Say Goodbye to NFTs?

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2022-06-24

A recent report from Chainalysis, a blockchain data platform, says that through May 1, collectors have spent $37 billion in the NFT marketplaces in 2022. That would seem to put NFTS on track to beat the total of $40 billion spent last year. But Chainalysis says that since last summer, growth has come in spikes rather than the steady gains seen in 2020 and early 2021.

The report’s authors say that the “buzz around NFTs appears to be fading,” with Google searches for “NFT” down 50% since early March. Social media mentions are also down, though the report notes that it’s difficult to compare social media chatter about NFTs with other topics because the marketplace is still so new.

In a recent talk for TechCrunch, Microsoft founder Bill Gates dissed the NFT craze, saying it’s “100% based on ‘greater fool’ theory.” That phrase refers to the concept that overpriced assets increase in value only because it’s always possible to find someone willing to pay more for them.

Gates went on to say that NFTs are “not a great use of energy,” and that the technology behind them is “not well-suited” for handling the large volume of transactions that would be necessary for widespread adoption.

While Gates acknowledged that NFTs could have some uses, such as authentication or digital art, he suggested that their current popularity is based more on hype than substance.

But are they really dead?

NFTs have been in the news a lot lately, and not always in a good way. Some people have called them “scams” that allow rich people to buy worthless digital assets for exorbitant prices. Others have praised them as revolutionary new technologies that will upend the way we think about ownership and value. So, what’s the truth? Are NFTs scams or saviors? The answer is probably “both.”

While there are certainly some questionable practices going on in the world of NFTs, there’s also no denying that this new technology has the potential to change the world in profound ways

In addition to other blockchains, NFTs are proving that they can provide more utility than just a profile picture. At its core, an NFT is a compilation of code that proves ownership. Known as a smart contract, this code can be customized to execute a plethora of actions.

Sellers of an NFT can add stipulations that entitle them to a share of the sale every time an NFT changes hands. For buyers, this means that they can engage in resale activity with the peace of mind that they will still maintain some control over their investment. In this way, NFTs have the potential to revolutionize the way we think about digital ownership.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a venture capitalist and founder of VaynerX, a media and marketing holding company. He’s also a well-known figure in the tech world, and his comments on the role of NFTs in professional sports leagues recently caught the attention of many. In an interview with sports media company Bleacher Report, Vaynerchuk was asked how he sees professional sports leagues utilizing NFTs.

He said, “One thing I can guarantee you is that in 25 years our kids are gonna be laughing at us for not understanding the value of these things.” Gary went on to say that he believes NFTs will eventually be used for things like ticketing, memorabilia, and even player contracts.

Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, says his NBA team will start selling game tickets as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). His reasoning is that by using an NFT ticket, the NBA can program smart contracts to ensure that every time a ticket changes hands in the aftermarket, they will earn royalties.

Currently, when a ticket sells on eBay or another platform, the NBA gets nothing out of the sale.Cuban says he thinks other teams will quickly follow suit once they see the Mavericks’ success with NFT tickets. “It’s just another way to engage with our fans and give them options,” Cuban said. “And it’s just good business.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has also said he’s open to the idea of exploring NFTs for ticketing. It remains to be seen whether fans will be willing to pay a premium for an NFT ticket, but Cuban is betting they will. “I think it’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when.”

It’s clear that Gary Vaynerchuk and others are bullish on the role of NFTs in the professional sports world, and it will be interesting to see if his predictions come true.

How to Use the 4A Framework For Marketing Genius

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-06-21

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The 4A Framework is a content strategy that involves creating four pieces of content on the same topic, each from a different angle. To use the 4A Framework, simply choose a topic and then come up with four different angles to approach it. For example, if you’re a financial advisor, you could write about the different stages of retirement planning, the benefits of saving early, the importance of estate planning, and how to best invest for retirement.

By providing LinkedIn users with this wealth of information, you’ll not only be demonstrating your expertise but also helping them to make more informed decisions about their finances.

1) Actionable: is designed to give readers new insights and information that they can use to improve their lives or businesses. This can take the form of tips, hacks, resources, and guides. Actionable content is often tactical in nature, providing readers with specific steps they can take to achieve a goal. For example, a guide to starting a successful blog might include tips on finding a niche market, developing compelling content, and promoting your site through social media. By contrast, a general article on the history of blogging would not be considered actionable content. When used effectively, actionable content can be an invaluable resource for readers looking to improve their lives or businesses.

2. Analytics: Numbers and analysis can be extremely helpful in convincing readers to adopt a new way of thinking. By breaking down complex concepts into manageable data sets, analysts can provide powerful insights that can change the way people see the world. In many cases, trends and averages can reveal previously hidden patterns that help explain why things are the way they are. For example, consider the case of income inequality. By looking at data on wages, tax rates, and government benefits, analysts have been able to shine a light on the multidimensional causes of this issue. As a result, the public is now better equipped to have informed discussions about policy solutions. Similarly, teardowns- detailed examinations of products or processes- can help consumers understand how things work and make more informed choices. In sum, numbers and analysis play an essential role in helping people unlock new ways of thinking.

3. Aspirational: Many people find themselves stuck in a rut, feeling like they’ll never be able to achieve their dreams. Aspirational content can help change that by demonstrating what is possible and motivating readers to take action. Stories, biographies, and lessons from past mistakes are all excellent sources of aspirational content. By reading about others who have overcome obstacles and achieved success, readers can begin to believe that anything is possible. Additionally, advice from people who have already accomplished their goals can help readers understand what steps they need to take to achieve their dreams. Aspirational content is an excellent way to motivate and inspire readers to take action and make their dreams a reality.

4. Anthropological: Common fears, failures, and struggles are experienced by people from all walks of life. However, these experiences can often be magnified when they are considered in light of the current state of things. For example, many people may feel anxious about the current state of the economy or the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Similarly, people may feel that their struggles are insignificant compared to the scale of global problems. However, it is important to remember that everyone has their own unique set of experiences and challenges. By understanding and empathizing with others, we can help create a more compassionate and tolerant world.

Is the Metaverse Just One Big Scam?

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-06-17

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Metaverse spending is predicted to total $5 trillion in 2030, according to a new report from McKinsey. The report, which surveyed 2,000 people across the US, UK, Germany, and China, found that 79% of respondents said they had already made a purchase in the metaverse. Of those who had not yet made a purchase, 60% said they were interested in doing so.

