Proposal name: Create an open advertising marketplace for APECOIN ecosystem
Proposal category: Ecosystem Fund Allocation
Abstract:
ADSHARES is asking the APECOIN DAO to provide funding to create an APE AD MARKETPLACE, which will enable Otherdeed owners and creators to monetize their creations and lands with ads – and take in ad revenue in ApeCoin.
While we see this ecosystem as open to external advertisers – it’s primarily designed as an internal ad network - one that would enable the DAO, the Creators (Yuga, Animoca, Improbable), the Otherdeed owners, and Experience creators or Celebrities to promote their work across all Metaverses.
We have already proven successful in creating such infrastructure for Decentraland. 90K+ lands have direct access to an advertising network, and over 100 parcel owners have joined, creating the largest ad network there. And everyone - from the DCL DAO, through Land owners and experience designers, to regular brands can place their ads automatically, in a couple of clicks, using the web3ads.net ad server. A whole APECOIN AD marketplace could be created - where advertisers buy placements directly from creators. Now, we want to take this to the Otherside.
Author description
ADSHARES DAO is a full technological stack to create a new, democratic, transparent global advertising ecosystem, based on blockchain - and connecting worlds that the existing ad networks cannot reach (and thank gods for that).
ADSHARES is an organization which aims to shift the power in digital advertising - from the Corporations to the People.
We have created an ecosystem to decentralize all digital advertising: from the ADSHARES Blockchain, with its own currency ($ADS) - to custom ad networks, ad servers, and marketing support.
You can read everything about our solutions at https://adshares.net
And this is what we have been doing for the past 6 years - developing an open-source, full stack of solutions:
- ADSHARES blockchain to Run, Stake, and Govern the ecosystem.
- $ADS coin and wrapped token - a new currency of digital advertising, owned by the people
- Protocol and apps to settle, deliver, and display the ads.
- Ad network, connecting Advertisers and Publishers directly.
- Ad servers to manage all the digital advertising assets and campaigns programmatically.
Team description
The ADSHARES team consists of: IT, development, programming, PR and marketing management. We are a team of 15 experts and engineers. They are the ones behind our Blockchain, the Settlement Protocol, the Ad Servers - as well as our own communication.
Motivation
Since 2016, our motivation was to create a digital advertising revenue sharing model that works. We created a blockchain, in which all $ADS owners are rewarded proportionally to the network traffic.
Our technology has already proven successful in the case of Voxels, Decentraland, and PolkaCity.
Think of Adshares as the “ad pipework” which aims to connect all web3 placements.
Creating such system for Otherside and the APE community is a natural step forward in creating the Metaverse advertising standard - one truly shaped by the people. Rather than creating a world littered with ads (as many ad-haters tend to see it) - we want to enable and enrich the world with ads that eventually promote more sharing and provide benefits to the community. And give them control over the creative content.
Not only could ads promote new features and updates, increase user engagement, and attract new users, but Adshares technology would also provide an immersive experience for players, allowing them to view ads tailored to their interests and interact directly with them in the game. This integration of ads within the game would not disrupt the user experience and would also allow Metaverse and its community to benefit from additional revenue while providing a safe, enjoyable user experience.
Rationale - An explanation of how the proposal aligns with the APE Community’s mission and guiding values.
Currently - with branded deals, we see in the Sandbox - the Metaverse makes money once - selling their land to a brand or a celebrity. In the Adshares model - the community makes additional income all the time - through an ongoing exchange of ad services. And the fact that we are a DAO - gives us full control over the aesthetics and development of the community.
Otherside and ApeCoin DAO would benefit from Adshares’ advanced technological capabilities, its protocol would help to ensure both transparency and security when it comes to placing ads in the game. Both communities – ApeCoin DAO and Adshares DAO share a common vision of creating a decentralized, open-source, and secure platform for their respective projects. Both communities are also aiming to make their respective projects more accessible to the masses.
