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How your brand may be misused on the internet

March 13, 2008 | Internet Marketing

At its best, online lead generation can be useful for helping companies acquire highly qualified customers. But at its worst, rogue players tarnish the names of legitimate ones.

It seemed like a good offer—a little too good to be true.

When Heather Miceli went online to redeem $100 worth of L.L. Bean coupons, she Googled the company name to find its official website, and a paid search ad caught her eye: “L.L. Bean (official site): get a $250 gift card.” She clicked on it and was taken to Llbgiftcard.com, which read that if she took a survey, she would receive a free $250 gift card.

Ms. Miceli, who lives on Cape Cod, Mass., was lured in by an online lead-generation offer, part of a $1 billion industry. Llbgiftcard.com calls itself an “independent rewards program not affiliated with any of the listed products or retailers,” and it makes money by generating leads for its sponsors. It’s unclear whether Ms. Miceli ever would have gotten the proffered $250 L.L. Bean gift card, but what is clear is the offer wasn’t actually “free” at all.

Get the full story at Advertising Age

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