So what exactly is the metaverse? According to McKinsey, it’s “a persistent, digital universe of infinite scale and detail where people can meet, interact, and do business.” In other words, it’s basically like the internet, but with even more stuff to buy. However, with the crash of Bitcoin and the seeming death of NFTs as proclaimed by the media, some are claiming this is nothing but a scam and will soon die out.

It’s hard to deny that NFTs had a moment. Everywhere you look, people are talking about them and trying to cash in on the craze. However, not everyone is convinced that NFTs are here to stay. Fred Ehrsam, the co-founder of Coinbase, believes that 90% of NFTs will have no value in 3-5 years. He reasons that NFTs are driven up in value because of hype and the “community” that surrounds it. There is no inherent value in the art itself.

Also, as much as we all would love to live in the metaverse, Elon Musk doesn’t think it will happen anytime soon. He’s even made fun of the idea, saying that people wouldn’t want to spend too much time in a virtual world where they have to put screens on their faces. It’s hard to argue with him, especially when you consider how uncomfortable it is to wear a VR headset for extended periods.

Metaverse real estate is a very niche market, and it’s important to keep this in mind before investing any resources. The market is far from dead, with NonFungible.com reporting 128,902 sales of metaverse properties (including avatars) in the 365 days prior to Dec. 21, 2021. However, this pales in comparison to the secondary market for physical real estate, which saw over 5 million sales in the same time period.

However, I believe that the metaverse will eventually become a reality, and people will be able to spend as much time in it as they want. After all, it’s only a matter of time before we develop technology that can allow us to experience the virtual world without having to strap a bulky headset to our heads.

Also, some are concerned that the metaverse will collapse. No one wants to think about their investment failing. Still, there’s always a risk with investing in anything, and we might as well talk about the elephant in the room: The risk with metaverse real estate is considerable and worse, if a metaverse platform folds, your investment just disappears.

Unlike real-world real estate, where you can always fall back on the fact that you still have this piece of land or this building if a metaverse platform goes under, your investment is gone for good. It’s like investing in a virtual world that could just suddenly cease to exist. In fact, it’s more likely than not that most metaverse platforms will go under and most investments will fail.

When it comes to the question of whether the Metaverse is a scam, there is no easy answer. There are a lot of conflicting opinions out there, and it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. However, I believe that the Metaverse is not a scam.

Here’s why: The Metaverse is a term used to describe the growing trend of people interacting with each other and the world around them through virtual reality. While the concept of the Metaverse is still in its early stages, it is constantly evolving as more and more companies begin to invest in this technology.

We are already seeing a major shift in how we interact with the world around us, and this is only likely to continue as technology develops further. The Metaverse has the potential to change the way we work, shop, socialize, and even travel. It will provide new opportunities for businesses and allow people to connect in previously impossible ways.  As the Metaverse continues to grow, we will see an increasingly connected world where physical borders are no longer a barrier to communication and collaboration.

But here’s the thing: the metaverse is already here…and it’s called Fortnite. Unlike any other game I’ve played, it makes people come back over and over again. I haven’t played in a while, but because of my son there was at least four years where we played almost every day.

Built by Epic Games, Fortnite is a survival game where 100 players drop onto an island and fight to be the last player standing as a storm closes in around them, forcing everyone to move closer and closer together until only one is left standing.  The catch is that every match is different, thanks to the ever-changing map and constantly updated list of weapons and items.

And while some may say that Fortnite isn’t a “metaverse” because it’s not fully simulated like Second Life or Habbo Hotel, I would argue that it’s even better because it’s more focused on gameplay and fun. I would go so far as to say that Fortnite is the perfect metaverse for our current era: it’s social, it’s ever-changing, and it’s just plain fun.

Although the Metaverse is still in its early stages of development, I believe that it has the potential to change the world as we know it. It will provide platforms for people to connect in previously impossible ways.  We will be able to visit virtual worlds, shop in virtual stores, and even attend virtual concerts. This technology has the potential to bring people together and improve communication across cultures.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the Metaverse. What do you think are its benefits? How do you see it changing our lives? Leave your comments below!

Affiliate Marketing = Fraud in 2022

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-06-14

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Stealing money — Bank, Coin Bank, Security System, Telephone

If you read some of the latest data surrounding the extent of affiliate fraud, you might have questions. In 2020, nearly 10% of traffic coming from affiliate marketing programs was fake. Now, in 2022, that number has almost doubled (17%), which means the affiliate industry is expected to lose over $3.4 billion in fraud this year.

How can this be? What’s going on? As someone who has run a $200 million/year affiliate network, and owned one of the first CPA networks in the world in 2000, I have some significant insight into what is going on.

The simple answer is that affiliate fraud has become more sophisticated and harder to detect. Bad actors are using increasingly sophisticated bots to generate fake traffic, and they’re becoming very good at it. In fact, they’re so good that even some of the largest affiliate networks have been duped.

So what can be done? The affiliate industry needs to get better at identifying and filtering out bad traffic. But that’s easier said than done. In the meantime, if you’re an affiliate marketer, it’s important to be aware of the risk of fraud and take steps to protect yourself. Research from CHEQ, a cybersecurity firm, revealed a wide array of bots and human-malicious traffic being driven by affiliate partners, including botnets, click farms and automation tools.

Guy Tytunovich, Founder and CEO of CHEQ says,”Affiliate marketing has unfortunately become synonymous with fraud and fake traffic… It’s no longer a question of ‘do I have fraud’, it’s only a question of how much.”

Who should you be worried about? Here’s a huge hint, stop working with people that the FTC has gone after. They have proven themselves to be fraudsters, they have proven themselves to be scammers. Make sure if you’re in the industry, these companies are on block lists, and that you’ll never work with them.

Two folks even sued by the FTC have even received “awards” from Affiliate Summit for their “contributions.” I want you to think about this: someone so fraudulent that the FTC sued them for millions of dollars, received an award for “contributions” to the affiliate industry.

This means that the industry celebrates frauds, celebrates scams and honors the people the rest of the industry would never normally do business with. However, if you’re involved in affiliate marketing, someone is brokering your offer, your product to someone who is scamming someone.

The FTC proved it.

This is guaranteed, because the industry is accepting of frauds and promotes them because they pay the bills.

Because that’s their business model. Period. They depend on the 20% or so of fraud to be competitive, and to make money.

That’s why there are only a few companies I recommend that anyone work with: those with an established company, have never been targets of the FTC and have taken proactive action to prevent fraud by not allowing “brokers” to take it to scam networks.

While this is a staggering number, it’s not surprising when you consider how affiliate marketing works.

