Spotlight - Truth Data Cloud

In my industry it often feels like things are changing at light speed. There is no doubt that the adtech industry has gone through what might be coined as a mid-life crisis. There are, of course, many reasons for this recent volatility, including the rise in ad-blockers of both flavours, the software versions and the growing influence of generation Z who seem to avoid ads at all costs. Automated systems such as programmatic and header bidding has also taken its pound of flesh, leading to many in the industry needing to reinvent themselves and up-skill.

For this post I wanted to focus in on a couple of points that have bugged the industry from the outset. Firstly “transparency”. Is the digital ad I paid for actually getting consumed by the audience I targeted and are the associations brand safe? Secondly “data”. In a world of data breaches where private data has become its own currency and the advent of tighter regulation like GDPR where do we go next?

Automated ad and targeting technology is not the only area of technological advancement. We have also seen a surge in blockchain technologies and applications. I have reviewed a lot of Blockchain and ICO projects over the past few month and it's fair to say that we are starting to see some really good applications of the technology that will not only be disruptive but hopefully start to solve some of industries biggest unanswered questions.

 One such company is Truth, the first media agency built on Blockchain This allows for real-time audits and solid proof that ad spend is matched with a real consuming audience and is published in a brand safe environment. This ,for the first time gets around the transparency issue, and it's a really BIG deal. For instance we have already seen that P&G is just one of many leading advertisers cutting nearly $200 million from its ad spend in 2017 for exactly the reasons that Truth is addressing. These ad dollars are arguably the very money that underpins the internet that we enjoy today. I appreciate that most of this money ends up in the pockets of the big four, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple but the dollars that escape go a long way in supporting other independent, publishers, brands and the entire ecosystem itself.

Now let's look at “Data”. It's very easy to lose track of where your private data is going, how and when business is capitalising on its use by either directly or selling it on to organisations to provide targeting and profiling tech and reports. It’s fair to say that data in many cases is treated in a very similar way to currency; being bought, sold and traded in a similar fashion.

In my mind if anyone should capitalise out of data at the very minimum it should be the owner. The data owner should also have complete control on who has control and access. Truth Data Cloud is aiming to be just that service, it's refreshing to see companies taking a fresh look at problems and approaching them from a completely ground up perspective using the latest technologies instead of the usual band-aid approach of adding some more small print to the T&C’s. Not only is there rigid accountability with how your data is used, finally we get rewarded via tokens and special loyalty programs from ads and engagements that are relevant based on our shared data and according to our preferences we are interested in engaging with. I would like to wish the whole Truth team lots of success with their upcoming ICO and also look forward to many new technologies and Blockchain applications coming into the market in future months.

How important do you think ad transparency is in today's internet?

How much is your personal data worth?

How important is it to secure?

#Truth #TruthDataCloud #Ico #Blockchain #MaryKeaneDawson #OliverSouthgate