The market-blockchain pair is bound to be disruptive due to the changes it will bring about ( although such changes have already started ) in digital advertising, and, consequently, to the effects it will have onto marketing. Search marketing is going to be especially affected, hence online advertising will change, too. Such changes may be summarized by using five key words: transparency, reliability, payments, novelties, expansion.

And while Facebook  has re-introduced blockchain-led advertising campaigns without the need for any of the special authorizations which were previously mandatory, the blockchain revolution has started (Facebook modifies its advertising policies concerning crypto-currencies and the blockchain). Advertisers should keep up; on the contrary, they should be well aware of what is coming. Knowing something also means knowing how to handle, make the best possible use, and make business with such thing.

The five ways to such revolution

Transparency. Who hasn’t been baffled, at least once, by the results of the metrics related to their ads? Who has never questioned them? The blockchain shall clear all doubts. Without having to explain again what it is and how it works  (see my post entitled “Blockchain, the “next big” thing which is expected to revolutionize marketing”), even the Interactive Advertising Bureau believes that encrypted data and the fact that the blockchain cannot be tampered with will  make the whole advertising process verifiable and auditable at any time. Auditability + data reliability = transparency. It is no surprise then that the Unilever giant is working in partnership with IBM on a project concerning the possible application of the blockchain to Adv, to ensure advertisers a whole new level of security ( and trust )
(How The Blockchain Can Bring Trust And Transparency To The Advertising Industry).

Reliability. This is what most people are disappointed with when it comes to advertising: consumers are often skeptical because they think online ads are not reliable. Even when products look interesting and tempting, they don’t click on the ad and don’t go through with the purchase. However, in case the whole process, starting from the production of the item to the publishing of the ad and the finalization of the purchase, became safe and reliable, brands/advertisers, users and the platforms would finally be part of the same chain.

Payments. Paying ads rapidly, feeling confident about the purchases made without running the risk of stumbling onto frauds or cons. The blockchain allows for recorded transactions, and such records cannot be modified or tampered with. This is why the Blockchain is changing the world of payments, making them easier. A real revolution, not only for search marketing and advertising in general, but also for consumers (Traditional payment systems vs blockchain based payment systems).

Novelties. The blockchain is likely to become the natural evolution of programmatic adv for many people. Even though such forecast is not surprising and may sound pretty logical,  it is too early to tell. For sure, the more popular such system becomes, the more blockchain-based ecosystems will be set up, with the help of professionals specializing in both fields (Five ways blockchain will impact search marketing).  

Expansion. While spreading, the blockchain will not affect only the advertising sector but also several other industries which may be connected to it. Such as the world of browsers which is expected to revolutionize marketing, in primis search marketing. Therefore, users will be granted better and safer browsing experiences, with clearer data processing processes and a higher level of personalization. And advertising will benefit from it all.

Does this sound too optimistic? The technology we have been talking about already exists, only time will tell.  

What do you think about the blockchain? Do you consider it as disruptive or not, and why? Tweet @agostinellialdo.

To find out more about the digital world, you may read my latest book entitled: “People Are Media” 

If you liked this post, you may also read “Multimedia contents: with and without Adv”