Essentially, affiliates are rewarded for driving traffic to a merchant’s site, and as the industry has grown, so too has the amount of fraud.

Unfortunately, this means that merchants are losing out on billions of dollars in potential sales each year.

What can be done to combat this problem?

There are a few things that need to happen in order to reduce the amount of affiliate fraud.

Affiliates need to be better educated about what constitutes fraudulent activity and how they can protect themselves from being scammed.

Merchants also need to invest in better technologies that can help them detect fake traffic and identify malicious actors.

Analytics is the only way to go here, most fraud solutions for “affiliate marketing” are nothing but frauds. I mean this, there are very few companies with a proven fraud detection system that works. I’ve asked almost every single company to PROVE they are what they claim, and only a few have ever shown me the inner workings — and the data shows over and over again they barely work ever.

Finally, networks need to stop brokering to third party networks. This is common except for a few notable companies. Feel free to contact me if you want to work with them.

Pesach Lattin
Pesach@lattin.us

Netflix to Purchase Roku?

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-06-09

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Roku has been having a tough time lately. The once high-flying streaming company has seen its stock price drop by about 80% since July last year. And now, according to a new report, Roku may be in negotiations to be acquired by Netflix.

If the deal goes through, it would be a major shakeup in the streaming industry. Roku has long been one of Netflix’s biggest partners, helping to power the company’s ctv advertising business. But as Roku’s business has struggled, Netflix has been investing more in its own ctv advertising platform.

The acquisition would give Netflix a direct path into Roku’s massive base of users and could help the company expand its ctv advertising business even further. It’s still unclear if a deal will actually happen, but it’s clear that Roku is in need of a lifeline.

Netflix could be developing its own streaming stick, and Roku would be the perfect partner. Roku has a proven track record with its streaming sticks, like the Roku Express (2019) and the Roku Streaming Stick+ (2021).

These sticks are great for streaming Netflix content in HD or even 4K. So partnering with Roku would give Netflix the best chance to develop a high-quality streaming stick of its own. Plus, with Roku’s experience in the streaming stick market, Netflix would be able to hit the ground running and avoid any costly mistakes. It’s a win-win for both companies.

Roku has also entered partnerships with brands like Hisense (with the Hisense Roku TV) and TCL (with the TCL 5-Series 2020 QLED TV) both of which have Roku’s streaming platform built-in. Netflix could be looking to make its own Netflix TVs just like the telecommunications company Sky has done in the UK with Sky Glass.

Roku has been the top connected TV platform in the United States for some time, but it faces challenges from smart TV manufacturers that have their own ad-supported platforms. A possible acquisition by Netflix could help Roku maintain its competitive advantage. Roku users are highly engaged with streaming content, and the platform offers a variety of options for advertisers.

However, Roku does not have its own subscription video service, unlike some of its competitors. Netflix is the world’s leading streaming platform, with over 167 million subscribers worldwide.

The two companies already have a close relationship, and integrating Netflix’s content onto Roku’s platform would give Roku a significant boost. It would also allow Netflix to expand its reach even further into the living room

Because of this Roku recently suspended employee trading of its stock. The news sent Roku shares soaring on Thursday, with the stock up more than 15 percent in midday trading.

The report, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said that Roku halted employee trading after an exec shared “a rumor” that Netflix was considering acquiring the company. If it were acquired by Netflix, it would be a major consolidation in the streaming space.

But for now, it’s just a rumor. Stay tuned.

Three Common Pitfalls of Social Media Marketing

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-05-25

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There can be no doubt that social media marketing is now an essential part of any successful marketing strategy. With over 2.3 billion people worldwide having social media accounts, it has become a primary venue for brands to connect with their audiences.

What is more, social media provides businesses with an unprecedented opportunity to gather data about their customers and tailor their marketing messages accordingly. To maximize the potential of social media marketing, businesses need to ensure that their strategies are well-planned and that they are constantly monitoring and adjusting their approach. By doing so, they can stay ahead of the competition and make the most of this powerful tool.

Remembering that social media is “social” is an important marketing strategy. As consumers become savvier, they are less likely to respond to traditional selling techniques. Instead, they want a brand experience that feels more personal and authentic. This means that marketers must be careful not to be too pushy or promotional in their social media interactions. Instead, they should focus on creating content that is interesting and engaging. By doing so, they will be more likely to win over the hearts and minds of today’s consumers

Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin

It’s tempting to try and be everywhere at once when it comes to social media marketing. After all, there are a lot of different platforms out there, and some marketers assume that if they can just cover them all, they will hit the right customers.

However, this is not always the case. It’s important to remember that not every social media platform is right for every business.

For example, a B2B company is unlikely to find much success on Snapchat, while a fashion brand might struggle to stand out on LinkedIn. The key is to focus on the platforms that are most likely to reach your target audience. By doing this, you’ll be able to create more effective campaigns and see better results.If you’re targeting an older audience on Snapchat, you might want to reconsider your strategy.

The platform is known for its fun and youthful filters, which can be a turn-off for more mature users. In addition, the ephemeral nature of Snapchat content means that it’s often viewed as less valuable than other types of content.

For a business or brand looking to connect with an older audience, Snapchat may not be the best channel. However, if you’re looking to reach a younger audience, Snapchat can be a great way to connect with them. Just make sure your content is appropriate for the platform!

Don’t Just Advertise, but Be Genuine
Internet users are inundated with advertising. They use their social media accounts for conversation, making connections, and developing relationships. They want entertainment and perhaps inspiration. What they don’t want is companies selling them stuff. So, if you’re looking to connect with potential customers online, don’t just advertise. Instead, try developing a rapport with your audience. Share interesting stories, give them something to laugh about, and be genuine in your interactions. You may not make a sale every time you post, but you will build goodwill and establish yourself as a company worth doing business with. And that’s worth more than any ad campaign.

Ah, social media. The land of interacting with people you went to high school with but haven’t seen in years, pictures of food, and memes. So how do you use this powerful tool to connect with your audience and promote your brand? Well, you could take a cue from some of the most popular social media users out there and follow suit. For example, one way to engage your audience is by sharing funny or relatable content. But be careful not to overdo it – no one wants to be bombarded with posts every hour on the hour. Another way to connect with people is by being authentic and transparent. Showing the people behind your brand helps to create a sense of trust and connection. And finally, don’t forget to listen to your audience! See what they’re saying about your brand and adjust accordingly.

