How about neither. Google's quality score wasn't put in place simply to screw over affiliates; it is to knock people out of the game who aren't delivering unique experiences.
Think about it this way. If AM was only about iframing or 301ing an offer to the merchants landing page, the merchant wouldn't have a need for an affiliate program. You'll never be successful if you keep trying those methods.
My advice is to pick a popular niche that you're interested in, and build an entire Website out of it. Create a blog, have comparisons, reviews, etc. Give the user a positive, unique experience and you'll be reward with both a.) high quality scores and b.) natural organic traffic.