This is not the typical project I would cover, but I felt the need to quickly document my findings as its marketing was super on-point!

I don’t usually get excited about NFT collections (I mean Defying_NFTs doesn’t have a nice ring, does it?) — but I felt that the team did an amazing job in building awareness and excitement in its community.

Marketing is universal.

Okay, I’m slightly biased towards Shiba Inus as I have one in real life. But hey, DogeCola is really one of the cutest Shiba NFT collections I’ve seen.

What is Dogecola?

It is an ecosystem encompassing a token, Defi, an NFT collection, and a soft drink. Yes SO COOL right??

Dogecola was inspired by Dogecoin, which was a meme coin (cryptocurrencies that are inspired by memes or jokes) made famous by Elon Musk.

NFT collections are assessed differently from coins and TLDR, their value is derived mostly from their community and utility.

Good NFT checklist here (got it from this Youtuber Max Maher I believe!): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gBvcjITKCgILlz0TNAHRCO1D6AsH36ayZYc0HZWeC-o/edit

In other words, marketing is a key piece in building value here.

Personally, I felt DogeCola had a really interesting marketing strategy that would bring newbies on an adventure.

I’ll look at it in the marketing funnel/customer journey lens to glean the best practices and document my own personal journey. Won’t talk about retention here as we are currently pre-launch!

1/ Incredible product/art

This is the key building block — you must have an aesthetic product. And they nailed it. Look how cute they are!

Plus they are recognizable icons: A Shiba Inu and a Cola (including a REAL one you can buy on Amazon too! )— which leaves a firm impression as it is the first of its kind. At least for me, a Shiba Inu and Coke Zero lover.

Thought their caption for the drink was pure genius too — Everyone wants a taste of the mooooooooon (elicits “I can buy 100 yachts now” feelings of pure, unconstrained joy).

I guess another great aspect of the product design was its utility — where

1/ basically you get recurring dividends every month

2/ unique use case of getting drink discounts and even more chances of winning more DogeCola NFTs! (Drink holders can win the NFTs)

My favourite was Snoop Doge.

Learning Point: Great product and design will be the fundamentals of the marketing funnel.

2/Attention-Awareness

Learning point: Iconic designs in iconic places — this is exactly what made it go viral.

3/Interest — Lead Gen

Learning point: Inspire FOMO and have calls to action on your main communication channels

4/Desire — Lead Nurture

Learning Point: Rewarding your community members to engage can kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Make it easy to engage and get rewarded.

5/Action-Conversion

Learning Point: Remind the community what they are there for — tease the product reveal. Make it relatable. Overdeliver.

All in all, their marketing strategy got me really excited about the launch and hopeful I’ll make it to the whitelist. So I felt they planned, and executed it really well.

Hopefully, I remain the funniest member in the group and I can get a cute little Shiba!

Not financial advice. Honestly, I don’t think I gave any — I’m just a Shiba Inu and Coke Zero lover.

Christie’s today sold an NFT of his work for $69 million. According to the auction house, the deal places him “among the top three most expensive living painters.”

After a series of steadily rising-in-value auctions, the NFT finally achieved its long-anticipated peak.

A pair of Winkelmann’s NFTs sold in October for $66,666.66 apiece, was the first of a series.

He made $3.5 million in sales in December from a collection of his works. A $66,666.66 NFT was sold last month for $6.6 million, making it one of the most expensive NFTs ever sold.

It is possible to validate the ownership of a piece of digital art using NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.

Digital artwork buyers often have restricted rights to show the digital artwork they represent, but in many ways, they’re merely purchasing bragging rights and an asset that they may be able to resale in the future.

In the last several weeks, technology has erupted, and Winkelmann has been at the vanguard of its fast growth more than anybody else.

Also, See: Let Courage Lead the Way in 2022

These digital products may be purchased or sold using a blockchain-based system that tracks who owns each one.

The term “non-fungible token” refers to a digital asset that might include everything from paintings and animated GIFs to music and video game items.

As with a real-life artwork, an NFT might be one of one or one of many copies, but the blockchain maintains track of who owns which copies.

With high-profile memes such as Nyan Cat and “deal with it” sunglasses being up for sale, NFTs have been making news recently.

Also, See: Predictions for the Price of Bitcoin (BTC) in 2022

Beeple’s art has grown in value for a variety of reasons. For starters, he’s amassed a following of about 2.5 million people on social media.

Furthermore, he’s known as a prolific artist: as part of the “Everydays” initiative, Winkelmann produces new digital artwork every day. After 14 years, the initiative is still going strong.

Although they’ve gained in popularity in recent weeks, NFTs are still widely regarded as the future of digital art acquisition and trading.

A rising price is nothing compared to what collectors who feel that is true will be worth in the future when everyone else has grasped onto their value.

Also, See: 10 Things You should avoid while Investing in Crypto in 2022

NFT technology and Winkelmann’s work are both supported by Christie’s.

From Shakespeare’s sole known portrait painted during his lifetime to Leonardo da Vinci’s last-known picture, the 255-year-old auction house has sold some of the world’s most iconic works of art.

