When it comes to the world of firearms and the Second Amendment, there is an obvious Big Tech bias toward the industry. Facebook and Google have onerous rules and regulations, making it difficult for gun manufacturers to advertise to potential customers. This blanket ban extends to hunting and even ammunition. It’s another example of the censorship our Big Tech overlords exert over our society. Because so much of our purchases and research takes place online, it makes it harder for consumers to make educated choices about which firearms to purchase.
Fortunately, capitalism abhors a vacuum, especially in the lucrative sector of firearms manufacturing, which is estimated to be worth over $50 billion annually. Stepping into this void is Ibrahim Pataudi. He’s created Armanet, a specialized programmatic advertising network aimed at sectors like firearms, hunting, outdoor activities, defense, and related fields.
With major social media and ad-tech platforms withdrawing from this niche, it became challenging for publishers to monetize effectively and for advertisers to use advanced targeting and analytics to track their return on investment.
Armanet addresses this gap by establishing a network of relevant websites and a purely programmatic ad marketplace, benefiting publishers and advertisers.
Pataudi, an immigrant to America, was raised by a father who introduced him to hunting from a young age. “One of my earliest memories is duck hunting. My father was and continues to be a fanatical hunter, so from a very early age, I fell in love with it. It's what I love to do with my free time; I sleep it, I dream it, I eat it. God bless America for the opportunities it provides outdoorsmen.”
After attending Claremont Mckenna College in California, Pataudi moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in Silicon Valley. His love of firearms and hunting led him to realize an underserved market existed. Pataudi realized his digital advertising experience could be utilized to help these companies, which is how Armanet came about. He explained that in a saturated market like firearms, advertising to consumers and tracking analytics is vitally important.
“Brands became heavily reliant on, on influencers. I love all these personalities online, and I watch their videos. But, measurement becomes a problem, and scale becomes a problem,” he explains.
Since launching, Armanet has achieved significant milestones, including becoming the largest ad network in its niche, with approximately 50 million monthly impressions. It has enabled effective monetization of previously unsold ad inventory for publishers, including Pew Pew Tactical. “So what we have built effectively is the largest pool of firearm enthusiasts that can be reached online anywhere, full stop,” Pataudi added.
Pataudi explained the frustrations around the censorship this industry has faced from digital advertising giants but is hopeful about the ingenious solutions companies like his and others can come up with.
“I think it is, it is concerning that an entire industry can effectively be choked because there's such a stranglehold on online advertising. But at the same time, you know, this is America; companies are free to do what they want. And that's a beautiful thing because if that weren't true, then we wouldn't exist.”
It’s a true American success story and proof that there is hope for circumventing the societal controls Big Tech wants to impose on our way of life.
You can learn more about Armanet by visiting its website.
