Directv Referral Test - My PPC Campaign Exposed

You must be crazy, time warner is awesome for me. They have 24 hr customer support so I don't understand how that sucks. Your tv never goes out, HD channels are awesome, and only $130 for your cable, phone and high speed internet. I dont get how you had such a bad experience, maybe your just looking too save some money, who knows.
 


Alright, for those who are wondering, the domain I registered for this is Directv $100.00 Bonus . My ads are currently running but are waiting to still be reviewed by Google.

They did throw a flag because I'm using directv in my advertisement. I don't think this is going to be a problem since I am not claiming to be them. If I read the law correctly, you can use a company name in your ad copy to do things like "see why x is better than y". I am using their name in a way that should not be infringing.

I only created one ad last night cause I was tired as hell and wanted to just throw something out there. Thanks for the above helpful tips that I will probably end up doing. This should not be a breach in the DirectV terms since I am not actually part of their affiliate program.

This is their referral program the the guidelines can be found here

REFERRAL OFFER

Limit 10 referrals per 12 consecutive month period. Offer ends 7/14/10. You must provide new DIRECTV customers with your DIRECTV account number. Referred customers must sign up for service & hardware using the phone number pxrovided (1-866-443-8869) and mention your DIRECTV account number at the time of order. They must order their leased system by 7/14/10 & activate the CHOICE package ($58.99/mo.) or above; OPTIMO MÁS ($47.99/mo.) or above; Jadeworld®; or any qualifying international service bundle, which shall include the PREFERRED CHOICE programming package ($38.99/mo.), within 30 days with required programming commitment at time of activation. You & your referred customer will each receive 10 nonrefundable/non-transferable credits of $10 each over 10 DIRECTV billing cycles, totaling $100. Allow 2 to 4 weeks after activation for credits to post to accounts. Determination of program eligibility and qualifying referrals, as well as any exceptions, are at the sole discretion of DIRECTV. DIRECTV reserves the right to verify and adjust credits at any time prior to or following posting and redemption. May not be combined with other DIRECTV referral programs. Any balance will carry forward on your DIRECTV bill until credit is exhausted. Offer not transferable or redeemable for cash. Account must be active and in good standing, as determined by DIRECTV in its sole discretion, to receive credits. Commercial accounts/customers not eligible. DIRECTV reserves the sole right to modify, suspend, or cancel this referral program at any time without notice. Visit directv.com/refer for more information. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Pricing residential. Taxes not included. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to DIRECTV Customer Agreement; copy provided at directv.com/legal and in fi rst bill. ©2010 DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are property of their respective owners.
NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Offers end 7/14/10 and are based on approved credit; credit card required (except MA & PA). $29 savings reflects a $29 bill credit per month for 12 months after online or mail-in rebate, plus an additional $5 bill credit for 12 months when customer submits rebate online, registers account on directv.com, and consents to email alerts. Online redemption requires valid email address. New customers only. (Lease required. Must maintain programming, DVR service and/or HD Access.) HD or DVR equipment instant rebate for qualified customers only and requires activation of the CHOICE package or above, or OPTIMO MÁS or above. Second advanced product offer for qualified customers only who select an HD DVR or HD Receiver as the first free equipment upgrade, and requires activation of the CHOICE XTRA package or above; MÁS ÚLTRA or above; Jadeworld; or any qualifying international service bundle, which shall include the PREFERRED CHOICE programming package (valued at $38.99/mo.). DVR service ($7/mo.) required for DVR and HD DVR lease. HD Access fee ($10/mo.) required for HD and HD DVR lease. LIMIT TWO ADVANCED EQUIPMENT REBATE PER DIRECTV ACCOUNT. Lease fee $5/mo. for 2nd and each additional receiver.
Click to expand...

I could not find anywhere in their guidelines which prohibit the use of using a PPC to harvest referrals. I made sure of this before I started this campaign.

I have looked at their affiliate program before and ruled that out since it does not allow PPC traffic. If somebody can find something that states Directv does not allow PPC traffic for their referral program, I'm all ears.

I just created another ad. I will try the above keywords to throw a couple more ads in the mix. I am trying to find out how I can track a "conversion". I will probably end up calling DirecTV and ask them how I can track if somebody has signed up with my #.

I don't want to have to wait until each statement date before I find out if I got a referral. I logged in their website and looked around but could not find anything.

I will do a little more digging and let you all know what I come up with. I was hoping to hit my referral quota within a week. In the guidelines it says the program ends in July. I'm sure if this is a success for them they will keep adjusting the ending date.

Ok, now back to the campaign. Here are my stats for the day.

ads902.jpg


My QS on the keywords I've selected is holding steady at 7. Since I've got some time tonight, I will be adding a couple more keywords and a few more ads.
 