When you factor in Winkelmann’s position at the vanguard of NFT sales, today’s auction was bound to break records in every way.

Everydays — The First 5000 Days, the item that sold, is a collage of Winkelmann’s work dating back to his first posts when his drawings were still somewhat rudimentary.

Also, See: Hey Newbie, this Crypto Guide is for You!

Until the beginning of this year, when he started publishing crude political cartoons, he had been creating ever-evolving digital forms and scenes.

Only a digital file and certain undefined rights to display the photograph are awarded to the winner of the auction.

However, Winkelmann plans to work with the buyer to find different methods to exhibit the artwork physically, whether that’s on a television in their home or projected onto “the side of a fucking skyscraper” during Art Basel.

Also, See: The Best Way to Recognize Your Strengths in 2022

Those who oppose the spread of NFTs have already begun to speak out.

Auctions fueled by exaggerated expectations sometimes result in the sale of objects of doubtful aesthetic worth.

The theft and resale of fake paintings by famous artists have been reported.

In addition, many artists are worried about the environmental effect of art sales that depend on blockchain technology, which is notoriously inefficient.

That’s right, it could take only 5 more years until Bitcoin reaches 7 figures.

Bitcoin’s market cap is currently sitting at $1 trillion, nearly double where it was in 2020. The rally has been fueled by an increased interest in institutional investors, and a rise in celebrities holding cryptos.

But for Bitcoin to reach the million mark, it’s market cap would have to increase dramatically. It would need a $16.5 trillion dollar market capitalization, a 16x increase from where it stands today.

While the million-dollar milestone seems tough to attain, CoinDesk editor Ollie Leech believes the next halving could send the price into the stratosphere. The next Bitcoin halving (a technical event where the amount of Bitcoin miners are rewarded is cut in half) is slated for 2024.

“The year after halving always seems to create a huge rise… The last halving for bitcoin was in 2020, and so far this year, we have seen prices explode. I don’t know when [bitcoin could cross $1 million] but it will likely be after 2025.”

It all comes down to supply and demand. Bitcoin’s supply is hard-capped at 21 million coins. Better yet, Bitcoin becomes even more deflationary with each halving event. Halvings occur after every 210,000 blocks mined, no matter what.

The halving events combined with the deflationary nature of Bitcoin reduces the supply of new coins.

Here is where it gets interesting: Bitcoin’s demand is likely going to increase from here on. People are beginning to understand the pitfalls of traditional currency. They will become dismayed by inflation rates, and will look to digital currency to ease their worries. Institutional investors will look for better ways to store their money, and will sub sequentially increase the price of the world’s leading digital currency.

Each of these factors will create an environment where supply decreases and demand increases.

Take a look at this chart from inbitcoinwetrust.net:

Declining supply and increasing demand are an economists dream, so it’s no surprise why the price of Bitcoin is expected to reach 7 figures.

Apparently, not everyone is a Bitcoin enthusiast. Crypto is perhaps one of the most controversial subjects in the world today. These days, people are divided on nearly every subject, and Bitcoin is no exception. Traditional investors like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger detest the idea that money is changing. On the flip side, forward thinking investors believe Bitcoin has the potential to change the world. Take a look at some opinions from both sides of the aisle:

Warren Buffet’s long time business partner, was overwhelmingly skeptical of Bitcoin’s legitimacy, stating:

“I think the whole damn thing is disgusting and contrary to the interests of civilization”

Munger and Buffett have been critics of crypto for years, and they aren’t even holding back now as Bitcoin approaches $60,000.

Jesse Powell, CEO of the popular crypto exchange platform Kraken, also believes that Bitcoin will hit the million dollar mark:

“We can only speculate, but when you measure it in terms of dollars, you have to think it’s going to infinity. The true believers will all tell you that it’s going to the moon, to mars, and eventually will be the world’s currency. We won’t be measuring the price of Bitcoin in terms of dollars but in terms of what else you’ll be buying with it, probably planets in other solar systems.”

“[Bitcoin’s] price rise has been driven purely by speculation — by what Robert Shiller calls a natural Ponzi scheme.”

Bill Maher recently criticized Bitcoin for its large use of energy, claiming that Elon Musk is a hypocrite for having purchased Bitcoin.

“Bitcoin uses more electricity per transaction than any other method known to mankind.”

Many viewers rightfully fired back at Maher, citing his lack of knowledge on the subject, false claims, and fear mongering tactics.

Matthew Frankel is a writer and investment analyst, who had this to say on the Motley Fool:

“While bitcoin would have to work a little to become a major player in the global currency market, the total bitcoin market value at $1 million each isn’t an outlandish amount of money. Widespread mainstream acceptance is what would need to happen before bitcoin could reach the $1 million level, or anything close to it…However, there are some obstacles preventing the mass market from fully embracing the online currency.”

Certainly, there are a lot of different opinions about the future of Bitcoin. Skeptics will shout from the rooftops about how much they hate Bitcoin, but their reasons are often not founded in reality. The reality is, it is completely reasonable for Bitcoin to hit $1 million. We will likely only see that number when mainstream adoption of Bitcoin has occurred on a worldwide basis. Within the next decade, don’t be surprised to see Bitcoin hit 7 figures.

