CLIK Behavior Research Forum Focuses on Real World Applications

The CLIK Consumer Behavior Research Forum, founded five years ago by the Universities of Cincinnati, Louisville, Indiana and Kentucky, offers universities the opportunity the present papers grounded in media research. This year, topics included “Starbucks America vs. McDonald's America” which studied how political ideology influences consumer affinity for brands and another diving into the question of “Should Marketing Messages Be Assertive?”

The forum is sponsored by Louisville-based agency Doe-Anderson whose EVP/COO, John Birnsteel, noted that the current CLIK conference offers more applicable insights for marketers, concentrating more on the business and utility of research and not just theory.  “Our industry is rife with subjectivity,” he explained, “Any opportunity we find to help build marketing decisions on grounded research is one we support.”

For Professor Michael Barone, Chair, Marketing Department, College of Business, University of Louisville, “Doe Anderson’s involvement prompted us to veer our research talks in a little more relevant way.  To me, the best research has two components- Its rigorous, but it is also relevant, and for me that always means starting in the marketplace.”

Charlene Weisler: What are the best pieces of advice for marketers from the forum?

Birnsteel: I found calls to action quite interesting. You would think a strong call to action would really make people sit up and listen but it almost had the opposite effect. Being too assertive, can turn us into stubborn consumers.

Another piece of research done by a fellow at Indiana University mined ‘chat’ conversations.  When you go into buy something you have a chat exchange with the chat bot. His approach to the research was to access chat conversations and use AI machine learning to mine out the conversations to determine what the chat bot was and what it wasn’t able to answer.

Barone: What I found interesting from a business standpoint is that the company that gave the researcher the chat data was able to put a price on that data they shared with the University of Indiana and donate it as a tax deduction. We all talk about the value of data, but the way the company was able to donate the data to a researcher and put a value on that to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars was fascinating.

When it comes to blockchain, trust marks brands like Fairtrade and USDA Organic that validate claims are helpful, but research highlighted that leveraging the power of blockchain to verify claims leads to higher purchase intent. 

Weisler: What was the most surprising outcome or finding from CLIK?

Birnsteel: I was surprised to learn about the power – or in some cases lack thereof of influencers. The closer someone identifies an influencer as being “like me” the more likely that person is to be turned off by a brand that is disclosed as paying that influencer to promote it. It seems that followers wonder why the brand isn’t paying them the same attention as the influencer and get upset. However, this is not the case for well-known celebrities who are identified as receiving payment from a brand. In these instances, followers tend to gain affinity for that brand.  Bad news for #NextDoorNina but Kim and Khloe can breathe easy.

Also, with online shopping experiences when consumers are served a list of products and the highest priced one is the one the retailer recommends, most consumers are likely to under-weight that recommendation because they believe the retailer is trying to benefit itself.

Barone: I thought the chat bot finding was surprising because you think about typing in sensitive questions about certain products with a computerized entity. You think about who knows where that data goes, that people would trust it less. But, in fact, I think because of the embarrassment factor they actually prefer that mechanism rather than talking to a real person. The best research finding are ones, when you hear them you’re like ‘oh yeah - I get it!’ but you never would think about them initially.

Weisler: What’s the long-term goal of CLIK and the partnership between U of L and Doe-Anderson? 

Barone: There’s this international group called the Marketing Science Institute (MSI)– academics who want industry partnerships to access data, share findings. The CLIK Forum is like MSI on a smaller scale where we’ve got academics and industry folks working hand in hand to uncover new insights in marketing.

Birnsteel: We started our multicultural research with U of L.   Why the U of L of all places? Why not Miami or Houston? But after we had Breonna Taylor, our city’s focus became ‘how are we not?’ How are we are not understanding each other in the right ways? Raising funds for this was not a hard lift because everybody here felt an obligation to help out with this issue. 

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com

Artwork by Charlene Weisler

GABBCON and AdLedger Launch New Blockchain Education Initiative

Blockchain was a top discussion point last year, but after the initial burst not much has appeared in the press.  However, that doesn't mean that blockchain is any less important ... or its rollout dormant in any way.  In fact, according to the AdLedger Conference hosted in partnership with GABBCON, Dear Marketers: Help Me Help You, there has been decisive progress in rolling out the protocol in the media industry.  One major initiative is the creation of Ad Ledger, which is described as a "forum for collaboration" by Gabe Greenberg, Co-Founder GABBCON.  Over the span of two years, Ad Ledger has quietly ramped up. Christiana Cacciapuoti as Executive Director, just announced a set of  board members (including c-founding companies as Tegna, MadHIve and IBM), holding-company members and new rules of engagement.  The most important aspect of Ad Ledger at this time is to educate the industry and present the parameters of what blockchain can and can't do.

