LinkShare Publisher Newsletter Holiday Edition

Welcome to the December issue of the Publisher Newsletter! The 2008 holiday season is in full force and there is still much to accomplish. We're continuing with the same focus that the special edition of the November issue of the Newsletter had. As a reminder, we have included important dates for December and have also spotlighted special holiday consumer and publisher promotions. Furthermore, don’t forget to register for Symposium West 2009 and check out our sponsorship opportunities that maximize your participation and exposure at the Symposium West. We are pleased to announce the keynote speaker for the event as well. Inside the Publisher Dashboard will teach you about LinkShare Signature and how this can be beneficial for your reporting. Finally, take a look at our suggested advertisers in the Advertiser Spotlight section. We hope you have a successful holiday season!

Holiday 2008
Important Dates
December 20 "When It Absolutely, Positively, Needs to Be There" Last Ship Date – For most retailers, this is the absolute last day that they will ship an item to guarantee delivery for Christmas. Keep in mind, most retailers will charge an extra fee for the rush delivery. It is a good idea to check with your advertisers to confirm their last ship date. Most advertisers list their last ship dates on the Holiday Publisher Promotions and Holiday Consumer Promotions pages in the Publisher Help Center.

December 20-25 Target Last Minute Shoppers – Many retailers offer electronic gift cards for last minute shoppers. E-gift cards can be sent directly to the recipient via email and just in time for Christmas. The chart below shows popular last minute gifts. Click here to see the list of LinkShare advertisers that commission on gift cards.

Source: a National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGresearch; www.nrf.com/holidays

LinkShare Advertisers that Commission on Gift Cards

American Express Gaiam, Inc. NORDSTROM.com AmericaRx GreatSkin OCInkjet AndraGroup (HerRoom) Hickory Farms Omaha Steaks Bare Necessities iTunes Overstock.com Beauty.com Kellyco Metal Detectors Park Seed Bliss JCrew Paul Fredrick Brigade Quartermasters Karmaloop Petite Sophisticate Casual Male XL Lane Bryant SeaBear & MadeInWashington Catherine Lego Sierra Trading Post Coldwater Creek Liz Claiborne The Wine Messenger Dale & Thomas L'Occitane Wayside Gardens Drugstore.com Magazines.com Wine.com Fashion Bug Mountain Gear YOOX.com

Publisher Promotions

• Increased Commissions
• Cash Bonus
• Other Publisher Commissions

Consumer Promotions

• Coupons
• Product Spotlight
• Free Shipping
• Discount with Purchase
• Free Gift with Purchase
• Other Consumer Promotions

Advertisers that
Commission on Gift Cards

LinkShare's Blog

Symposium West

LinkShare Symposium West 2009 will take place January 21-22, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. Last Chance to Save $100! Symposium conference passes are available for $495 each and you'll receive $100 savings when you register by December 15th! On-site registration will be subject to a $595 fee.

Learning from 2007 Holiday Trends

• Online Spending: 2007 vs. 2008
  Analysts are predicting that in 2008, online holiday sales (excluding travel) will increase 10.1% over sales in 2007 ($32.1 billion in 2008 vs. $29.10 billion in 2007). While it is hopeful that there will be growth in sales, it must be noted that a 10% increase is a decline compared to past growth rates year over year (normally low-to-mid 20% increase).
• Leading Channels Used for Holiday Spending
  According to a recent survey, US internet users will be shifting their shopping more online rather than at actual stores this holiday season (49% in 2008 compared to 22% in 2007). Consumers will be going online to get gift ideas, find bargains, and locate retailers who have their desired products in stock. Another enticement pushing consumers towards shopping online will be "Free Shipping" offers, which will allow shoppers to save money on gas.