У кого-то за это время не происходит ничего нового, кто-то заводит семьи, встречает своих половинок, прыгает с парашютом, теряет близких… Я лишь хочу рассказать вам свою историю, как последние 9 месяцев изменили мою жизнь.

С экосистемой Waves я была знакома с 2019 года. Она показалась мне простой и понятной, а какая цена комиссий! Будучи подписанной на новостной канал, я увидела новость о проданной «картинке» утки за 1 млн долларов! Не поверив глазам, я задалась вопросом: кто готов заплатить за картинку 1 миллион? Оглядываясь назад сейчас, я понимаю, что многие… Самые важные шаги приходят в нашу жизнь незаметно. Именно так и тогда я познакомилась с одной из лучших NFT игр нового десятилетия — игрой Waves Ducks!

«Утки» ворвались в NFT-пространство очень вовремя, протаптывая первые шаги развития NFT-индустрии в России. Будучи подкрепленной сильной маркетинговой компанией в виде раундов и щедрых раздач «синих яиц», утки завоевывали собственные земли в сердцах людей, а в моем постепенно становились на первое место.

Утки появились не сразу. Сначала была вера. Костяк комьюнити в самом начале проекта состоял из людей, так или иначе знакомых с экосистемой Waves. Доверие к команде и открытость разработчиков — 2 фундаментальных фактора, за счет которых за прожитые 9 месяцев в проекте сложилось сильное и дружное комьюнити, готовое прийти на помощь и объяснить все тонкости игры новичкам.

Цена токена EGG росла не по дням, а по часам, покоряя новые вершины, а счастливые обладатели наград за раунды уже готовились создавать собственные фермы.

У меня получалось хорошо. Раунды приносили щедрые награды. Иметь какой-то капитал для студента — очень важно, это укрепляет самооценку и отличает тебя от сверстников. В то время как все были заняты сдачей долгов, я ломала голову над тем, как бы придумать мем, который оказался бы смешнее остальных. Старт утиной маркетинговой компании — наверно лучший из всех, что я видела за свои 23 года.

Долгожданный день. Запуск инкубатора. Я помню как была взволнована тогда. Несмотря на то, что токен «яйца» на тот момент уже стоил приличных денег, многие игроки сберегли свои яйца, предпочитая начать строить свою утиную империю.

Предполагалось, что утка будет стоить 10 EGG. Но перед самым запуском цена была уменьшена в 10 раз. Коварный ход! Накопленные токены пошли в дело, инкубатор перегревался, не успевая выпускать новые партии Илонов и Сатоши. На что я рассчитывала тогда? Что я хотела получить? Не знаю. Но выглядело это безумно увлекательно.

В тот день блокчейн Waves обрел новую жизнь. В прямом и переносном смысле. А я обрела надежду на уникальное будущее.

Этот момент ждали все. Утки начали нести яйца.

На наших глазах с огромной скоростью окупалось все, что мы вложили — свое время, свои силы, терпение. Утки могли принести 5–10–20 яиц в месяц. Можно было вылуплять новых уток или продавать яйца. И это было потрясающе.

С первых яиц фарминга мне удалось отправиться в небольшое путешествие по своей стране. Я смотрела на новые места сквозь очки благодарности к тем, кто помог мне осуществить мои давние мечты. И казалось, что все как будто немного выдохнули. Но впереди нас ждало еще очень много интересного!

Незадолго до появления уток из жизни ушли 2 дорогих мне члена моей семьи. Моя жизнь тоже впала в анабиоз. Казалось, будто все остановилось, замедлилось.

С приходом в мою жизнь Waves Ducks все изменилось. Покрывшиеся пылью шестеренки снова закрутились. Мир начал становиться цветным. Оглядываясь, я понимаю, что это было необходимо.

Творческие раунды научили меня работать с графикой, видео, прокачали навыки коммуникации и знание иностранных языков. Только посмотрите, как нам приходилось понимать испанское сообщество, только-только зашедшее в игру. Это было очень забавно!

Популярное нынче слово “метавселенная” — здесь не просто слово. Спустя всего 9 месяцев существования, уткам удалось обрасти вокруг себя множеством различных проектов.

Посмотрите на эту картинку. Многое из того, что на старте было лишь задумкой, уже существует. Waves Ducks шаг за шагом развивает свой маленький мир. Прислушиваясь к пользователям, учитывая мнение как новых, так и уже опытных игроков.

Мое мнение таково, что на данный момент игра Waves Ducks сильно недооценена. Мелкие ошибки и недочеты застилают пользователям глаза на общую картину сильного проекта, который имеет невероятный потенциал оказаться лучшим NFT-проектом в мире.

Сейчас я пишу эту статью с нового MacBook, о котором не могла даже мечтать год назад. Я купила его для комфортного выращивания утенка и участия в новой игре — MetaRace.

Вот так начиная с проданной «картинки» можно вырастить свой собственный мир.

9 месяцев — много это или мало? Решайте сами. 9 месяцев с Waves Ducks — это целая жизнь!