You Didn’t Get Your Audience Involved

Social media is a funny thing. Marketers post online all the time, but they very rarely involve their customers in the process. And yet, social media accounts are a proven method of success. Why? Because when customers are involved, they feel a sense of ownership and investment in the brand. They become advocates, and they help to spread the word about the company. Involving customers in social media is a win-win situation: it helps the bottom line and it builds loyalty and goodwill. So next time you’re planning your social media strategy, remember to involve your customers. It’ll pay off in the long run.

There are so many ways to get your audience involved in social media, and when they get involved, they are more likely to share that involvement with their friends. Here are some ways in which you can involve your audience:

– Get them talking: Use social media to start a conversation with your audience. Ask them questions, solicit feedback, and encourage interaction. The more you get them talking, the more likely they are to keep coming back for more.

– Make it interactive: There are all sorts of ways to make social media more interactive. Use polls, quizzes, games, and other engaging content to keep people coming back for more.

– Go live: Live streaming is one of the most popular features on social media right now. Use it to your advantage by streaming live events, product demonstrations, or anything else that would be of interest to your audience.

– Be responsive: It’s important to be responsive when people reach out to you on social media. Answer their questions, address their concerns, and thank them for their input.

So there you have it – three common social media marketing mistakes that can kill your online presence. Avoid these blunders, and you’ll be on your way to developing a successful social media strategy that engages followers and drives traffic to your site.

But what do you think? Are there any other mistakes that we missed? Let us know in the comments!

WTF is “Multi-Touch Attribution?”

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-05-25

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Multi-touch attribution is a method of marketing measurement that allows marketers to see the value that each touchpoint has on driving a conversion. It takes into account all the touchpoints on the customer journey and designates a certain amount of credit to each channel. This method is important because it provides insights that can help marketers improve their campaigns and better understand how customers interact with their brand. Additionally, multi-touch attribution can help marketers identify which channels are most effective at driving conversions so that they can allocate their resources accordingly. While there are several different models of multi-touch attribution, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, this method of marketing measurement is an essential tool for any marketer who wants to optimize their campaigns and understand their customers’ behavior.

A company’s use of different advertising platforms can have a significant impact on a consumer’s purchase decision. In the case of Nike, for example, a potential buyer may be targeted with ads on multiple channels before making a purchase. First, they may see a display ad that catches their attention. Next, they may see a native ad on their Instagram feed that drives them back to the Nike site. Finally, they may visit the site with a promotional offer. Each of these touchpoints play a role in influencing the consumer’s decision, and collectively they provide a well-rounded picture of the product. As such, it is important for companies to carefully consider which platforms they use to reach their target audience.

Multi-touch attribution (MTA) models have become increasingly important for digital marketers in recent years. This is because MTA models provide a more granular, person-level view of attribution than traditional aggregate methods such as media mix modeling (MMM). MTA models are particularly well-suited to measuring the impact of digital campaigns, which often involve multiple touchpoints across multiple channels. By contrast, MMM relies on aggregate data and therefore cannot take into account the unique journeys of individual consumers. MTA models address this limitation by tracking individual interactions with digital campaigns and attributing credit accordingly. This person-level view of attribution can be extremely valuable for marketers looking to optimize their campaigns and better understand the customer journey.

In the age of digital marketing, touchpoints are numerous and constantly changing. Consumers are bombarded with advertising messages from a variety of channels, making it harder than ever for marketers to reach them. As a result, traditional methods of marketing attribution, which focus on a single touchpoint, are no longer effective. Multi-touch attribution provides visibility into the success of touchpoints across the customer’s journey, allowing marketers to make data-driven decisions about where to allocate their resources. This is increasingly important as consumers continue to evolve and become more adept at avoiding marketing messages. By utilizing multi-touch attribution, marketers can ensure that they are meeting consumers on the right channel at the right time.

Multi-touch attribution (MTA) is a data-driven approach to marketing that also aims to improve the consumer experience and increase marketing ROI. MTA uses data from multiple touchpoints along the consumer journey to understand how each interaction contributes to conversion. This detailed understanding of the consumer journey can help marketers to optimize their campaigns for maximum impact. For example, MTA can help marketers to identify which channels are most effective at driving conversions, and which message types are most relevant to each stage of the journey.

In addition, MTA can also help marketers to shorten sales cycles by engaging consumers with fewer but more impactful marketing messages. By using MTA to understand the consumer journey, marketers can make informed decisions that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their campaigns.

WTF is “First-Party Data? And why is it so Important?

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-05-25

0

First party data is defined as data that your company has collected directly from your audience — made up of customers, site visitors, and social media followers. “First party” refers to the party that collected the data firsthand to use for re-targeting. In other words, first party data is firsthand data that can be used to target ads more effectively.

This may seem like a minor distinction, but it’s a pretty big deal.

The main difference is that first party data is more reliable than other forms of data because it’s been collected directly from the source.

This means that first party data can be used more effectively for re-targeting purposes, and it can also be used to create more accurate customer profiles.

As a result, first party data is considered to be a valuable asset for any company that wants to improve its advertising and marketing efforts.

A recent study found that first-party data offers a significant advantage over other data sources when it comes to marketing performance. The study, which was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, found that first-party data can improve short-term performance by up to 30%. This is a significant finding, as it suggests that first-party data is much more valuable than other data sources.

And while first-party data may not be able to explain the relationship with customers and their paths to purchase, it can offer a level of insight that gives brands real control over their commercial destiny. This study is a strong reminder of the importance of first-party data, and the advantages it offers over other data sources.

Most organizations are not taking full advantage of first-party data, even though it could be a major performance marketing resource. First party data is unique and can give organizations insights that other data sources cannot.

Additionally, channels that produce first party data are often of growing importance. For these reasons, first party data should be a key focus for any organization looking to improve its performance and revenue.

First-party data is the most powerful tool in performance marketing, and it should be used to increase customer lifetime value.

This data is unique in its ability to track a customer’s entire experience from first “meeting” the company to leaving it. By taking a longer view, marketers can use this data to improve the customer experience and increase loyalty. In addition, first-party data can be used to target high-value customers and increase sales.

As the importance of first-party data becomes increasingly clear, companies must make sure they are collecting and using this data effectively.

Day Trading Mistakes Beginners Should Avoid (by Ido Fishman)

By

WebImpactor

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2022-05-24

0

As more and more people are turning towards investing for supplementing their income, there is a strong chance that a number of investors are experimenting with day trading even though they don’t have any experience in the financial markets. There isn’t a lack of products to invest in, but achieving success in day trading is easier said than done. Ido Fishman states that there are ways to improve your chances of succeeding if you learn to avoid some common day trading mistakes. What are they? Check them out below:

Buying into the hype

A major reason that causes amateur day traders to lose their money is because they make their decisions made on media hype. This often means that you are checking out your social media news feed to see if someone is promoting a stock. Fishman suggests that it is better for you to work on improving your basic investment principles before you start throwing your money around.

