Please describe your proposed solution
Concept Overview:
DeAdvert is a decentralized onchain programmatic ad network built on the Cardano blockchain. This platform aims to facilitate direct, transparent interactions between advertisers and content creators, utilizing Cardano's smart contracts to streamline transactions and maintain data integrity, without the need for intermediaries.
Why Decentralization in Advertising?
The current digital advertising market is dominated by giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon, which control over 54% of the market through walled gardens of first-party data. This centralization limits competition and makes ad targeting inefficient due to restricted access to crucial user data. Web3 and blockchain technology disrupt this model by making on-chain data accessible to all, democratizing information and leading to a more transparent, user-focused, and equitable advertising environment.
In Web3, the availability of on-chain data levels the playing field. Advertisers can base their strategies on transparent user activities and interests rather than relying on restricted first-party data. This shift promises a future where advertising is more about network quality and algorithms and less about association with a specific consumer interface.
Technical Architecture of DeAdvert:
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Smart Contracts for Ad Transactions:
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Ad Auction Contract: Handles the auction of ad spaces, allowing advertisers to bid for slots based on budget and target audience criteria.
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Payment Settlement Contract: Manages secure and immediate transfer of ADA from advertisers to creators when ads are displayed.
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Content Verification Contract: Checks ad content against rules stored on-chain to ensure compliance with platform standards.
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Onchain Ad Content and Metadata Storage:
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Ad assets are represented by native tokens with embedded metadata including content hashes, display parameters, and duration.
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Large ad content is stored off-chain (e.g., IPFS) with links to decentralized identifiers (DIDs) in the metadata of native tokens.
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Programmatic Ad Matching Engine:
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A decentralized engine on Cardano processes bids and offers in real-time, optimizing ad placements based on criteria like viewer interests and demographics.
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Algorithms within Plutus smart contracts automate matching while ensuring user privacy and data security.
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User Consent and Data Privacy:
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Integrates a consent framework in blockchain, allowing users to manage their ad preferences and data-sharing settings securely.
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Employs zero-knowledge proofs to verify user traits for targeted advertising without revealing personal data.
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Transparent Reporting and Analytics:
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Builds an immutable ledger of ad performance metrics and user engagements for transparent analytics accessible by both advertisers and creators.
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Utilizes Oracle services to bring in necessary off-chain data, maintaining authenticity and reliability.
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Dynamic Ad Content and Interactivity:
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Supports dynamic and interactive content by enabling smart contracts to serve as backends for ads that can change based on interaction or external data.
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Advertisers can update ad logic or content through transactions, adapting in real-time to market trends or behaviors.
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Tokenomics and Incentive Mechanisms:
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Introduces a utility token for transactions, governance, and as a staking mechanism to ensure network participation and security.
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Designs incentive models to reward users for viewing ads, providing feedback, or sharing data.
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Cross-Platform Integration and Compatibility:
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Ensures integration with various platforms and social media via APIs and SDKs that interact with Cardano smart contracts.
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Develops cross-platform wallet integration for seamless transactions and ad interactions across devices.
Future Implications
In a future where advertising exchanges operate like any market exchange, DeAdvert can facilitate a fully decentralized ecosystem where bidders and askers trade ad views enriched with relevant data. This can be standardized and decentralized with operations automated by smart contracts. Here, both data access and inventory management could be permissionless, enhancing transparency and efficiency.
Potential innovations include pools of unique data, analytics engines, or advertiser’s reward token pools. There's even potential for end-users to place their first-party data into pools of specific advertisers they trust, earning fees from ads similar to how they earn from swaps on Uniswap.
The transition to such a decentralized model means that the future of advertising on DeAdvert and similar platforms will prioritize user preferences and privacy, breaking away from the oligopoly of current ad giants and moving towards a more open, transparent, and user-empowering ecosystem.