Brand Image: The Undervalued Obsession Web3 Needs to Embrace

• Transforming Everyday Life: Web3, Crypto, and AI
• Embracing the Ordinary Consumer
• Driving Crypto Mass Adoption
• Winning Strategies
• Bridging the Gap with Creativity
• Learning from the Fashion Industry
• Brand Image is Everything

Transforming Everyday Life: Web3, Crypto, and AI

Web3, crypto, and AI will permanently alter the infrastructure of our daily lives, offering services that are far more accessible to the general public than any novelty token. This change implies that businesses will need to familiarise themselves with a new language to engage with the considerable new user segment that will emerge.

Embracing the Ordinary Consumer

The most sought after customers will be ordinary individuals, uninterested in speculation or the detailed ins and outs of the technology. The crypto industry needs to be equipped to appeal to these everyday consumers who will typically opt for one service and continue with their routine. This is how companies like Sixt became leading car rental services, despite better and cheaper alternatives being available elsewhere. These ordinary consumers are the ones crypto is fighting for.

These users are not enticed by alternatives. They're familiar with brands like Sixt's orange logo and see the value in it, regardless of what reviews may suggest. To capture their attention, a unique visual identity is needed, and a clear business proposition must be communicated, regardless of how technologically sophisticated it is.

Driving Crypto Mass Adoption

Leading the charge in crypto mass adoption will be a Web3 service that offers understandable and necessary services to the average consumer. However, it is crucial that they understand why they need it. This understanding will set off a progressive increase in the usage of wallets, crypto payment systems, and distributed IDs among other things.

Though technological progression is important, the survival of any product increasingly depends on how effectively it can reach different audiences. The future of competition will encompass design, branding, and communication, and repurposing the latest meme coin will not be sufficient.

Winning Strategies

In our view, two factors will define successful strategies. First, a project needs to distinguish itself from the sea of similar services. Second, a project must create messages that both tech-savvy and new users can understand and accept.

This means a unique visual identity must be developed and the selling point must be conveyed in simple terms, irrespective of technological complexity. If a regular person can't understand it, a better communication strategy is needed.

Bridging the Gap with Creativity

Achieving simplicity can be challenging. Identifying the core components and presenting them in the most effective way is a difficult task reminiscent of writing a hit three-chord song. A balance must be struck between aesthetics and message. This is where creativity becomes invaluable in bridging the gap between the unprecedented and the everyday.

All technological revolutions have also been cultural ones. Tech is only a means to an end. Just as the Gutenberg printing press didn't change the world but made change possible, the success of brands like Macintosh and Nokia can be attributed to the integration of different cultural and artistic elements into their products.

Learning from the Fashion Industry

New technologies can take a leaf from the fashion industry, where image is paramount. The fashion industry, particularly the luxury market, has harnessed the power of image more effectively than any other industry in history.

The incessant demand for novelty in the fashion and luxury industry means constant engagement with photographers, artists, and creative directors to create images, concepts, and experiences that attract new customers.

Brands in the luxury market operate in an extremely saturated environment with high price points and fierce competition for a small, capricious clientele. However, the rewards for those who succeed are astronomical. The luxury market illustrates that a significant investment in branding can convince consumers that an item is a luxury good.

Brand Image is Everything

It's high time for Web3 companies to start developing a similar obsession for their brand images. The narrative of being in it for the tech won't suffice in the next phase of adoption. Understanding that the market is becoming saturated and that competition will intensify is crucial.

There is a limit to how many platforms and tokens the market can sustain post-bull run. The projects that distinguish themselves early will dominate their market niches and become the new Apples and Googles. With the bubble of first adopters about to burst, revising marketing strategies is a prudent move.

Edited by Jonathan Stoker