Ideas to improve Ads/Auction Bids

[Kuchy]

Hello peeps!

The BBB Auction system is an incredible tool for marketing and advertising your product/ service. The smart bidding allows us to set a maximum bid we want to make and automatically bid a reasonable amount to secure a top spot. Unfortunately, growing concerns arose with the resource side of the auctions that many of us addressed and would want to improve. This thread is here to bring to light those concerns brought up within the BBB community. As of now, I have represented the concerns that I know most about so if there's another problem you are facing with the ads system, please address it and provide some possible solutions to your issue.

Some of the problems/concerns that were brought up (We'll use Bob and Bill for them):

1. Users being able to bid and lower it right before the auction is finalized
   • These individuals cause authors/users to have to increase their bid more than they desire just to have a chance at spot and right before the auction ends, the individual lowers/removes their bid causing the author to fork up that large sum whilst also allowing the other person to keep most/all their funds originally set.
     • Bob makes and ad. Bill sees ad and outbids Bob. This makes Bob have to increase his bid more just to secure a top spot and right before the auction finalizes, Bill removes his bid causing Bob paying more than he wanted and Bill keeping all his credits to do it again.
2. Users being able to have multiple ads for 1 category
   • I'm not a fan of letting an author have multiple ads within a single category, especially when they are all the same thing essentially. These authors could take up most to all slots causing the auction system to be inflated just to secure a spot. Why does one need to advertise multiple of the same product/thread in the same category? If they have multiple products but each in different categories, I have no problem with it.
     • Bob's resource finally got approved and wants to feature it in the resource category. He goes to create an ad only to find that Bill has taken every slot with an absurd amount for his resources. This upsets Bob but he decides to wait... and wait... and wait longer... and wait even longer. Bob gives up and just hopes his resource bumps grabs someone's attention.

Possible solutions to these problems:
If you don't like these solutions or ideas, please suggest new ones. We're here to collaborate ideas. In these ideas I use "x" and "y" to represent a number or action for a particular timeframe or event as a placeholder. If you have suggestions for these timeframes, leave them in the thread responses.

1. Solutions for Issue #1
   • Do not allow users to cancel/lower their bid x hours before auction ends (we can suggest the time but I'm think 2 hours before is fine)
   • Users can cancel/lower their bid but charge them a fee for it if it is within x hours till close.
     • If a user cancels/lowers their bid, send an alert/email to the top spot that the runner up did x action ("A user left the Display Banner auction" or something; Could possibly lead to spamming alerts however).
   • If a user repeatedly cancels/lowers their bid within x hours, soft ban them from the auction system for y weeks.
2. Solutions for Issue #2
   • Do not allow users to be able to create multiple ads for the same category
   • Do not allow users to be able to create multiple ads of the same content in the same category

With both solutions for #2, the users should still be allowed to change their linked thread/resource to the current ad without having to create another ad.

If you're one of these users doing the actions that brought up the problems addressed, I understand it's your money but there needs to be some restrictions to allow another user to have a chance to advertise their product/services. What you do with your money is of no concern to me. Just take into account of the other side's views before saying something like "it's my money" or "just up your bid." Also, if you're against the idea/these improvements, let us know why. I can't speak for everyone else but I'd like to understand your view as to why the system should remain as is.


If there's another concern regarding the auction/ads system or if you have any other solutions to the issues addressed, please create a post within the thread. Again, this thread is set to collaborate ideas to improve the ads system their many of us have concerns about.


Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Cake Man


Disclaimer: In no way am I using this suggestion thread to target specific individuals. I'm just stating a current problem users and I have concerns on and want to address and provide solutions for them. That's why I used Bob and Bill as my examples for each scenario. If you are responding to this thread, please do not target any specific user(s).

 

[Harry]

Users being able to bid and lower it right before the auction is finalized

• These individuals cause authors/users to have to increase their bid more than they desire just to have a chance at spot and right before the auction ends, the individual lowers/removes their bid causing the author to fork up that large sum whilst also allowing the other person to keep most/all their funds originally set.
  • Bob makes and ad. Bill sees ad and outbids Bob. This makes Bob have to increase his bid more just to secure a top spot and right before the auction finalizes, Bill removes his bid causing Bob paying more than he wanted and Bill keeping all his credits to do it again.

I can't stress enough that using the advertisement system as intended means you're unaffected by this style of bidding by other advertisers. The only situation this occurs in is when you choose to alter your maximum bid based on the bids of other advertisers (ie. utilising it as a normal bid), rather than setting a maximum bid based on how much you're willing to spend.

When using the system as intended, smart bidding will mean that if you win, you only spend the least amount of credits possible to win that position. Another advertiser increasing their maximum bid and then decreasing it moments before the auction end would not affect you.

 

[Kuchy]

I can't stress enough that using the advertisement system as intended means you're unaffected by this style of bidding by other advertisers. The only situation this occurs in is when you choose to alter your maximum bid based on the bids of other advertisers (ie. utilising it as a normal bid), rather than setting a maximum bid based on how much you're willing to spend.

When using the system as intended, smart bidding will mean that if you win, you only spend the least amount of credits possible to win that position. Another advertiser increasing their maximum bid and then decreasing it moments before the auction end would not affect you.

Indeed. I use the smart bidding as I find it extremely useful. I hard limit myself at $6 with the thought process of "if it goes it goes, if it doesn't... oh well"

As it was a concern, I thought it best to bring up some ideas for it regardless. I believe most of the users with that concern do fall into that category and either don't use the smart bidding or uses it for the means of being their actual bid.



If you're unsure of what the smart bidding system is, read up on it here: https://builtbybit.com/wiki/ads-manager/#smart-bidding-8203

 

[Aelin]

There's no reason to limit the amount of ads a user can have in any single category. If they are willing to pay, then that's just how it is. You need to up your bid to compete. I have had all 6 graphic resource sponsored slots before (only lasted one week but still lol) and I would not have done it if someone else upped their bid higher than mine, but nobody did for that week. I wasn't paying anything outrageous even.. it was like $1.00 each.

that said, I think I may be misunderstanding what you mean by #2 honestly, because from my perspective there is no way for someone to buy a sponsored slot for an "absurd amount"... they pay what they think it is worth, and what they think its worth becomes the market price.

 

[Carlos]

No restrictions apply because mcm loses money. I don't know the percentage of profit it currently make, but, if there are people who can't maintain a price for an ad, restricting the few people who can would decrease some of the revenue that can be earned.

I totally understand your point, but as a replacement more advertising slots can simply be added.