The GABBCON announcement is the first salvo -- and now, the rest of 2019 is dedicated to taking the industry forward with members seeking eventual accreditation by the MRC.  Greenberg and his team are on the cutting edge of this blockchain roll out.  We met at the conference for an exclusive interview on the whys and wherefores of Ad Ledger, how it will impact the industry, next steps and obstacles to overcome.

GABBCON helped co-launch Ad Ledger and then transferred the GABBCON working group into it.  Becoming a founding partner was important, Greenberg explained, "because we saw an opportunity to bring buyers and sellers together in a way that the IAB and other groups weren't doing."  He noted that his company is participating to support the work that Ad Ledger is doing, including "breaking down the walled gardens and creating new open standards that help brands and agencies on one side and media sellers on the other side to extract the most value out of the market and pay as little for that as possible."  The way to this economic efficiency is by "cutting out the intermediaries and the folks that represent ad taxes," he added.

Greenberg has his eye on accreditation, which is necessary for scale and adoption.  "The team is in the early stages of working with the MRC," he indicated.  "It takes some time but the process is starting."

Looking to the future, Greenberg hopes that two years from now Ad Ledger will be at a point where the group "is chasing the scale of an IAB, develops a cryptoRTB standard that reaches a significant scale of the market, is not still in its infancy or nascent stage and that more and more brands are involved."

Currently, Hershey's and Bob Mills Furniture are involved and other brands were in attendance at the event for a look-see.  "But we need to get more brands that are demanding these solutions to come to the table and help form them," Greenberg asserted.  "More than anything Ad Ledger is a call to the industry to come together.  We don't need another consortium that's come and gone.  We need a group that is making real impact and making a difference."

For Wallace Kittredge, Senior Content Strategist for Bob Mills Furniture, a regional retailer of furniture, blockchain and participation in Ad Ledger will help his company explore more options, help justify their digital and offline budgets and close loops.  "Reporting is difficult enough at this time," he says.  "Blockchain will help with transparency and valuation."

For others, implementing blockchain into the media pipeline will help solve for one persistent vexing problem – ad fraud.  “Blockchain has many use cases from identity and risk management to fraud and decentralizing data," explains Alysia Borsa, Chief Marketing and Data Officer, Meredith.  "The low hanging fruit is fraud.  With disparate data coming in, how do we bring it all together in a centralized form? How do we create pilots that will be proof of concept for advertisers?”

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

GABBCON Announces the Launch of Ad Ledger, a Blockchain Initiative

Blockchain was a top discussion point last year, but after the initial burst not much has appeared in the press. 

However, that doesn't mean that blockchain is any less important ... or its rollout dormant in any way.  In fact, according to the recent GABBCON conference, Dear Marketers: Help Me Help You, there has been decisive progress in rolling out the protocol in the media industry.  One major initiative is the creation of Ad Ledger, which is described as a "forum for collaboration" by Gabe Greenberg, Co-Founder GABBCON.  Over the span of two years, Ad Ledger has quietly ramped up. Christiana Cacciapuoti as Executive Director, just announced a set of  board members (including c-founding companies as Tegna, MadHIve and IBM), holding-company members and new rules of engagement.  The most important aspect of Ad Ledger at this time is to educate the industry and present the parameters of what blockchain can and can't do. 

The GABBCON announcement is the first salvo -- and now, the rest of 2019 is dedicated to taking the industry forward with members seeking eventual accreditation by the MRC.  Greenberg and his team are on the cutting edge of this blockchain roll out.  We met at the conference for an exclusive interview on the whys and wherefores of Ad Ledger, how it will impact the industry, next steps and obstacles to overcome.

GABBCON helped co-launch Ad Ledger and then transferred the GABBCON working group into it.  Becoming a founding partner was important, Greenberg explained, "because we saw an opportunity to bring buyers and sellers together in a way that the IAB and other groups weren't doing."  He noted that his company is participating to support the work that Ad Ledger is doing, including "breaking down the walled gardens and creating new open standards that help brands and agencies on one side and media sellers on the other side to extract the most value out of the market and pay as little for that as possible."  The way to this economic efficiency is by "cutting out the intermediaries and the folks that represent ad taxes," he added.