Benefits of Web3 Advertising for ApeCoin Ecosystem
- It opens a new, sustainable revenue stream for the ApeCoin community → Monetizing user traffic with ads
- It can integrate ALL of the ApeCoin elements: The Otherside, the Website, Game sites (DookieDash, Legends of the Mara) and many others
- It increases demand for APE → All ad revenue is paid in APE.
- Payments for ads are done on chain, in crypto.
- Any APE holder can place their ad on the ad server - promote their project inside the ApeCoin Ecosystem
- It brings new utility for NFT lands → Otherdeed owners can earn APE by placing ads on their property. They can also advertise their products and services.
- Advertising allows us to build deeper relationships with world-leading brands, thus accelerating the Metaverse adoption.
- ApeCoin DAO has complete ownership over all crucial aspects of the ad system.
Key Terms
Definitions of any terms within the proposal that are unique to the proposal, new to the APE Community, and/or industry-specific.
- Ad server: An ad server is a dashboard to manage all ad placements in the game. It stores advertisements and delivers them to games or other online platforms
- Publisher: A publisher is a company or individual that makes its content available for advertising. In this case – every Otherdeed owner and Otherside engine with all its common places can be monetized.
- Advertiser: An advertiser is a company or individual that pays to place advertisements on a publisher’s website or other online platform. Adshares by integration with OpenRTB protocol can make sure that advertisers from all over the world will be able to advertise in Otherside,
- Adshares Protocol – a blockchain-based system used for buying and selling online advertisements. It allows users to buy and sell advertising space directly with one another, without the need for a middleman. The protocol is designed to improve the efficiency and transparency of the online advertising market by providing a secure and automated platform for transactions.
Specifications
a detailed breakdown of the platforms and technologies that will be used.
Adshares technology provides:
• Monetization of lands and other assets inside the game (public spaces, items)
• Direct payments mechanics in APE
• Open-source software and SDK for seamless customization
• Dedicated dashboard to manage all in-game ad placements & revenue stats.
• Tools for whitelisting/blacklisting ads before allowing them in-game
• Dedicated ad formats in the style of the Otherside world
• Ability to monitor performance data in real time.
Each aspect can be customized for the needs of the community to make sure that every part of the game – that is also monetization, is being managed by the DAO.
3D ads
Instead of static 2D ads, you get to explore 3D ads in an immersive virtual world. This means that advertisers can create truly unforgettable experiences that capture the imagination of viewers. People can now interact with ads in ways never before possible, from playing games to exploring virtual landscapes. With 3D ads, advertisers can create powerful, interactive experiences that drive customers to their products. It’s a revolution in advertising - and it’s going to be an incredible ride.
EXAMPLES OF 3D ADS
Examples of 3d banners which would fit to exact land aesthetics:
With 3D ads, the sky is (not) the limit!
AdServer – one dashboard to manage them all.
One part of the integration is to create a dedicated ad server - a dashboard to manage all ad placements in the game. It is a platform for both private Otherdeed owners and DAO-owned properties, where you can check the statistics of revenue and ad traffic in connected lands. It is also a platform for advertisers to manage their ad campaigns.
Example of ad server dashboard. The front end of the dashboard is completely customizable and might be branded especially for Otherside and Apecoin DAO community.
Every brand that wants to advertise in Otherside will use this platform to create the campaign, set up the duration, budgets, and targets, and upload their creatives. Then if the ads will be accepted they can be automatically displayed across the lands in the game.
The simple flow of APE Coin inside the advertising ecosystem, where every new campaign will create a demand for the Ape Coin. Fees can be easily customizable, depending on the needs and wants of the community.
The ad server should be governed by Apecoin DAO so the community can decide if the ads are accepted or not, or what to do with the platform fees. Platform fee is the percentage of the advertiser budget – the fee amount is also to be determined by the DAO.
