Drama Down at Pepperjam Junction

I came across a post on the pepperjamBlog where Pepperjam CEO Kris Jones posted a nearly 2,000 word rant about Commission Junction.

The post discusses some recent friction between Commission Junction and Pepperjam…

“There is no question that the launch of Pepperjam Network has created a lot of positive buzz within the affiliate marketing community. Thousands of affiliates and advertisers have contacted us and congratulated us on advancing the industry by offering an alternative affiliate network that addresses many or most of the shortcomings that have existed for years on the other major affiliate networks.

In fact, most networks have reached out to Pepperjam and want to work more closely and strategically with us, while others, such as Commission Junction, has decided to conclude that we are now competitors that pose serious potential harm to the Commission Junction business and decisive action must be taken against us.

Before I get into the facts of the recent vicious attacks calculated by Commission Junction against Pepperjam…

… Our clients told us that they were being aggressively contacted by Commission Junction employees and delivered an ultimatum – either stay with Commission Junction or terminate all agency business with Pepperjam.”

I touched base with Kerri Pollard, General Manager of Commission Junction, to hear her side of the story, and she commented…

“We’re really disappointed. We thought we had a great partnership with Pepperjam so for them to go down this path and force us to make a decision is extremely unfortunate. I really wish it didn’t have to happen this way.”

So, it seems we’ve got some dueling perspectives here. I’ll keep an eye out for any further developments.

In the meantime, there is an active discussion over at ReveNews about this issue.