Making Money said:
You must be crazy, time warner is awesome for me. They have 24 hr customer support so I don't understand how that sucks. Your tv never goes out, HD channels are awesome, and only $130 for your cable, phone and high speed internet. I dont get how you had such a bad experience, maybe your just looking too save some money, who knows.
Click to expand...

Methinks that someone needs to actually read the entire thread to derive meaning before posting, no?

Good idea, AllBizNiz. Great way to get newbies involved in PPC and such, plus maybe get you ten free months on your bill.
 
zzzz they are running in search and google has yet to review. google will review in the next 3 days and your campaign will most likely be done and adwords account flagged forever.
 
g33ks said:
zzzz they are running in search and google has yet to review. google will review in the next 3 days and your campaign will most likely be done and adwords account flagged forever.
Click to expand...

What is Google's U.S. trademark policy?Print
As a provider of space for advertisements, please note that Google is not in a position to arbitrate trademark disputes between the advertisers and trademark owners. As stated in our Terms and Conditions, the advertisers themselves are responsible for the keywords and ad content that they choose to use. Accordingly, we encourage trademark owners to resolve their disputes directly with the advertisers, particularly because the advertisers may have similar advertisements on other sites.

As a courtesy to trademark owners, however, we are willing to perform a limited investigation of reasonable complaints about use of trademarks in ads. In the US, our policy permits use of the trademark in the ad text in the following circumstances:
Ads which use the term in a descriptive or generic way, and not in reference to the trademark owner or the goods or services corresponding to the trademark term.

Ads which use the trademark in a nominative manner to refer to the trademark or its owner, specifically:

Resale of the trademarked goods or services: The advertiser's site must sell (or clearly facilitate the sale of) the goods or services corresponding to a trademark term. The landing page of the ad must clearly demonstrate that a user is able to purchase the goods or services corresponding to a trademark from the advertiser.

OR

Sale of components, replacement parts or compatible products corresponding to a trademark: The advertiser's site must sell (or clearly facilitate the sale of) the components, replacement parts or compatible products relating to the goods or services of the trademark. The advertiser's landing page must clearly demonstrate that a user is able to purchase the components, parts or compatible products corresponding to the trademark term from the advertiser.

OR

Informational sites: The primary purpose of the advertiser’s site must be to provide non-competitive and informative details about the goods or services corresponding to the trademark term. Additionally, the advertiser may not sell or facilitate the sale of the goods or services of a competitor of the trademark owner.
In either case, the primary purpose of the advertiser's site must be to provide non-competitive and informative details about the goods or services corresponding to the trademark term. Additionally, the advertiser may not sell or facilitate the sale of the goods or services of a competitor of the trademark owner.
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I don't think Google should have a problem with the way I'm using their Trademark. Who knows, maybe I'm not interpreting these correctly?
 
It's not about the trademark, its about the keywords
Sat tv etc
As I said earlier, I hope you're not running this alongside with your other shit, cause you might end up losing the account.
 
An email I got from AW a few months back. The last sentence is my favorite :)

-----------------------
Final Warning

It has come to our attention that despite multiple disapprovals, you have
repeatedly submitted ads that violate our Hacking policy.

Please consider this notice as a final warning. If you submit these ads
again or continue to run ads that violate our policies, we will be unable
to run any of your AdWords ads in the future, and all of your Google
AdWords accounts will be permanently suspended.

We highly value the quality of our program. In order to create an
environment where our users can trust our advertisers and continue to
receive quality advertising, we ask that you cease submitting ads that
violate our guidelines.

For your account to remain active in the future, please make the following
changes to your ad text, site content, and/or keywords:

Please cease promoting satellite/TV to PC services and/or software that
streams channels via PCs or other means. This includes products that
descramble cable and satellite signals in order to get free cable
services. Please do not submit ads or websites in violation of this policy
in the future.

Additionally, please do not open any new AdWords accounts. If you do, your
newly opened accounts will be suspended upon registration, and your
account fee will not be refunded.
 
nator said:
An email I got from AW a few months back. The last sentence is my favorite :)

-----------------------
Final Warning

It has come to our attention that despite multiple disapprovals, you have
repeatedly submitted ads that violate our Hacking policy.

Please consider this notice as a final warning. If you submit these ads
again or continue to run ads that violate our policies, we will be unable
to run any of your AdWords ads in the future, and all of your Google
AdWords accounts will be permanently suspended.

We highly value the quality of our program. In order to create an
environment where our users can trust our advertisers and continue to
receive quality advertising, we ask that you cease submitting ads that
violate our guidelines.

For your account to remain active in the future, please make the following
changes to your ad text, site content, and/or keywords:

Please cease promoting satellite/TV to PC services and/or software that
streams channels via PCs or other means. This includes products that
descramble cable and satellite signals in order to get free cable
services. Please do not submit ads or websites in violation of this policy
in the future.

