Amino Capital

A Marketer’s Wish List For Supply-Path Transparency

This AdExchanger column by Ben Epstein discusses how ads.txt, app-ads.txt, and sellers.json deployments contribute to transparency in the programmatic supply chain and explores open questions for supply-path optimization (SPO). It frames three buy-side questions around (1) visibility into technical connectors and intermediaries, including code-on-page Prebid wrappers versus server-side TAM, (2) the fully loaded cost of supply paths and the role of take-rate transparency, and (3) the inventory each supply path sells and how to identify single-path supply. The piece notes that current RTB SupplyChain disclosures cover financial intermediaries (hp=1) but not technical intermediaries (hp=0) and that data-sharing agreements—via log files or aggregated metadata—could reveal technical intermediaries and price transmission. It also highlights ongoing efforts to signal publisher preferences through ads.txt and to standardize identifiers to better deduplicate and measure access across paths.

Social Platforms: Are Communities Migrating Away?

A trend is emerging where communities move from established social media platforms to independent apps or sites. The article references Casey Fiesler’s 2018 study showing Archive of Our Own and Tumblr leading in platform usage, with Twitter and LiveJournal in the middle; it notes departures due to moderation changes and content removals on LiveJournal. It also cites Twitch scandals in 2019 around animal abuse and racism, which have created uncertainty and potential migration to rivals like Mixer or Caffeine. Examples of migration include the Change My View subreddit (800k+ members) launching a site with more features, and a Facebook group, What would Virginia Woolf Do?, moving to a paid app at $5/month or $35/year. Reasons include growth requiring monetization, limited paid-content opportunities on old platforms, and desire for better analytics and tools. Platforms can respond with monetization options and community-building tools; founders may monetize via Amino, Buymeacoffee, or their own sites.

Why We Need Checks And Balances In Digital Advertising

The column argues that digital advertising, especially programmatic, lacks checks and balances, enabling opaque billing and potentially high costs. It advocates a multi-faceted approach to governance, combining process-driven, technology-based, and contractual controls to create a transparent, auditable ecosystem. Starting points include itemized billing (addressing a 55% 'tech tax') and requiring brands to scrutinize reporting data from ad tech vendors, DSPs, and verification vendors. The piece highlights blockchain-based applications from NYIAX, Amino Payments, and MadHive as potential checks, along with independent attribution and third-party quality verification. It also emphasizes contract terms—audit rights, transparent media reporting, and data ownership—citing the ANA K2 Report and the ANA Master Services Agreement as benchmarks. While adoption may entail short-term disruption, the article argues the long-term benefits are greater transparency and sustainability for the industry.