Throwing good money after a bad trade

Everyone makes a bad trade and you have to cut your losses eventually. The problem is that some people continue to invest in a failing instrument at a lower price because they hope to average down. Ido Fishman says that even though it can be a decent strategy sometimes, it is not wise to throw good money after you have had a bad trade. There is a possibility another instrument could be making you money, while you are thinking about a previous trade.

Depending on old information

Looking at past performance is something that all experts like Ido Fishman will tell you to avoid. Every investor should learn to depend on a number of news sources, which include stock market analyses, traditional investment newsletters, as well as company’s financial statements, in order to make smart and well-informed decisions.

Forgetting other investment options

Just because you are focused on one market doesn’t mean that you should forget about other investment products completely. Fishman recommends that you put your money into something insured by a bank or a money market account. Likewise, you can also dip your toes in the cryptocurrency market, which has become a household name these days and can give you some good returns.

Day trading mutual funds

You should bear in mind that it takes time for mutual funds to appreciate in value. Therefore, Fishman believes that day trading is better in case of conventional brokerage accounts and cryptocurrencies, rather than top-heavy funds. In fact, mutual funds have been marketed as a good option for people who are looking to save money up for retirement. In that case, you definitely don’t want to invest in something risky.

Confusing opportunity and risk

We have all heard the phrase ‘no risk, no reward’, but this isn’t always right. You don’t have to risk a substantial amount of money in a crypto exchange or the stock market for making money. Instead, experts like Ido Fishman suggest that you should set a limit and not invest more cash than you can afford to lose. Gambling and day trading may have a lot of similarities, but you don’t want to treat your investment as if you are playing casino games. Investment is not poker; it is how you grow the value of securities.

Believing in systems exclusively

A number of financial experts have come up with complex trading systems that are aimed at making execution of day trading strategies easier. Fishman states that even though these do work at times, it is possible that they are based on bad data. Market forces tend to change, which means that predicting the performance of any specific strategy is more than difficult. You need to be flexible and study a number of strategies to use for reducing the risk that you would end up doing business in just one way.

Why So Much Fraud in Online Advertising?

By

Pesach Lattin

-

2022-05-23

0

I’ve been tracking down fraudsters for quite a bit, first for the US Secret Service, and then in the advertising industry in my publications. Nothing really irks me so much as fraud — especially when it’s played by some of the largest industry players in the land.

The fraud not only makes our entire industry look worse, but makes it harder for legit, honorable companies to break-through when the “Titans” of industry are taking advantage of everyone.

This problem has been exacerbated in recent years by the rise of programmatic advertising which replaced the old network-publisher relationship business with a more automated approach where machine-based ad exchanges control the ad placement process without human oversight.

This led to a massive drop in price and quality.

Now an estimated 70% of online adverts are never seen by humans.

To show how useless programmatic display is, Dr. Augustine Fou bought 1 billion ad impressions, and despite a million clicks, didn’t get a single conversions. I want you to think about this – supposedly one million people clicked on their ads, a billion people saw the ads, but not a single person converted.

According to Dr Fou: “As more ad inventory is bought and sold programmatically on ad exchanges, bad guys are finding it far easier to commit fraud because few agencies and advertisers actually check in detail the hundreds of thousands of sites on which the ads are run. It’s easier to hide in a far larger haystack.”

If this makes no sense to you, join the club of experts, because it’s obvious fraud, but the network’s “fraud detection” didn’t catch anything, even though a third grader could tell you something was extremely fishy.

“Fraud goes to zero when every deal is sold directly, whether it’s through an IO or [guaranteed] programmatic,” said Matt Prohaska, CEO and principal of Prohaska Consulting in Digiday. “It’s the SSPs who are doing an awful job sheltering and allowing criminals to just set up shop.”

Yes, some of the SSPs are helping the fraudsters commit fraud.

So you’d think the advertisers and brands had a solution, right? Nope! In a recent survey of advertising decision makers, 43% said that they could not estimate how much of the suspicious traffic on their websites was originating from sophisticated bots, and had no solution internally to even stop it.

So why is this happening? Why is there so much fraud? I have more than a few ideas why, but here are some of my most prevalent theories.

1) Everyone is looking for a deal, and this promotes fraud. Still to this day, many agencies look to lower the effective CPM or provide more eyeballs to make it seem like they are providing their clients more inventory and father reach. However, often these “deals” are nothing more than junk inventory that no one will see, let alone convert. There is no doubt in my mind many of the agencies either look the other way or just plain ignorant.

2) Many Fraud Detection Companies are USELESS. Minus a few exceptions, most of these companies that claim they can prevent fraud through a complex algorithm that sniffs out the worst offenders and prevents them from defrauding your company but do little or nothing. The sad fact is that most of these companies are not used to prevent fraud, but to make advertisers feel better about their buying decisions. Worse, almost none of the fraud systems have a straight definition of fraud and allow their clients to “move the fraud slider” to allow as much fraud or little fraud they want.

3) Programmatic Networks Don’t Want to Solve Fraud. Here’s a hard thought to stomach: some of the largest ad networks really don’t care about fraud, and only do enough to make it seem like a “hearty effort.” Everyone is looking for billions and billions of advertising impressions now, and there is no way you can buy that much without significant fraud. Now the networks like Gannett, to fill these orders, are allowing ads to be shown anywhere. There is no way that any new “large” networks are anything but reselling junk.

4. Vanity Metrics are Junk Sciencerr. In werewrewreworder to keep the money coming, more and more networks are creating new metrics that have very little real-world value. Many of these strategies are based on pseudo-science and little regards to data-driven testing, measuring, and learning – it’s a poorly crafted pastiche of buzzwords from hasty collected client inputs. It’s almost all meaningless dribble. Any campaign should have some metrics that can prove that people are real, such as popping a survey up once in a while.

I think we need to make this clear: this has gone from “occasional mistakes” made by some large networks, to what seems to be a clear cut case of some networks and technology partners working together to defraud advertisers to the tune of billions of dollars.

If this continues, expect the FTC and perhaps event federal law enforcement to start investigating some ad firms as nothing more than crime syndicates.

Regulating the Metaverse: The Rise of Virtual Influencers

By

Allison Fitzpatrick

-

2022-05-11

0

In recent months, the metaverse has become an increasingly popular buzzword. Companies are building metaverse platforms and exploring unique ways of engaging consumers within these new digital landscapes. Influencer marketing likely will remain an important tactic to grow engagement within the metaverse.

