The Value of the Open Web for Advertisers

There’s an architectural landscape to the internet. It’s structured, with different districts and areas, like a city.

For example, have you ever tried to go to Park Guell in Barcelona? Sure, it may be beautiful but it also costs €10 just to get in. It’s a walled garden. 

What are walled gardens?

These exist on the internet too. Walled gardens are closed ecosystems where access is strictly controlled by a single entity. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are all walled gardens. If you don’t have TikTok and try to watch a video someone sends you, it’s an aggravating experience, with pop-ups asking you to log in and refreshes that take you to the AppStore. You have to have an account to get inside. App stores also count as walled gardens, as do streaming services, like Netflix or Mubi.

They’re popular destinations and they know it. That’s why they charge. Just like Park Guell, you’ll need to pay to play – at least when marketing is concerned. If you want to launch a campaign across a popular social platform, it can be lucrative of course, but it will also cost you quite a bit.