Zenni Optical and Marcode – Protecting Brand Integrity with Advanced Search Intelligence
by Andy Cooney
September 24, 2024
Client: Zenni Optical
Industry: E-commerce (Eyewear)
Challenge: Affiliate Hijacking and Brand Bidding
The Results
In just one month of using Marcode, Zenni Optical saw significant improvements in their search and affiliate marketing performance and overall brand protection:
$11k
/month
Total Commission Payouts Saved
-83%
Reduction in Offender Click Traffic: -83%, all directed back to search channels
0
Repeat Offenders
This reduction in fraudulent activity directly translated into savings for Zenni’s marketing budget, ensuring that commission payouts only went to authorised affiliates.
Background
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Zenni Optical, a leader in affordable prescription eyewear, faced significant challenges in protecting its brand in the digital space. Unauthorised affiliates were hijacking traffic by bidding on Zenni’s branded search terms and impersonating their ads, leading to inflated marketing costs and lost revenue. These rogue affiliates undermined Zenni’s leading search marketing strategy by diverting traffic and earning unjustified commissions.
Zenni Optical turned to Marcode, an advanced search intelligence and brand protection platform, to protect its brand and restore control over its digital marketing.
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The Solution: Marcode's Advanced Hijacking Detection
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Marcode provided Zenni Optical with tools to regain control over its brand in an ultra-competitive search landscape. With Marcode’s powerful AI-driven insights and automated monitoring, Zenni was able to:
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Detect Unauthorized Affiliate Activity: Marcode’s platform automatically identified rogue advertisers bidding on Zenni’s branded terms in real-time, and alerts were immediately sent to the team.
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Uncover Affiliate Details: Marcode’s advanced ad analysis bypassed sophisticated hijacking systems to uncover the affiliate details of those hijacking Zenni’s ads. This allowed Zenni to swiftly cut off these unauthorised affiliates, preventing them from siphoning valuable traffic and claiming commissions.
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Monitor Ads with Precision: Using keyword checks every 6 minutes from locations as granular as postcode level, Zenni gained unparalleled insight into how their brand was used in paid search. This allowed them to take decisive action to safeguard their marketing spend against unauthorised brand bidders such as discount code providers.
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"In creating a comprehensive tool to discover unauthorised affiliates who are bidding on our brand terms, Marcode has given us the ability to further protect our digital brand and marketing budgets."
Dennis Maxwell
Senior Director Performance Marketing, Zenni Optical​
​​Conclusion
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​Zenni Optical’s partnership with Marcode resulted in substantial savings and enhanced brand protection. By leveraging Marcode’s advanced search intelligence and AI-driven detection tools, Zenni now operates with greater confidence in its search marketing efforts, knowing that its brand and budget are protected from rogue affiliates and fraudulent advertisers. When unauthorised bidding occurs, Zenni can take action and save potential budget loss immediately. Learn more about how Marcode can protect your brand here.
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