LinkShare Symposium West 2009: The E-Commerce Revolution Continues
LinkShare Symposium West is the gathering place for performance marketing leaders to jump start their online initiatives for the coming year. Through expert speakers, educational seminars, and high-level networking segments, LinkShare strives to give our partners exclusive strategies and opportunities to form winning and profitable partnerships. Forge new business relationships, develop long-term strategic partnerships, and connect with innovators redefining the Web's business opportunities. Last Chance to Save $100 - Register by December 15th At A Glance Exposure to highly qualified e-commerce executives Prominent brand exposure in event program, website and signage High-quality lead generation Audience Attendees include mid - to senior-level professionals from top companies doing business online, representatives from leading publisher websites, and online marketers from LinkShare's client base of over 600 advertisers. Keynote Speaker Bill Tancer Author of Click and General Manager at Hitwise Bill Tancer, the world's preeminent expert on online behavior will be the keynote speaker at Symposium West. Bill will provide unique perspectives on how the E-Commerce revolution continues to grow and prosper even during these tough economic times. In his New York Times bestseller, Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters – Unexpected Insights for Business and Life, Bill takes us behind the scenes into the massive database of online intelligence to reveal the truth about how we use the Web, navigate to sites, and search for information. Tracking and analyzing the billions of trails left by millions of users, he offers surprising and practical insights that can be used to our advantage in business and in life. As the General Manager for Global Research at Hitwise, Bill provides cutting-edge research and insight into online consumer behavior and the application of online competitive intelligence. Bill's analysis of the online landscape has been quoted extensively in the press, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today and Business Week. Read more about Bill here. Click here for complete details on what's going on at LinkShare Symposium West 2009. Register Now and Join the Revolution this January 22, 2009!
More Highlights You Won't Want To Miss
Industry Thought Leadership Results from a special LinkShare commissioned study of online consumers conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc. will be announced making Symposium West a must-attend event. Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc.,is one of the leading providers of innovative research-based strategies for corporations, government leaders and political campaigns around the world. DealMaker Experience the deal-making potential of hundreds of advertisers, publishers and partners in one place, at one time, face-to-face during our DealMaker trade show. After Party Join friends and partners for Symposium West After Party at Fluid Ultra Lounge. (Tickets required) Superior Networking Meet top-level executives, partners and peers from hundreds of performance marketing's most influential companies. Make new connections and build better business relationships.
Take a Look at our Sponsors
Sponsorship
LinkShare Symposium West is right around the corner on January 22, 2009 at the luxurious Palace Hotel in San Francisco. LinkShare is pleased to acknowledge our diverse list of sponsors which includes American Express, AT&T, Avon, Barefruit, Ltd., Clicks2Customers, DHC, Discover, Drugstore.com, Fleurop-Interflora, Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, Improvement Direct, J.P. Boden, Karmaloop, Limoges Jewelry, Macys, Magazines.com, MissNowMrs, OneCause, Pearson Education, PMA, Overstock.com, Revenue Magazine, The North Face, Toshiba, OneCause, Upromise and WalMart. New sponsors are added regularly so be sure to check our event webpage daily. Register as an attendee or make an even bigger impact for your brand by sponsoring this event. This exclusive industry event presents an ideal opportunity to reach high-level decision-makers, attract new business partners, and strengthen your competitive position. We offer a variety of exciting sponsorship packages that provide a range of participation and brand exposure opportunities throughout the event. Sponsorship Benefits include: Targeted exposure to hundreds of highly qualified executives and decision makers. Promote your company's brand to the targeted and hard to reach market of e-commerce and performance marketing executives. Competitively position your company for high quality lead generation. Create buzz around your LinkShare affiliate program and incentives. Cultivate important business relationships and foster new business development opportunities. Extensive online, offline and onsite promotion, including prominent placement of company name and logo. Flexible packages to build your brand and maximize your networking potential - participate in LinkShare DealMaker, preview attendee lists, schedule private meetings to solidify business deals, gain complimentary passes to events - or choose a combination of activities to enhance your partnership building potential! Click here to view complete details on various sponsorship packages that have been specially designed to allow you to maximize your participation and exposure at the Symposium West 2009. Sponsors typically rave about their overwhelmingly positive and productive experiences and 100% of sponsor survey respondents would repeat sponsorship at future LinkShare events. 88% indicated that they would recommend sponsorships to other advertisers, publishers and/or partners. Here are few comments from sponsors that participated in the past LinkShare events. "The sponsorship raised our profile significantly. Many more high-value contacts were made [had we not been a sponsor]." "Branding was better achieved through the sponsorship." "Having a DealMaker table allowed me to meet with more people rather than mull around in the background." To learn more about our LinkShare Symposium West 2009 Sponsorship opportunities, contact your LinkShare representative or events@linkshare.com Last Chance to Save $100 - Register by December 15th
Countdown to Symposium West!
	December 15 - Early Registration Ends January 2 - Special Room Rate at Palace Ends	January 16 - Registration Closes January 21-22 - LinkShare Symposium West 2009!

Inside the Publisher Dashboard
What is LinkShare Signature?

LinkShare Signature allows a publisher to track and generate detailed reports on the commerce activity generated by their site down to the transaction level of each individual member, organization, or subsite. Using Signature makes tracking, managing, and optimizing internal programs efficient and cost-effective for publishers.