[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Robert Cotter

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

4

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We have built a Digital Media Kit DApp MVP where marketers benefit from transparent on-chain pricing when buying ads. Web publishers adjust their ad rates based on supply & demand, seasonality, etc.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

Our MVP was developed in conjunct with MSVN (based in Toronto, Canada). We will extend our ongoing engagement with MSVN for most development and integration components.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

No

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

It is our explicit goal to open-source as much of the project as possible in hopes of growing a larger interoperable network of like-minded web publishers.

[METADATA] SDG rating

N/A

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

We believe in transparency; an equal playing field.

Advertisers (media buyers, ad agencies, indies, et al.) want the best possible ad pricing from a web publisher and a speedy, fair buying experience. Basic ad campaigns along with more complex multi-flight master campaigns can be booked in mere minutes.

Web publishers want to increase direct sales in order to reduce reliance on programmatic sources and/or 3rd party vendors that undercut revenue. Web publishers can upload part (or the entirety) of their media kit/rate card showcasing offerings with real-time pricing referenced on chain, which promotes transparency and trust with buyers.

The MVP is currently functional in its basic form: one can book a variety of ad campaign types, review/finalize an order, and choose to pay in ADA (or other prefered method). A web publisher simply updates their on-chain rate card anytime by submitting a tx referencing a new data set.

In short, the Blistering.io Digital Media Kit DApp offers advertisers a frictionless buying experience with trusted web publishers that provide pricing transparency via blockchain (Cardano of course!).

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

The Blistering Digital Media Kit DApp will be made available for use at Blabbermouth.net to its existing advertiser base. Blabbermouth is one of the world's largest rock/metal music news sites with 2 million monthly users & 10 million page views. As we, Blistering Media Inc., represent the monetization interests of Blabbermouth.net exclusively worldwide, we will funnel current/future direct advertisers to the DApp.

• We will also showcase the benefits of blockchain to everyday marketers and lean into the narrative of bringing Cardano into mainstream applications

• On the DApp side, success will be measured by an uptick in advertiser satisfaction, increased frequency in ad buys, and a general rise in revenue per customer in the longer term

• Blistering.io will empower other digital publishers in the Cardano community by inviting them to launch their very own Blistering Digital Media Kit DApp (free for Cardano community members or monthly subscription for non-members)

• We will launch an ad network of members to showcase scale and attract new brand/ad agency buys as a collective

• We will of course accept ADA as a payment method

• Future plans include: oracle integration (e.g. ADA/USD), increased automation, more ad campaign types, easy-to-use rate card uploading tool, etc.

• We will develop the "Ad Campaign Lifecycle Smart Contract" to expedite the last mile between advertisers & publishers (to be open-sourced)

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

The MVP is near ready-for-market and it was developed in conjunct with MSVN (based in Toronto, Canada); longtime Cardano community members, developers, and stake pool operators.

About the proposer: Blistering Media Inc. is a federally chartered Canadian corporation founded by Robert Cotter in 2006. Rob maintains the CEO role and has 20+ years of digital advertising, media, and music industry experience.

[Project Milestones] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

• Publisher Portal
• Login (Cardano Wallet, X, or Google)
• Self-service UI for admin control of ad rates
• Addition of new Ad Campaign templates
• API for ingesting programmatic sales data
• Account management area
• Etc.

• Presale Portal
• Why blockchain? Most importantly: why Cardano.
• How To Guides/FAQs/Etc.
• Video tutorial(s)

• Advertiser Portal
• Login (Cardano Wallet, X, or Google)
• Ad Campaign Lifecycle Smart Contract to expedite the last mile and remove friction between buyer & seller
• Creative upload area (leveraging Iagon storage if/when available)
• Loyalty programme: holders of a Blistering.io NFT will have access to exclusive specials, priority services, premium online targeting, and other benefits
• Account management area

• Ad Network Launch
• Make the Blistering Media Kit DApp available to other web sites that sell digital advertising! (free for Cardano community members or monthly subscription for others)
• Formation of an advertising network comprised of web sites using the Blistering Media Kit DApp
• Creation of “Run Of Network” ad campaign types to attract media buys at scale as a network

• V2 Design

• Marketing
• Focus: onboarding new publishers
• Community outreach
• Education
• Socials
• #buildinginpublic blog

• Exploration
• Oracles, decentralized storage, and other services offered by the Cardano community. We'd love to plug in to what you're doing to further decentralize our space and support each other.

The end product will be a robust and intuitive B2B DApp that any of the millions of web sites out there in the world can leverage for near-zero ongoing cost, which provides high-level exposure to Cardano, and broadly speaking blockchain as technology, as a way that builds trust between ad buyers & sellers everywhere.

Once the project is complete as per the milestones above (estimated: June 2024), the final product will be available at www.blistering.io along with a full project recap. We will also release a roadmap for the next phases beyond the scope of this Catalyst Fund 11 request.

We will continue to expand on the Blistering DMK (Digital Media Kit), further scale the ad network, craft more bespoke smart contracts, and focus on decentralizing our footprint where possible.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

• Blistering.io Founder & CEO (Robert Cotter)
• Designer (Pixel Hustler)
• Senior Project Manager (Freelance)
• Extension of our current (ongoing) engagement with MSVN for bulk of development

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Basics: 5% (3,750 ADA)

• Hosting
• Transaction costs
• Maintenance
• Etc.

Development: 75% (56,250 ADA)

• Advertiser portal, publisher portal, build additionaling Ad Campaign templates, API for ingesting programmatic sales data, self-service UI for admin control of ad rates, additional currency types, one-click replicatation for new web publisher onboarding, initial ad network framework, and so forth.

Marketing & Design: 15% (11,250 ADA)

• A useful DApp requires modern branding & functionality
• V2 DApp design
• Onboarding new publishers
• Community outreach (#buildinginpublic)

Misc: 5% (3,750 ADA)

• Contingency
• Exploring additional Cardano community technology/services

Total: 100% (75,000 ADA)

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

• Greater visibility of Cardano in a practical use case

• Demonstration of Cardano as a payment option in a non-crypto context

• Leveraging blockchain as an historical, immutable record of advertising rates

• We've reached the MVP stage and this is a great opportinity to take part in our first Catalyst round. The requested funding is meant to accelerate the process of refining our MVP, building new features into the product, enhance branding efforts, and coming to market with a purposeful and useful product.

• The Blistering Digital Media Kit DApp will go to market in Q1 2024 in its basic form; to be used by real clients via Blabbermouth.net (a property with 2mm unique monthly visitors). Our existing clients/advertisers include concert promoters, major & independent record labels, artists, ad agencies, etc.

• We have requested 75,000 ADA with the assumption of pricing at US $0.50 per ADA, and thus a budget in the US $37,500 neighbourhood.
• Should ADA fall below our benckmark, we'll maintain the US $37,500 budget and cover the shortfall
• Should ADA rise above $0.50, we will allocate additional funds to enhance the project and accelerate our roadmap

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund Rules and also that data in the submission form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept