and myself.

My Outcome
My personal take on this is that smart brands are the ones that are in the trenches; watching and listening to what the general public say about them. The world is now totally digital and those who choose to ignore it will be left behind and unaware of what the public perception is about them but whilst the evidence is there to suggest great positives on twitter, still there have been many factors which defines non-effective use of such websites, especially when resource and accountability are key!

Ultimately though brands cannot purely take this as a means of acquisition and should full plan, strategize and understand they need to provide value added content not just about their new products or services but also their given vertical, location, department or even competitors! Brands which allow their employees should ensure they have a document in place with ensure they do not write content they don’t want either their boss or mum to see! But it wouldn't suprise me if today's Email Marketing Managers are tomorrows Company Twitterers!

Follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/cpbishop