Greenberg has his eye on accreditation, which is necessary for scale and adoption.  "The team is in the early stages of working with the MRC," he indicated.  "It takes some time but the process is starting."

Looking to the future, Greenberg hopes that two years from now Ad Ledger will be at a point where the group "is chasing the scale of an IAB, develops a cryptoRTB standard that reaches a significant scale of the market, is not still in its infancy or nascent stage and that more and more brands are involved."

Currently, Hershey's and Bob Mills Furniture are involved and other brands were in attendance at the event for a look-see.  "But we need to get more brands that are demanding these solutions to come to the table and help form them," Greenberg asserted.  "More than anything Ad Ledger is a call to the industry to come together.  We don't need another consortium that's come and gone.  We need a group that is making real impact and making a difference."

For Wallace Kittredge, Senior Content Strategist for Bob Mills Furniture, a regional retailer of furniture, blockchain and participation in Ad Ledger will help his company explore more options, help justify their digital and offline budgets and close loops.  "Reporting is difficult enough at this time," he says.  "Blockchain will help with transparency and valuation."

For others, implementing blockchain into the media pipeline will help solve for one persistent vexing problem – ad fraud.  “Blockchain has many use cases from identity and risk management to fraud and decentralizing data," explains Alysia Borsa, Chief Marketing and Data Officer, Meredith.  "The low hanging fruit is fraud.  With disparate data coming in, how do we bring it all together in a centralized form? How do we create pilots that will be proof of concept for advertisers?”

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Consumer Experience Innovations: Takeaways from PSFK’s CXI 2018 Conference

If you’re looking for innovations in consumer marketing, PSFK’s CXI 2018 conference has proved to be, for me, one of the most forward-thinking conferences around. Speakers from a range of industries share their insights about the consumer experience, the key element of marketing that drives engagement, sales, and, ultimately, ROI.

Piers Fawkes, founder and editor in chief of PSFK, has made it a point of choosing speakers who “think differently from the assumed groupthink.” He noted that it’s important to have a diverse discussion around issues like privacy, security, news, and trust, and to look at the future in a more practical way. By understanding how brands and industries can impact the consumer experience, marketers can better formulate stories that truly understand and map the consumer journey.
Here’s what’s on the horizon.

The Impact of GDPR, AI, and Blockchain

Consumer experience innovations are emerging as a potent force in driving success. The advent of privacy legislation like GDPR, immersive artificial intelligence technology, and blockchain transparency for transactions will all have an impact on the level of that experience.

When it comes to privacy, Fawkes believes the GDPR legislation will first impact European...

Read the full article at the Videa blog.

Do We Really Need Blockchain in Media?

The word on everyone’s lips today has to be blockchain. Bloomberg Businessweek writes about its use in farm-to-table tracking for food safety. In brand marketing, we talk about how blockchain in media can be used in attribution to better gauge ROI. However an industry uses it, blockchain’s lofty promise is sure to change the buy-sell dynamic.

The recent MediaPost Blockchain Marketing Forum, held in Manhattan, outlined the promise and the perils of this protocol technology, how it impacts the media supply chain, how it offers verifiability, and how it might streamline logistics. Professionals across the industry offer their insight on the protocol.

The Advantages of Blockchain

Although definitions vary, Rolfe William Swinton, cofounder and director of data assets at GfK, describes the blockchain protocol as an open global infrastructure that offers a decentralized, self-owned, and self-controlled public ledger. It allows complete user access to the entire chain and is transacted in cryptocurrency. Therefore, it provides a tamper-proof method of global distribution that bypasses traditional intermediaries...

Read the full article at the Videa blog.

Using Blockchain in Media Sales. Interview with Dashbid CEO Rodger Wells

Data-driven advertising is a huge business and the need for accountability has never been greater. The advent of blockchain is being used by more companies to insure that the advertiser message is reaching the right consumer. 

Rodger Wells, CEO of Dashbid, has constructed his business with that issue in mind after gaining experience in digital marketing and sales. “I entered the digital media world in 2005 at JumpTV. Then I moved from JumpTV to ooVoo and built an ad-powered video chat company with over 150MM users before I was recruited to DashBid,” he explained.

Charlene Weisler: Give me a short description of Dashbid.

Rodger Wells: DashBid began as a supply-side platform (SSP) for video advertising. We have evolved over the years to become a platform built on blockchain allowing advertisers, viewers and publishers to  benefit from advertising transactions via open ledger visibility and value transfer among all constituents in the advertising value circle.