An important precursor to full immersion in this space is the gradual rise of virtual influencers–lifelike personas that CGI artists, digital agencies (and sometimes even artificial intelligence) create and manage.

The most well-known example is Li’l Miquela, though there are several others.

Some brands are embracing virtual influencers. They can command as strong a following as actual human influencers, while presenting much lower risk and expense. After all, virtual influencers do not need to be flown across the country, put in hotels, fed meals or given per diems.

However, brands and agencies still must be cautious. They should understand legal issues that arise during both human-driven and virtual influencer campaigns in the metaverse.

Morals Clauses
In addition to sponsored posts, virtual influencers frequently create organic social content for themselves. As such, some have established more risqué personas than others. As with human influencers, companies considering working with virtual influencers should carefully vet their prior social media activity. In addition, companies should check the virtual influencer’s previous endorsements, ensuring there is no image-tarnishing material.
In addition, while it is easier to manage a virtual influencer’s behavior than a human’s, it is still a good idea to include a morals clause within contracts for virtual influencers. This allows the company to terminate if the virtual influencer engages in unexpected behavior that might cause reputation damage.

Social Engagement
As brands venture deeper into the metaverse, the prevalence of virtual influencers likely will increase. Some brands may create dedicated virtual influencers. When considering this strategy, communication professionals must consider how virtual influencers will organically accumulate sufficient followers to meaningfully benefit the brand.

Certain companies purport to sell ‘followers’ to social media accounts. However, be warned that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and multiple state regulators have shuttered much of this activity in recent years.

For example, in a high-profile case against Devumi, LLC, regulators stopped the company from creating thousands of fake accounts and selling them to influencers. The influencers used them to fraudulently inflate their followers, view counts and other engagement metrics.

Disclosures
The driving force behind all influencer marketing regulation is the principle that influencers must disclose when they have a material connection with brands they promote. For instance, influencers are required to disclose this information through clear and understandable disclosures–such as #ad or #sponsored. Effective disclosures will continue to be a defining requirement for influencers, human or virtual, who create content on behalf of brands within metaverse platforms.

Transparency
Brands also must consider transparency with respect to disclosing that the influencer is not a real person. For years, Li’l Miquela posted as a real person.

Today, it is common for virtual influencers to prominently identify themselves as being robots or otherwise artificial creations. The FTC has not issued guidance on this issue, but it seems a good bet that regulators would expect virtual influencers to disclose that they are not real people. Such information could sway consumers’ perceptions or conclusions about the influencer’s endorsements.

Since a robot cannot taste, how reliable is its opinion about the taste of Brand X’s new snack product? Wouldn’t such a post be deceptive? For this reason, it is recommended that virtual influencers disclose not only their material connection with a brand, but also that they are not real people.

Bottom Line
Until new influencer marketing regulations emerge that focus specifically on the metaverse, brands must continue to be cognizant of and apply present-day marketing regulations to the metaverse.

Is Roblox the Metaverse?

By

Pesach Lattin

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2022-05-09

0

More on Roblox and the Metaverse. I’m absolutely fascinated with Roblox because it seems to have done what Facebook WANTS to do, years ago. And continues to do well. Roblox (RBLX -9.67%) is a gaming platform that is enormously popular with younger children, with approximately half of its users aged 13 or under.

In third-quarter 2021, daily active users reached 47 million compared to 36 million in Q3 2020, a 31% increase.

These users are also playing more, increasing the number of hours engaged by 29% to 11 billion. Part of its appeal is that Roblox features many games within its platform, and several of them offer virtual worlds (the metaverse) where users can interact with one another. Millions of children are socializing in Roblox without ever leaving their homes.

Founded in 2004, the platform now has 47 million daily active users globally and 9.5 million developers who build out “experiences,” aka user-created worlds and games. Roblox is more akin to Fortnite–parent Epic Games, in that it’s focused on building an immersive world within existing gaming tech, rather than investing heavily in nascent tech like AR and VR. In July 2020, the company claimed that over half of American children play the game.

In 2021, Roblox saw a surge in anime and horror experiences. New titles like Anime Fighters Simulator and The Mimic quickly accrued hundreds of millions of visits while existing titles like Shindo Life and Spider saw their activity double year-over-year. Certain subgenres like simulator collector experiences also saw a four-fold year-over-year engagement time spike, particularly those that require users to collect minions to fight non-player characters (NPCs).

The company went public in March 2021 at a $40 billion valuation. That figure has since risen to over $67 billion.

People are already making millions selling virtual items in Roblox: In a profile of Trusov, Business Insider scanned his income documentation and verified that he had cleared more than $800,000 in 2020 and $1.4 million in 2021.

Bloomberg analysts predict that the metaverse could balloon to an $800 billion market by 2024.

How Does Roblox Make Money?

Roblox uses a Freemium model for its users. While games are free to play overall, users can only access more advanced features and customizations by paying for them. On other platforms, however, this type of micro-transaction has caused many problems for the unaware parents and their bank accounts. But Roblox has attempted to solve this issue by simply requiring players to buy a set amount of its in-game currency (Robux). Once the currency has been used, then players’ Robux accounts need to be refunded. Users are able to set up a one-off payment, or they can set up a monthly subscription to refund the account. This is a great solution for managing what kids spend on the internet.

In 2020, Robux generated 35% of its revenue through Robux sales via Apple’s App Store and 19% through Robux sales via Google Play Store. It is estimated that Roblox makes around $12.50 for every 1,000 Robux sold.

Currently, Roblox has advertising deals with Disney’s Marvel, Lego, and AT&T’s Warner Bros. It also has partners in the form of Toys’R’Us and Walmart, who are able to sell Roblox-branded items bringing in revenue from its licensing agreements. It has also got further plans to host ‘live’ virtual events, having done so in collaboration with artists such as Twenty One Pilots and Zara Larsson in 2021.

With regards to royalties, Roblox allows developers to keep the full copyrights of their intellectual property (IP). However, it retains the right to license out the developer’s products and collect royalties whenever the IP of developers is displayed on another party’s website, forum, etc.

Programmatic Media Fraud is Overwhelming

By

Augustine Fou

-

2022-05-08

0

Let’s do some thought exercises around the programmatic media that you’re buying. The following thought-starters are going to be mind-bending and thought-provoking. Hopefully you will keep an open mind, as you try to wrap your head around what may be mind-blowing, head scratchers.

