Google, Facebook, Twitter und LinkedIn setzen bei Werbegeschäft auf APIs

TechCrunch:

What Google and Facebook found, and Twitter and LinkedIn are now exploring, is that by offering programmatic access to their ads inventory, third parties solve the problems for them.

In exchange, the platforms allow providers of full-service advertising or ad tool licenses to earn a margin. Typically that comes in the form of a 10 percent to 20 percent cut of total spend by clients that typically goes down the more they spend. Otherwise the margin comes by charging a "cost per action" where clients pay a certain amount per click, download, or certain level of downstream engagement, and the provider keeps the difference between what they paid and what they charged. Sometimes there’s a monthly fee, too. Twitter refused to specify whether there were any restrictions for businesses built on its new ads API, saying "We’re not commenting on partnership terms."

Regardless, the idea is for the platforms to share the wealth, and thereby align their goals with the ad tool and service providers. This way they both can make a fortune when the third parties evangelize the channel. And my oh my can ads APIs bring in the dough.

APIs sind eine skalierende, und deswegen im Zweifel vorzuziehende Form der Geschäftsentwicklung.

Mit der damit verbundenen Aufgabe von Kontrolle haben sich deutsche Webdienste traditionell immer schwer getan, was zu weniger APIs und zu weniger damit verbundenen (Plattform-)Erfolgen geführt hat.