Charlene Weisler: How do you use blockchain technology?

Rodger Wells: We use blockchain as both a value transfer mechanism and a reconciliation tool for publishers, advertisers and viewers. We see this changing greatly in the coming 18 months as we create the blockchain on which advertising will operate.

Charlene Weisler: How do you see blockchain technology impacting media in general?

Rodger Wells: Blockchain will provide a level of accountability and transparency in media that has never before been attained. Digital advertising is estimated to be a $107B business in 2018. With so much money at stake, the opportunities for fraud and poor performance abound. By using blockchain, it becomes possible to have a transparent trail of events which will expose fraud and poor performance. Although fraudsters will continue to target the pool of money, blockchain systems such as PreVUE will make it increasingly difficult to succeed.

Charlene Weisler: What is the relationship you develop between a consumer and an advertiser?

Rodger Wells: The advertiser has always sought interaction with the consumer. Historically this was achieved through publishers who sold these consumers to advertisers. We are now facilitating a method for consumers to take back ownership of their virtual identity and sell themselves directly to the advertisers. Ownership of personal data is what makes PreVUE most valuable. Giving audiences the ability to set boundaries on their data as well as easily see where it has been used, or misused, is a new arena. No longer will we have to “trust” third parties with our personal data sets. Giving this ownership back to the individual enables personal protection of property at an entirely different level.

Charlene Weisler: How do you see the sales funnel changing?

Rodger Wells: We see a simpler, more reliable way for advertisers and viewers to interact directly while providing increased benefit to publishers through more valuable, engaged audiences. Transparency, accountability and engagement will be more important, focused and required than ever.

Charlene Weisler: Where do you see messaging, advertising and sales going in the next three years?

Rodger Wells: I think the power of data ownership will shift back into the hands of the viewer. For too long our virtual selves, the data set that is “us” online has been controlled and owned by others. This leads to abuse that we don't even realize we are participating in. We’re only now seeing the impact of this data, and how it can be used against our will, with the Cambridge Analytica story, followed by Cubeyou this weekend. Only through ownership of our own virtual self will we ever be able to truly control its use.

Charlene Weisler: What words of advice would you give a consumer today?

Rodger Wells: Be cautious, always remember that the internet is forever but don't let it stop you from trying new things. Just be sure you understand what consent you are giving to providers.\

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com

IOVO – Data Power to the People?

The Facebook data scandal with Cambridge Analytica has resulted in an unexpected boost for privacy advocates. Not only is the public more aware of how their data may be used (or misused), there are efforts afoot to empower consumers to better protect their personal data. 

One effort is the recently announced IOVO (Internet of Value Omniledger) which is a DAG (digital acyclic graph- the next generation blockchain) that enables consumers to reclaim their data, secure it and better regulate its use. It is obviously an idea whose time has come, now with special urgency created by the Cambridge Analytical misuse. IOVO is based in Poland but is taking a global approach to data recapture-ment and security.

The panel at the recent IOVO introduction consisted of three very compelling participants; Jeffrey Wernick, an early investor in bitcoin and a self-described crypto currency entrepreneur, Brittany Kaiser, currently Co-Founder of the Digital Asset Trade Association and formerly Business Development Director, Cambridge Analytica and Krzysztof Gagacki, Founder and CEO, IOVO. 

The State of Personal Data

Kaiser noted that today, data companies are flourishing and will continue to do so in the future, despite the recent controversies. “We have given away our information in almost every action in our digital lives,” she noted. “Our data has been harvested, monetized, licensed and sold for advertiser targeting. We did not originally sign up for that. Our data should belong to us as individuals and individuals have been exploited,” she concluded. 

Unfortunately when we agree to terms and conditions on a site, we also agree to allow our data to be collected throughout our digital journey.  This has resulted in the creation of the world’s most powerful companies, such as Google and Facebook, to capture billions of dollars in value off our individual data by creating a new asset class and business model based on big data. However, if an individual does not agree to share their data, it can still be collected and shared through connections who have agreed to share their data.

“Data is not the most vital and valuable asset in the world. Data is the new oil and has even surpassed oil as value,” Kaiser stated. As companies continue to collect data on a massive scale and create algorithms in combination with other datasets, the business of data will continue to flourish in the future.’’

Changing the Business Model

The unfettered Wild West usage of personal data has got the change. The panelists agreed that it is time to create a permission based structure where individuals have control of their personal data and allow companies to use it on a carefully curated and controlled basis with some form of compensation. But where do we start? Is this a self-regulated effort by companies or will it require government regulations?