Advertisers are addicted, agencies are conflicted

Advertisers have been addicted to programmatic media for the last ten years, because of the enormous scale, cost efficiency, and high performance. The large quantities of ads comes from bot activity, fake sites, and fake mobile apps. The low CPMs are due to fake sites selling ads at low prices because they have no costs for making content. The high clicks are from bots, programmed to click on the ads to create the appearance of performance.

Agencies have steered advertisers towards programmatic media because it remains the highest margin line item on the books. The agency hold co’s (“holding companies”) have been documented to give kickbacks to themselves via foreign subsidiaries. They take possession of ad inventory not yet created and sell that to their own clients. This is called principal trading, which is contrary to their fiduciary duty as agents acting on behalf of their own clients. Undisclosed markups through principal trading and other accounting gymnastics have been documented to go as high as 99% of the media CPM paid by their own clients, unknowingly of course. This is how the hold-co’s propped up bottom lines for years. This was the reason hold co’s forced member agencies to run all programmatic trading through the hold co trading desks and pushed their own customers to buy more programmatic media.

The agency hold co’s continue to take kickbacks from ad tech vendors; fraud verification vendors incentivize them by giving cash rebates for forcing their clients to buy fraud verification to “protect themselves” and locking them into multi-year contracts. Advertisers wouldn’t need to “protect themselves” if they avoided programmatic media entirely, and just bought from real publishers that had real human audiences. Further, agencies continue to keep unspent programmatic media budgets by altering the eCPMs (“effective CPMs”) in billing reports; By manually altering the eCPMs higher, they make it appear that all the budgets were spent, even when they were not. The agency books this unspent media budget as “other revenue.” The client didn’t want the money back anyway; so everyone looks the other way.

Bots are programmed to click, humans click accidentally

The bots that create fake ad impressions also click on them. By having bots click on ads at higher rates than humans do, fraudsters trick advertisers who use clicks as a KPI (“key performance indicator”) into shifting more money to programmatic media, away from real publishers with real human audiences. Humans accidentally click on ads — including 1) “fat thumb” while scrolling on mobile, 2) trying to close the ad, instead of click it, and 3) clicking on the ad on the way to the purchase they intended to make anyway. These clicks are like a “self-fulfilling prophecy” which makes performance look awesome; but the costs were entirely unnecessary because the person would have purchased anyway.

Humans block ads, bots don’t

The latest figures on ad blocking put it at between 43% globally [1]. “Globally, the most commonly reported reasons for using ad blockers include excessive amounts of ads (22.3%), the irrelevance of ad messages (22.3%), and the intrusion factor (19.9%).” Ad blocking on desktops and laptops is far higher than in mobile because ad blocking plugins and extensions are available for desktop browsers, not mobile. Brave browser reports 50 million monthly active users across both desktop and mobile. Bots DON’T block ads because it’s their job to cause them to load. So programmatic ads that are delivered are shown disproportionally to bots, not humans. Nearly half of humans online are “not addressable.”

Retargeting by advertisers, audience extension by publishers

Advertisers believe that if a user visited their site, they must be “intenders” so they must be cookied and shown ads wherever else they go — i.e. retargeted. Humans think of this as the “creepy ads following me around the internet.” Bots, however, deliberately visit an advertiser’s site first, and then go to cash-out sites to cause ads to load; by doing so, bots make more money for the fake sites because retargeting CPMs are higher than regular CPMs.

Publishers have also bought into this idea of retargeting, except they call it audience extension. The logic goes something like this — if a user visited WSJ.com once, they can be counted as a member of the WSJ audience so more ads can be shown to them wherever else they go. Bots deliberately visit WSJ.com first, and then get shown ads when they go to cash-out sites — i.e. audience extension. This causes ad budgets to flow to fraudsters, even if the advertiser bought ads from WSJ directly, but forgot to insist they turn off “audience extension.” Audience extension is a way for publishers to make more money because there’s seemingly much larger scale in the audience extension (bots) than in the audience that actually visits WSJ.com directly (humans).

The same slight-of-hand happens when you buy direct from Samsung; you think a direct buy means no fraud; you think your ads go on Samsung TVs. Eighty percent (80%) of the large volumes of impressions are from your ads being shown on fake sites and mobile apps due to the practice of “audience extension.” Clever bots also just change their name to Samsung TVs, LG TVs, Vizio TVs, etc. and earn higher video and CTV prices. Grindr, the mobile app, was caught fabricating bid requests to appear to be coming from CTV devices and CTV apps, so they could earn much higher CTV CPMs than display ads. Every one of the CTV fraud cases found so far consisted of bid requests faked by algorithms randomly rotating TV models, CTV app names, millions of household IP addresses, to appear to be ad calls from streaming, when there was no device, no app, and no streaming at all.

Audience segments and cohorts of bots, not humans

It’s quaint to believe there’s 300 million “auto-intenders” in the U.S. when there are only 350 million people in the U.S. This is the kind of hilarity that ensues when advertisers buy audience segments from DMPs (“data management platforms”) for targeting their ads. Those audience segments are derived from the website visitation patterns of anonymous users, otherwise known as cookies and cookie pools. While the original idea of audience segments might have been a good idea, it is no longer. Bots deliberately visit a collection of websites, like medical journal sites, to collect cookies and make themselves appear to be doctors. Then when they visit cash-out sites they make more money because advertisers are desperate to show ads to doctors, so they pay far higher CPMs to target those audience segments of bots.

Ad tech companies even purport to target individual doctors by NPI number (“National Provider Identifier”). Advertisers believe their ads are being shown to specific cookies that correspond to doctors with NPI numbers. But it’s no more than loose cohorts the ad tech companies approximated to be doctors; in other words a pool of 10 – 20 cookies are approximated to belong to a doctor because the device or IP address relate to their place of work or household. But, if you think about it, you can target that same cohort of doctors just just placing ads on New England Journal of Medicine; you can target the cohort of all oncologists when they visit Journal of Clinical Oncologists. No privacy-invasive, highly inaccurate cookie-based audience segments required. Oh, P.S. those third party cookies are going away anyway in 2023. Boom.

Brand safety defunds real news, and funds fake news

Current brand safety tech blocks ads on the front pages of NYTimes, WSJ, and Washington Post because the pages contain keywords like “covid-19.” When this was exposed in March 2020, these vendors blamed their own customers for the tech failure, by saying the customers should have created whitelists of real news publishers, so their ads wont be blocked on those sites. The brand safety craptech also blocked ads on New England Journal of Medicine because pages contain the word “blood” or Sports Illustrated because pages contained the word “shooting” (as in “shooting pool”). Crappy keyword lists, not advanced AI and NLP (“artificial intelligence” and “natural language processing”).