Additionally, please do not open any new AdWords accounts. If you do, your
newly opened accounts will be suspended upon registration, and your
account fee will not be refunded.
Click to expand...

Dude, that's way out of the scope of what I am doing here.. It sounds like you were promoting some illegal shit. I am promoting something legit that's only benefiting Directv.
 
YOU ARE A MORON.

:banana_sml:

nator said:
An email I got from AW a few months back. The last sentence is my favorite :)

-----------------------
Final Warning

It has come to our attention that despite multiple disapprovals, you have
repeatedly submitted ads that violate our Hacking policy.

Please consider this notice as a final warning. If you submit these ads
again or continue to run ads that violate our policies, we will be unable
to run any of your AdWords ads in the future, and all of your Google
AdWords accounts will be permanently suspended.

We highly value the quality of our program. In order to create an
environment where our users can trust our advertisers and continue to
receive quality advertising, we ask that you cease submitting ads that
violate our guidelines.

For your account to remain active in the future, please make the following
changes to your ad text, site content, and/or keywords:

Please cease promoting satellite/TV to PC services and/or software that
streams channels via PCs or other means. This includes products that
descramble cable and satellite signals in order to get free cable
services. Please do not submit ads or websites in violation of this policy
in the future.

Additionally, please do not open any new AdWords accounts. If you do, your
newly opened accounts will be suspended upon registration, and your
account fee will not be refunded.
Click to expand...
 
nator said:
An email I got from AW a few months back. The last sentence is my favorite :)

-----------------------
Final Warning

It has come to our attention that despite multiple disapprovals, you have
repeatedly submitted ads that violate our Hacking policy.

Please consider this notice as a final warning. If you submit these ads
again or continue to run ads that violate our policies, we will be unable
to run any of your AdWords ads in the future, and all of your Google
AdWords accounts will be permanently suspended.

We highly value the quality of our program. In order to create an
environment where our users can trust our advertisers and continue to
receive quality advertising, we ask that you cease submitting ads that
violate our guidelines.

For your account to remain active in the future, please make the following
changes to your ad text, site content, and/or keywords:

Please cease promoting satellite/TV to PC services and/or software that
streams channels via PCs or other means. This includes products that
descramble cable and satellite signals in order to get free cable
services. Please do not submit ads or websites in violation of this policy
in the future.

Additionally, please do not open any new AdWords accounts. If you do, your
newly opened accounts will be suspended upon registration, and your
account fee will not be refunded.
Click to expand...


lulz.

You were promoting one of those services where you can watch the usual TV channels from your computer, and you're comparing this to what the OP is doing?
 
mGrunin said:
lulz.

You were promoting one of those services where you can watch the usual TV channels from your computer, and you're comparing this to what the OP is doing?
Click to expand...

Yeah it was one of those TV2PC offers, and though the op does something else, he's using keywords which are too closely related to this problematic niche, and I'd be careful not to mix this with other working campaign in same account just to be on the safe side.
 
^^^ it wasn't the keywords that were the problem it was the TV2PC offer

otherwise vitacost et al would all be banned for advertising acai/rez
 
I just want to throw a little update out here this morning. Google is still has yet to review my ads. These ads should be reviewed today sometime I'm guessing.

I have just encountered an interesting Directv problem. If you click through the link on my lander it takes me to a completely different page than before. They must have something set based on referrer hits or something.

They have taken away the option to enter the referral # from their page. Now it appears the person has to directly call them to give them the code.

To test this out, I am going to setup a DMR and see if this is still a problem. I am on a different IP and still see the different Directv page. So I can rule out that they are displaying that based on ip hits, It must just be looking at the referrer.

You can see what it is showing now..

directref.jpg


After I setup the DMR (Double Meta Refresh) I'll report back. For noobs that don't know what a DMR is or how to do it read on.

My DMR script will blank the referral information to make the traffic source unknown. I use two simple PHP files to do this which can be found below. I'm sure there's plenty of tutorials on here about this as well.

first file: goto.php

PHP: 
<?php
echo "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;url=http://www.directreferral.info/goto2.php\">";
?>

Second File: goto2.php

PHP: 
<?php
$referer = $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'];
if($referer == "")
    {
echo "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;url=http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/referral/referralProgram.jsp\">";    
    }
else
    {
echo "<meta http-equiv=\"refresh\" content=\"0;url=http://www.directreferral.info\">";    
    }
?>

The first file refreshes and points to goto2 obviously. The second php file will make sure the referrer is blanked. If the referrer is not blank, it will just take the user back to my lander. If the referral is blank, it will forward the user to the directv page.

If you are using T202/Propser for tracking you don't need to worry about this. It will handle it for you.

UPDATE: Yep, I think this was the problem. But for some reason, when I try and access that from Chrome, it is not blanking the referrer. It works from FireFox though.. Maybe a couple of people can try it and report back to me if it's working for them.
 
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