The other part which will be the core of integration is the development of smart objects to place the ads in the game. Smart objects will be the dynamic elements to be placed on the user’s land that will automatically pull the ads from the ad server and render them in-game. This smart object will consist of a small script that will connect to the previously mentioned ad server. Each user can see a different ad at the same time, based on the targeting so the Otherdeed owner is enabled to maximize the revenue stream from multiple campaigns. The smart object also contains the wallet address or the user account id to get automatically paid for the ad revenue.
Ad Scoring
Quality rating of ad inventory is a great way to ensure that the ads being served are up to standards. We want to propose a new paradigm, where users can give scores to the ads and in return earn some extra cash as well.
Quality rating of ad inventory allows for ads to be deemed appropriate for a particular place. This helps to ensure that the ads are not only relevant to the user experience but also that they are safe and free from malicious content. This is especially important in the web3 world as malicious ads can often contain inappropriate content.
The quality rating also helps to improve the overall user experience. Ads that are relevant to the content being viewed are more likely to be clicked on and viewed by the user, increasing the chances of the ad being successful thus providing better revenue for the land owner and the whole ecosystem. Overall, the quality rating of ad inventory is an important part of the modern internet, and we want to decentralize this aspect of AdTech as well. The same goes with publishers, there is a need for a special system that eliminates fraud and bots. This can be also governed by the community which can rank higher those places which have non-intrusive ads and rate lower these lands which have lots of bad-looking ads.
This module would also provide revenue to the community since certain commissions from ad spending can be transferred back to the community and people who take care of the ad scoring.
Steps to Implement
The steps to implement the proposal, including associated costs, manpower, and other resources for each step where applicable.
PHASE 1
The first phase can be started right after the voting ends, without the need to have Otherside live. Main goals of PHASE 1:
• establish communication channels between Adshares DAO and ApeCoin DAO
• select dedicated community members to act as delegates within the BAYC community, to have regular updates on the project’s development and progress.
• conduct a series of workshops regarding all possibilities of implementation of the Adshares protocol.
• Prepare the exact scope of the work.
PHASE 2
The second phase will begin with setting up and customizing ApeCoin Adserver based on the feedback from PHASE 1. The integration will be done with the use of ODK (Otherside Development Kit) once it gets released.
• AdServer setup - configure the advertising system to meet the specific needs of the community.
• AdServer stability and integrity tests.
PHASE 3
With Otherside going live we will be able to start working on the integration of all deployed elements (AdServer, AdPanel).
R1. &D - Begin researching and developing the integration of Adshares into the Otherside Metaverse to implement advertising. [2W]
- Smart Object development – development of an object which will render the ad inside the Otherside. [1M]
- Initial tests on lands that are already acquired by Adshares DAO. [2W]
- ApeCoin connector development – this allows users to receive payment from ads in ApeCoin directly to the wallet. It also increases demand for APE. [2W]
- AdScoring design and development [1M]
Timeline
Relevant timing details, including but not limited to start date, milestones, and completion dates.
| 1.Establishing team, comms channels, initial research, creative & tech workshops | month 1, 2 |
|---|---|
| 2. Development of customized AdServer | month 3 |
| * MILESTONE: Adserver completed | |
| 4. R&D based on released ODK | month 4 |
| 5. ApeCoin Integration | month 4/5 |
| 6. Smart Object Development | month 5 |
| 7. Tests | |
| * MILESTONE: Integration with ODK | |
| 8. AdScoring system development | month 7 |
| 9. Final Tests & Improvements | month 8 |
Overall Cost - The total cost to implement the proposal.
| AdServer setup and customization | $25K |
|---|---|
| AdScoring system | $10K |
| Management | $15K |
| OpenRTB connector | $5K |
| ApeCoin integration | $5K |
| Total | $60K |
Preamble: the below break down represents the actual COST on our side: man-hours, resources etc.
However - in order to prove our motivations and our vision - we want to offer the APECOIN DAO a 30% discount.
The total cost of implementation listed below would be USD $40K.