Brand safety tech defunds real news sites, but fail to do what they promised and sold to their own customers. Large brand advertisers’ ads are still appearing on sanctioned Russian propaganda websites, coronavirus disinformation sites, hate speech, and piracy sites. By blocking ads on real news sites, and failing to detect fake news sites, brand safety tech is causing more harm than if they were not used at all. The ad budgets still have to be spent; so if ads are blocked on real news sites, the dollars flow to fraud sites and fake news sites.

“No data” does not mean “no fraud” or “no bots”

Fraud verification companies have reported fraud in the single digits for years. Is that all the fraud there is? Or is that all the fraud they can catch? It’s the latter. Not only are bots good at tricking their detection, bots are great at evading their detection altogether. Just like humans block ads and trackers; bots simply block the detection tags so they can’t be measured. This is called “tag evasion” or “verification stripping” where the verification pixels are stripped out deliberately. When the fraud detection tags are blocked, these vendors have no data; so they cannot mark the bot as IVT. But “no data” does not mean “no fraud” or “not a bot.” When these vendors show 99.998% “fraud free” in their reporting, it actually does not mean there was no fraud. It just means they failed to detect the fraud or they had no data at all, because their tag was stripped out. That’s right, the other 99% means “they don’t know what the hell it is.”

There’s a false sense of security when advertisers repeatedly hear IVT is 1%, as the Association of National Advertisers (“ANA”) and their subsidiary Trustworthy Accountability Group (“TAG”) has parroted in press releases for the last five years. Advertisers have been misled by the ANA and TAG; fraud is not 1%. The 1% only pertains to the bots that verification vendors’ tech is tuned to look for; it doesn’t take into account ANY other form of fraud like publishers loading 2,500 ads on the page, refreshing ad slots at exactly 1 second because that technically meets the definition of a “viewable impression” according to the MRC standard.

Humans don’t give consent; bots just fake consent

When faced with an onerous consent popup, humans just leave; it’s not worth their time checking 120 checkboxes one at a time to give specific consent to 120 ad tech trackers on the page. The consent popups that have “check all” don’t comply with GDPR properly because the consents given must be explicit and specific. So few humans have given proper consent; but bots do give consent by passing fake GDPR consent strings. How do we know they are faked? Every single field is set to “true” — i.e. consent given; and the same consent string is replayed by (fake) users hopping from country to country. Real GDPR consent is specific to the device, browser, person, site, and vendors. A real human does not teleport between a dozen countries, passing the same consent string to dozens of sites.

Double paid, not double verified

Advertisers think they are protected when they pay for fraud detection. For the reasons stated above, they are not protected. The fraud verification tech can only catch 1% of the bots and fraud, and that’s assuming their detection tag actually fires. In most cases, their tag is blocked or stripped out, so they have no data. That’s why they don’t report anything wrong with 99% of your ads; not that there’s no fraud there. So advertisers are paying for tech that works only 1% of the time (using round numbers). But that’s not all.

I have long said that verification vendors are quadruple-dipping. They make money from advertisers, exchanges, agencies, and publishers, often for the very same campaigns touched by all of those parties at once. Recently I discovered how they did it, without advertisers realizing. When an exchange or publisher is forced to pay for verification, they pass along the costs by hiding it in the media CPM. For example, if you’re paying $3.00 CPMs, you’re actually getting no more than $2.80 CPM inventory. That’s because the $3.00 media CPM hides the 20 cent pass along for verification. Advertisers also pay the vendor under a separate line item called “verification.” They double paid for verification on the same ad and campaign without realizing it because one of the fees was hidden in the “media costs” line and the other was “verification costs.”

So What?

Hopefully your eyes are opened after these thought-provoking exercises. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. But it IS the beginning of you doing something about it. You didn’t know before. Now you know. Once you know, you can act. Prior assumptions and beliefs (“we believe the programmatic media is working really well”) are the ankle-weights that have now been removed by clarity and reality. Time to act.

OTT Advertising is Growing in Leaps and Bounds

By

Pesach Lattin

-

2022-05-06

0

Cord cutting has grown substantially since 2015. Currently, only 56% of Americans report watching TV through cable or satellite, down from 76% in 2015. However, 78% of consumers living in the United States have access to a subscription video service. Despite this major shift, OTT spending, meaning spending spent on streaming service advertisements, makes up only 3% of digital advertising spending because the space is dominated by subscription services with no or light ad loads. This increase in spending, despite still being a fraction of overall spending, reflects a growing shift towards ad-supported streaming.

We spoke briefly with Gary Mittman of Kerv Interactive about what is going on in the OTT space.

Gary Mittman, Gentleman and CEO of Kerv Interactive

What’s the coolest thing about OTT advertising?
IN the OTT / CTV space it is offering the opportunity to think outside the box of traditional interstitial/interruptive TV ads. We are in an environment where the content owners can create formats and concepts that can provide the viewer a user curated experience and give the advertiser an optin user with true intent.

How did the Pandemic Affect OTT Advertising?
With the advent of people being stuck at home and the expanding of the streaming channels we have begun to see subscription fatigue. Consumers are getting entertainment and content from multiple sources. This includes Social, OTT, CTV, Broadcast, Internet Streamers etc. This has caused networks like Netflix to see a decline in subscribers. As we have seen in the press they are now talking about AVOD or ad driven free content. We are at a convergence point of consumers trained to enjoy ad free content and the networks needing to supplement with alternative and creative methods while keeping the viewers interested.

What type of first party data is being used to track?
In the CTV space it is a data driven process, in the OTT space the networks have the user viewing preference data. The question is can the registration data be used for other applications and maintain privacy boundaries.

What is a great way to target locally?
With CTV it is a standard process, but with the OTT networks they have detail on where the user is and can target the ad opportunities with the residence details. IF the user is on a digital device away from that location you have the IP address for now that can assist but there is question if that is going away in the future.

What is KERV offering that is different?
KERV provides a real-time visual analysis with sophisticated AI to understand, like the natural eye, what the viewer is seeing, this is converted into visual metadata and or contextual relevance. WIth these data points KERV can provide a few paths of advertising applications; 1. Contextual data for programmatic relevant ad buys, 2. Creating object specific interactive experiences across all platforms and devices with our Automated ad creation platform. We are thinking out of the box to generate new and interactive experiences for both content and advertising alike.

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