ValueClick’s Commission Junction has given the boot to affiliate (and rival?) Azoogleads.  In an e-mail being circulated to advertisers working with the company, CJ claims Azoogleads is

“non-compliant" in that CJ “has identified a series of isolated violations with Azoogle and has worked closely with them to rehabilitate and make the necessary corrections, to no avail.”

CJ goes on to say…

“Unfortunately, given the nature of their sub affiliate business model, Azoogle has been ineffective in their ability to perform the requested corrections to meet the high standards as defined in the Code of Conduct (COC). At this time Azoogle is still in violation of the standards.”

CJ account services reports that Azoogleads will be disabled as of December 27, 2005.

Commission Junction, a company that continues to distance itself from advising its customers on who to partner with, is telling its clients “You need to determine if you are going to pay the publisher for those commissions that were earned.  Removing non-compliant publishers is a key part of our priority to maintain an ethical, high-value environment for all clients and it will bring long-lasting benefit to your affiliate program.”

Here we go again - being reminded that affiliate marketing DOES have an ethical, value-driven side to it.  Who’d have thunk… and to be reminded by the world’s largest affiliate network no less!  This, in my opinion, speaks volumes of affiliate marketing’s tarnished image.