Wernick described his 4P data manifesto; Data is our Property, only used with Permission. It must be Portable and it represents our Personhood. There are currently “Data rapist platforms,” he exclaimed. Is it individual property or it is everybody's property? If it belongs to everybody then all should have all access to everyone’s data. “But we don't have access to others property. Platforms are curators,” he noted. Data should belong to the individual and require our consent to use. Unfortunately “data is frequently used in unknown ways and in ways that is not good for us. Often it is used against us. It is perverse.”

Power to the People

“I hope that as we expand the potential and possibilities in a blockchain world we can disrupt institution” business models that capture and sell personal data, Wernick noted and added that the concept of universal income may be facilitated in a world where individuals can sell their own data.  “Every human being has value and they are not getting compensated for it,” he concluded.

And the data collected is not just from the digital journey. There is also a plethora of offline data sets and big data aggregators that merge all of these disparate data sets together. Think Info group, Magellan, Equifax and Experian for example. “You can purchase offline ground truth data,” noted Kaiser. Where do you vacation, what are your credit scores, your behavioral patterns, your political data and what media you use. “Data scientists can figure out how you voted even if at ground truth is not available,” she added.

The solution is, according to Gagacki is to “Make data not just a legal right but also a core value of the internet economy.” An omniledger can provide infrastructure for all companies who want to benefit from an individual’s data ownership. Since the data adds value to a company he believes that “We are actual employees of these companies and are not being compensated. It is time to compensate all of the users.” He disagrees with the Facebook economic model. “We need platforms where you can share your value and be compensated for that. Imagine what that means,” he mused, “Everyone could feed themselves off the value of what they create every day.”

“Owning your data is your ultimate freedom,” stated Gagacki. “Large companies have their economic value based on users. We don't have rights in sharing our data and data is the most valuable asset in the digital economy. If we don't stop it now the future generation will have no rights.”

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com

Tackling the Big Media Industry Issues at GABBCON 2018

Reaching the right consumer is getting much easier and at the same time, far more complicated. At the  GABBCON conference, issues like privacy and the right to be forgotten on the consumer side faced off with fraud, viewability and attribution challenges on the advertiser side. The playing field is not only changing, we may not be able to discern the best path to the goal posts. 

And in the spirit of the time, Gabe Greenberg, CEO and Co-Founder, GABBCON, made a concerted effort to enlist a diverse group of speakers to participate on panels. This resulted in an event that included new perspectives on media issues. Here are some takeaways:

Choosing a Consumer's Tattoo, Shadow or Twin

What is the best way to target a consumer? A panel moderated by Wendy Dunlap, Senior Vice President Digital Investment, Blue449 (previously Optimedia of Publicis Groupe), parsed out the various ways marketers can profile a consumer – whether a Twin, a Shadow or a Tattoo.  

Dunlap explained that a Twin is an individual’s digital representation formed by the aggregation and analysis of their behaviors, preferences and attitudes as expressed in the digital world.  A Shadow is an outline of a real-world identity but is prone to distortion and misrepresentation based on imprecise data signals in providing a complete picture. A Tattoo, as coined by Bethany Mach, Chief Digital Officer of Initiative, is a permanent marker of an individual’s digital activity that doesn’t go away but can continue to morph based on new information.  

“The replica of a real consumer is an amalgam of their various behaviors,” Dunlap noted. “A tattoo is a great metaphor,” she continued, stating that we should track “how it holds up over time and what we add to it” and “how it changes, “as more attributes are added to it or whether it fades away.” 

With Employees, Should it be a Right Brain or Left Brain Hire?

Throughout the day, panelists brought up the challenge of hiring the right people – those with that careful balance of right and left brain capabilities and experiences. And should new hires be from media or outside media? These are no small issues for the industry at a time when there is a need for both creative and analytical solutions and the knowledge of the past and the capabilities of the future.  

Mach stated, “I am looking for new types of people to work for me.  I want a data scientist or engineer.” However, filling media slots with left brain experts may be missing an important ingredient in discerning consumer motivations and behaviors. Shouldn’t we also be hiring anthropologists, Dunlap countered? “It’s good to have an analytical perspective but you also need a social science background,” she added.

Blockchain is Coming. Be Ready. Or Else.

