• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, June 22, 2018

Like other nascent technologies, blockchain is creating excitement -- and confusion -- among marketers and media professionals.

Potentially serving as an industry resource, some Stanford University computer scientists just founded the Center for Blockchain Research (CBR).

The CBR plans to bring scientists and industry leaders together to develop best practices for the budding field of blockchain.

In addition to research, the center’s scientists intend to create courses designed to help working professionals and others use blockchain in all manner of ways from protecting intellectual property to managing records.

The center is being led by Dan Boneh and David Mazières -- both professors of computer science at Stanford University.

While the center isn’t currently working with members of the media and marketing industries, Boneh said it’s certainly a possibility. “If there are interesting research questions, we would be interested,” Boneh said on Friday.

While the implications of its adoption remain highly speculative, blockchain is already being widely embraced by marketers and media platforms. For example, Facebook executive David Marcus recently announced plans to hatch and head up a new blockchain unit. 

“I’m setting up a small group to explore how to best leverage blockchain across Facebook,” Marcus said at the time.

Just this week, AB InBev and mobile marketing startup Kiip joined forces on a blockchain mobile ad campaign.

The campaign -- featuring the Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, Estrella Jalisco, Stella Artois, and Bud Light Lime-a-Rita brands -- uses Kiip’s ad-targeting capabilities to move toward what it calls an “earned and owned” mobile media strategy.

As with all blockchain technology, the point of the partnership is to reduce the potential for fraudulent reporting by third parties and ad servers, while simplifying what has historically been a labored reporting and payment process. 

Blockchain also has the potential to save marketers a ton of money. In early testing, AB InBev is reportedly seeing up to 30% advertising savings.

The CBR is being underwritten by the Ethereum Foundation, Protocol Labs, the Interchain Foundation, OmiseGO, DFINITY Stiftung and PolyChain Capital.