What does blockchain technology have to do with marketing? Potentially a lot.

In the financial sector right now, there’s one word on everyone’s lips: blockchain. As a technology, it may not sound revolutionary to start with. It’s basically a fully-transparent, shared database of transactions. Simple enough, right?

What’s got people excited is something else: security. It’s why so many financial companies are harnessing the power of blockchain—and, some are already using it to transfer huge amounts of money and data. IBM’s recent survey of industry leaders even predicts that two-thirds of all companies will be using blockchain in only three years’ time.

You might say, “well this is all well and good for finance, but what does blockchain mean for marketing?” And you’d be right. But if you dig deeper, it’s clear to see that blockchain could revolutionize our industry too—it might just be a few more years down the line.

The new kid on the block 

One area of marketing is ripe for a revolution: ad delivery. This is where blockchain comes into its own.

There are marketers out there who still don’t use digital ads as part of their media mix. Even fewer know for sure whether their banners, social posts, or videos have been viewed—let alone if they’re converting as they should.

Why? Because ad delivery is so complicated. It’s why there’s so much guesswork, smoke and mirrors, and plenty of wishful thinking. Marketers put their trust in big agencies, but why should they when the biggest players—don’t always get it right?

Here, blockchain could be the solution.

A new model for marketing

Of course, we’re a long way off yet. But we’re already seeing some exciting applications of blockchain technology—and it’s promising.

Take adChain, a platform that has the potential to track and verify impressions across entire campaigns. They’ve started with a registry of reputable sites and are adding impression tracking, ad-delivery verification, and fraud detection. These are the features marketers want. The challenge now is adoption.

Another project, Basic Attention Token, harnesses the blockchain to solve the rising tide of ad-blockers. BAT serves viewers fewer, better quality ads—as well as being fully transparent and trackable. To top it all off, viewers are rewarded for their time through a small amount of digital currency.

We’re yet to see an industry-wide paradigm shift, but it’s hard to ignore that development’s picking up pace—and fast. BAT, for instance, recently sought funding and raised a staggering $35 million in only 30 seconds. And this is blockchain in its infancy.

It’s worth saying again that these developments are a way off yet. But, as ever, in our industry it always pays to be prepared. Many of us remember the digital revolution—and the great divide between the early adopters and the late arrivals.

So, I guess the question is: can you afford to miss out on the blockchain revolution?

Luke writes about technological advancements that help brands excel in performance. If he’s not busy running his day, you can find him out fishing.

*This article was originally published on Campaign Asia.

“What’s good, digital?” is a compilation of updates happening in the digital world over the week, curated by our team at RED² Digital. Subscribe to our blog to receive bi-weekly newsletter (We won’t spam! Ain’t nobody got time for that) or simply tune into our Facebook and LinkedIn pages!

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Who’s winning? Who’s losing?

Winning

How often do you see The Rock rocking his day with an endless list of to-dos? No no, Fast and Furious doesn’t count. If you’re hungry (literally) and aspired to be a multitasker like him, come smell what the Rock is cooking with Siri!

More: P&G showcased powerful conversations of Black parents in America have long had to have “the talk” with their children. My Black is Beautiful takes on racial bias, a group started in 2006 to spark a broader dialogue about black beauty.

Losing

Having lost millions of ringgit over failed marketing, Datuk Seri Vida, 44-year-old lady boss of Vida Beauty often stars in her own cosmetic brand’s TVC. Why? She claims she trusts no one but herself to write and star in Vida Beauty’s advertisement. Unfortunately, DSV’s best-selling products of cosmetics were recently banned by the Health Ministry in Malaysia on safety grounds, urging the public to refrain from using several cosmetic products as they contain scheduled poisons. Yikes!

Keeping up with the digital changes

Facebook Stories unlocks public sharing

Facebook Camera Effects platform

A little insight goes a long way

Facebook has just announced its community update for Q3 of 2017. Are you part of the Instagram’s 250 million squad?

GIF is getting increasingly popular as millenial’s favorite way to express feelings, just after Emojis. Hence, sponsored GIF is inevitable and this means that users who search for GIFs may be served a sponsored GIF within the messaging tab.

Talking tech is one thing, but have you tried cooking tech? Yes! Buzzfeed is rolling out their new Tasty One Top, an idiot proof cooking stove that connects to Buzzfeed’s newly launched cooking app, Tasty. The stove is predicted to be a hit among millennials since we’re pretty much foodie minus the actual investment in cooking, plus that pentagon shape is pretty much because Instagram.

Awesome case studies

In this week’s curation of great case studies, we bring  you an automobile showdown between Acura, Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes. One wins with AR technology, while the other two created very compelling stories. Watch and decide which one is your favorite?!

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To view the full report on this week digital news, click HERE to subscribe & download. feel free to distribute and use it within your own organisation for training purpose. However, selling and making a profit out of this file is strictly prohibited.

“What’s good, digital?” is a compilation of updates happening in the digital world over the week, curated by our team at Red2 Digital. Subscribe to our blog to receive bi-weekly newsletter (We won’t spam! Ain’t nobody got time for that) or simply tune into our Facebook and LinkedIn pages!

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Who’s winning? Who’s losing?

Chicagoan believes that putting ketchup on hot dogs is a cardinal sin. So what did Heinz do to change this long-lasting perception? Let’s watch and find out!

More: How do you make trash bags interesting? Check out John Cena and his mama in this ad for Hefty? Facebook’s AI is too smart that it needs to be shut down?

Keeping up with the digital changes

In order to crack down clickbaits and misrepresentative content, Facebook is restricting the rights to modify link preview to media publishers only, starting 18 July. While we are still unsure who are qualified as media publishers, we do know that brands need to first “own”or be associated with the domain and second, to authorize their pages before 17 September to modify link preview.

More: Facebook groups are able to be created under a page’s administration

Awesome Case Studies

This week’s Awesome Case Studies features Okamoto, a condom brand from Japan and Netflix Turkey. They both utilized local insights to create awe-inspiring campaigns to tackle cultural challenges. Get ready to be blown away by the videos below!

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To view the full report on this week digital news, click HERE to subscribe & download. Please feel free to distribute and use it within your own organisation for training purpose. However, selling and making a profit out of this file is strictly prohibited.

RED² Digital Solutions has signed an exclusive partnership with LinkedIn in Vietnam. With over 450 million active members worldwide, 100 million in Asia alone, LinkedIn is a popular hub for professionals to stay up-to-date with the industry. Advertising on LinkedIn means marketers can directly reach decision-makers, influencers and the people that matter most to businesses everywhere.

RED² Digital Solutions will be LinkedIn’s sole partner for ad distribution in Vietnam. They will help brands to gain access to LinkedIn’s capabilities and their professional segments.

Luke Janich, CEO of RED², said, “We’re excited to be LinkedIn’s partner of choice in Vietnam at this incredibly exciting time. We’re starting to see more and more global brands entering the market – and we’re honored to be representing one of the world’s most notable tech brands.”

He added, “B2B and Enterprise brands are seeing impressive growth right now. For these businesses, LinkedIn is a powerful platform, helping them to engage the right customer at exactly the right time. With LinkedIn, we’re able to target highly specific segments: from business travelers and to directors, finance or IT professionals. As well as exclusive segments such as Entrepreneurs, Expats, Meeting and Event planners.”

In Vietnam, LinkedIn’s penetration has been rising year-on-year and it is now one of the nation’s top four social networks (Comscore, Vietnam 2016). It’s also becoming more popular with marketers as they seek a more premium advertising environment. For instance, LinkedIn’s lead adverts are driving the highest performance and ROI in the B2B segment right now. They are also some of the safest for brands, harnessing automated bots to create a fraud free environment. LinkedIn currently reaches more than 1.8 million professionals in Vietnam, offering unique opportunities for brand building, product marketing & B2B.

“With more than two members joining LinkedIn every second, we believe our exclusive partnership with LinkedIn offers an undisputed opportunity for Vietnamese professionals to take the next step in their performance marketing & digital transformation,” said Luke Janich, CEO of RED².

RED² Solutions offers businesses unique & innovative digital platforms to connect with employees, new hires & customers alike.

For more information, please email us at lukejanich@red2digital.com.vn.