Twenty years ago, marketing and advertising were a sole industry that relied on a print type of content, banner ads and conventional TV commercials to market their products and services. At the time, the process worked because there were no viable competitors to disrupt the system. The Internet and the rise of social media changed an industry, persuading companies to relocate to the online realm to remain afloat.

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However, consumers have started doubting that using social media is safe. In fact, Facebook has been recently accused of storing user images illegally. Consumers don’t feel safe knowing that every time somebody tags them in a post, Facebook knows who they are. In 2017, the social media giant paid a $1.4 mln fine for violating consumer privacy. This makes people wonder just safe the Internet really is.

Traditional social media platforms are flawed

When digital marketing took over, and offline marketing lost its crown, traditional research methods had to be abandoned as well. Digitization and the increasing popularity of the internet put an end to an industry that was once worth billions. Paid ads on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, are the norm these days. Unfortunately, consumers don’t have control over the data they use or share when accessing these websites. In fact, most ads have embedded crawlers that are used to track visitors on other sites. Retargeting marketing campaigns may seem effective, but some techniques are an invasion of privacy. The data people possess is tracked, constantly monitored and then shared with organizations and companies willing to pay to boost their profits.

Advertising agencies and marketers that still adhere to white hat marketing techniques are challenged daily by those that would rather buy for other people’s data than strive to earn a reputation online. Many online marketing campaigns use fake data to increase their rank and portray themselves as trusted on social media. Having no control over your IP address and no certainty of your copyrights puts the consumer at risk.

Let the battle for combating online ad fraud and fake data begin!

Messaging and email services have led to the creation of a personal data footprint, triggering a new flow of data that enterprise wants to capture and monetize. Personal consumer profiles are no longer limited, and users are losing control and awareness over their data without knowing what impact it may have. Now that channels like Facebook and WeChat have gone global, people’s personal information is available to everyone.

An ocean of data floats out there on the World Wide Web, and social companies like Google and Facebook have become virtual vaults of profile storage, with intentions to sell to third parties and make a profit. The time for people to get back in control is now. Blockchain technology with its scalability potential, control and transparency could disrupt the digital marketing and advertising scenario as we know it.

Social media, powered by Blockchain

Robin8 PUT is a next-generation type of social media platform powered by Blockchain. The aim of the project is to put users in control of their data, empowering them to monetize and tokenize it as they see fit. Robin8 applies the new technology in digital marketing and advertising via an influencer search engine that matches, ranks and profiles consumers using artificial intelligence and big data.

With a new advertising channel in place, Robin8 restores the power of social media back to its rightful owners – the users. The project plans other applications and directions in the future, as the platform increases in popularity. At this stage, 250,000+ content creators and micro-influencers joined the mission, and over 5,000 marketing campaigns have been completed on Robin8.

PUT is the official currency that users will have to buy to access the platform. Built on its own Blockchain, QTUM, the token will act as an exchange unit in an open-source, decentralized, transparent and fully secure ecosystem.

As for long-term goals, Robin8 PUT wants to develop fundamental layers of a profile-based, large-scale economy that goes beyond online advertising. The token sale goes live on Jan. 8, 2018 and it will last until Feb. 8, 2018. At the core of Robin8 lies an experienced team of CEOs, CTOs, skilled engineers, and Blockchain enthusiasts that truly believe the future of social media is on the Blockchain.