TonicPow

PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Product Name: TonicPow, a peer-to-peer digital advertising platform powered by the BSV blockchain, enabling advertisers to create campaigns and promoters to earn BSV by sharing links and driving engagement.

• Industry: Digital Advertising, Influencer Marketing

• Geographic Reach: Global (operational reach primarily online)

• BSV Integration Start Date: May 2019 (inception during inaugural BSV Hackathon)

BUSINESS CHALLENGE

Digital advertising suffers from low transparency, poor conversion tracking, and slow or unreliable payouts to influencers. Brands often cannot confidently track how their ad spend translates into actual customer engagement or sales. On the promoter side, individuals face challenges such as limited campaign choice, slow compensation, and misaligned brand-audience fit. Consumers, meanwhile, are concerned about privacy, particularly the misuse of personal data for advertising purposes.

WHY BSV

BSV offered a unique mix of scalability, ultra-low fees, and a stable protocol ideal for micropayments and high-frequency data logging. Unlike Ethereum or CBDC platforms of the time, BSV enabled TonicPow to execute real-time, cost-effective transactions that could be publicly audited via the blockchain. The ability to encode campaign data within BSV transactions provided transparency and verifiability not possible with traditional APIs or advertising systems.

SOLUTION ARCHITECTURE

TonicPow is a blockchain-based promotion marketplace connecting brands with influencers. Its core components include:

• Campaign Dashboard: Brands create campaigns specifying goals (e.g., clicks, conversions, social posts).

• Promoter Marketplace: Influencers browse and bid on relevant campaigns.

• Micropayments: Promoters receive instant rewards via BSV for meeting campaign goals.

• Blockchain Audit Trail: All campaign actions (clicks, conversions, payments) are logged on-chain for full transparency.

The system replaces traditional referral platforms with a blockchain-native alternative, enhancing auditability and fairness.

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

• Phase 1: Hackathon Prototype (May 2019): Initial widget-based referral ad system built in 48 hours.

• Phase 2: MVP Launch: Developed into a full-featured campaign marketplace post-hackathon.

• Phase 3: Continuous Upgrades: Added features like bid negotiations, expanded campaign types, and UX improvements.

While there was some onboarding friction due to the need for BSV deposits, future integrations will enable fiat onboarding (e.g., credit card payments).

OUTCOMES & BUSINESS IMPACT

• Enhanced Transparency: Brands can view all campaign-related data on-chain, improving ROI tracking.

• Faster Payouts: Promoters receive near-instant micropayments upon successful actions.

• Cost Savings: BSV’s low fees make micro-compensation models viable.

• Increased Promoter Control: Influencers select campaigns that align with their audience and negotiate terms.

TonicPow’s transparent, blockchain-based structure provides a scalable, auditable, and privacy-conscious alternative to traditional ad platforms.

CHALLENGES & MITIGATIONS

• Initial Friction with BSV Funding: Early users had to deposit BSV to start campaigns.

  • Mitigation: plans to support credit card deposits in future versions.

• Ecosystem Awareness: Blockchain advertising was a novel concept.

  • Mitigation: educational content and ecosystem engagement.

FUTURE VISION

• Fiat Onboarding: Allow advertisers to fund campaigns via credit card.

• Cross-platform Integration: Expand beyond web into mobile apps and real-time campaign targeting.

• Data Analytics Tools: Enhance brand-side dashboards with deeper insight using on-chain statistics.

• Partnerships: Leverage broader BSV ecosystem for integrations (e.g., HandCash, Centi).

TESTIMONIAL HIGHLIGHTS

"Using the blockchain means that we have a much better auditability and paper trail with where the spending is going." — Luke Rohenaz, CEO, TonicPow

"When promoters are receiving rewards for a commission on a sale, getting a certain number of clicks or sharing something on social media – that is all registered on the blockchain..." — Luke Rohenaz