Are more web3 startups removing their web3-ness from marketing to access a larger customer base- to be the bridge?
My first inkling of this was when we were working on the brand and messaging for Trrue. We recognised that if we wanted investors and businesses outside of the web3 world then we would need to remove or limit the way we talk about the tech. The media has polarised the web3 world- people either love it or avoid it at all costs- and it usually comes from understanding – or lack of. Mainstream acceptance is limited only by understanding. From the negativity around Bitcoin, to the FTX fiasco the mainstream media feeds the fire on confusion and misinformation around web3.
Right or wrong we see this time and again in the web3 world, from the removal of blockchain for digital ledger, tokens to assets. Startup value propositions have changed removing all ref of the tech-I-ness to actual features and time savers. So do we now need two marketing streams? Perhaps. But perhaps we always did need multipal. When you really understand your customer you always need to tailor your messaging to them and the platform they are on. So is this a way for marketeers to get you to spend more? Perhaps in some cases.
Maybe it’s just time to focus on the value proposition and solving real problems rather than building a tech solution and trying to sell that as the value.
This is really unchartered territory, new tech is being snubbed – should it hide to be accepted? I think it does depend. There will always be a value proposition focused on the early adopters of web3 and they can stay true to their messaging, for others, it is maybe more about the value than the tech, and as such does the web3-ness really need to be highlighted? Definitely more rumination needed.
My key takeaway- we all know the value the internet brings but only a few actually know or care how it works – maybe a lesson for us all in tech startups.