There has been a lot of talk about how Blockchain will impact the Media industry but what exactly is Blockchain? Jonathan Steuer, Chief Research Officer, Omnicom Media Group, defined it, “as an ecosystem. It is a technology method that provides a secure chain of custody for any digital transaction, data, or personal attribute all the way through a system. Where it is where it came from and what aspect of it you can use.”

It was agreed that Blockchain should be embraced and not deferred. Natalie Monboit, Head of Futures at Starcom, warned, “It will hurt you if you are not involved.” She advised to start now by looking ahead and asking, “What is that big disruptive vision? What is the future state?  And then work backwards. You have to be in it in order for it not to hurt you.”

While some may feel that the future application of Blockchain is just another monstrous transformation to upend business as usual, there are those who look on the bright side. Monboit concluded, “Blockchain has potential to solve for fraud and clean up our industry. It unearths everything we understand about engaging consumers. It is a lot bigger than just solving for current issues in ad tech.”

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Using Blockchain to Disrupt Media

Just when you thought the media landscape was quieting down, a new non-profit research and development foundation called the AdLedger Consortium has been created to further disrupt the buy/sell model, this time by using blockchain. This consortium is charged with implementing global technical standards, protocols and solutions for digital media and blockchain. 

The group’s founding members consist of a range of companies from technology, advertising agencies, media sellers and data vendors who are pooling their expertise and efforts to, according to the press release, “bring transparency and data security to the ad tech supply chain through blockchain technology.” According to their press release, founding member companies include, Canoe, GroupM, Cadent, Meredith, IPG Mediabrands and Neustar, among others.

Why Apply Blockchain to Digital Media

At a recent Frankfurt Kurnit event, Gordon Platt, President, Gotham Media, explained that when it comes to media and advertising, "Blockchain technology will bring media licensing and distribution into the 21st Century, enabling creators to control access to their work and ensuring that they get paid for its use."

Eric John, Deputy Director, Video Center of Excellence at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) noted that in the areas of fraud and safety, “It takes automation to and entirely new level.” On the plus side, blockchain offers a failsafe, verifiable, immutable protocol to permanently link data for use in transactions and data tracking. Privacy compliance is part of this focus.

But caution is advised. “Putting a social network on the blockchain is harder than you think,” warned Benji Rogers, CEO and Co-Founder, Dot Blockchain Media. “If it links to extremist content, you can never take it down,” he explained. “You might siphon millions of dollars to the wrong person and can’t turn it off.”

Privacy Compliance Legislation

The concern about data privacy is being addressed through legislation by the EU called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) scheduled to go into effect in May 2018. Its implementation is a call to action for companies interested in creating and supporting a privacy compliant peer-to-peer decentralized network for media. Through the use of blockchain, companies can address a range of data issues from transparency to supply chain inefficiency to data security and portability to reconciliation and payments that comply with the new EU regulation.

According to Gabe Greenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of GABBCON, Global Audience Based Buying Conference and Consultancy, “Blockchain has the ability to help media by illuminating the current opacity in the supply chain and, by extension, eliminating fraud and moving economic value back to publishers and advertisers.” And, importantly, it offers a secure, privacy-compliant ability to transact that protects the user's private data. 

AdLedger Proof of Concepts

AdLedger is working on two different proofs of concept right now. The first is OpenGPDR, which will cryptographically store data on a data controller’s private blockchain, creating an audit trail. This will help companies manage the new privacy rights under the GDPR regulations of the Right to Access and the Right to be Forgotten.

The second proof of concept is Campaign Reconciliation which focuses on streamlining the campaign reconciliation process showing “what a campaign transacted from cradle to grave would look like on a blockchain,” stated Greenberg. Led by Amichai Lichtenstein, Director of Product Management at AppNexus, the project includes the creation of a contained blockchain network with a set number of players that combines disparate sources of immediate metrics based on measurement KPI’s tied to campaign delivery. Touted as a single source of truth, the ledger will ideally showcase blockchain’s ability to reduce the amount of campaign discrepancies and offer more transparency for buyers and sellers.

Challenges to Implementation

But there are still some challenges to overcome. The most frequently cited challenge, Greenberg noted, is speed. “The traditional ad tech landscape has high QPS (queries per second) demands that blockchain today would struggle to support, but we are confident that the technology will continue to evolve,” he stated, and added, “Saying that this will remain a challenge forever is assuming no innovation or iteration -- it's like saying a 5-year-old will never be tall enough to ride a roller coaster.” Even with this challenge, the expectation is that there will be increasing traction to embed blockchain in digital media throughout 2018.

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com