Blockchain marketing news in January 2019
This is the first ever blockchain marketing newsletter!
Every month we curate the most important news, opinions and features about blockchain marketing. If there’s ever anything you think we’ve missed, let us know so we can add it to our next update.
2019 seems to have started slowly in the world of blockchain marketing. Having said that, there are a handful of real highlights to report.
If you’re keen to build up your knowledge of blockchain marketing, don’t miss our review of blockchain marketing in 2018, which will help you to understand what’s been going on in this space over a longer period. You might also like VentureBeat’s feature on Sirin Lab’s blockchain smartphone shop, the Twitter storm about which projects are over-(or under-)marketed and the rundown of the top STO agencies to watch.
We hope our choices help you get through the crypto winter. Good luck for 2019 and remember, we are the pioneers!
From Us
Blockchain marketing in 2018 - review
This review of what happened in blockchain marketing in 2018 is a great place to start for anyone that is new to the space or just needs reminding of some key trends. It covers a number of areas including the use of blockchain technology in marketing, the marketing of blockchain technologies, what the marketing industry’s view of blockchain is and some case studies that show how global corporations are using blockchain to improve their marketing.
How to find a copywriter for your blockchain marketing team
This guide for blockchain marketers will help you to find the right copywriter for your project, whether you’re just starting to build a marketing team or want to add long-form, content to your existing marketing strategy. It explains what a blockchain copywriter does, what skills and experience you should be looking for, how much they cost and where you can find them.
News and Reports
Comcast unveils blockchain TV audience platform Blockgraph
The use of blockchain technology to address issues with ad verification and customer data is nothing new but this announcement shows how TV audience insights is the latest area of marketing where innovation is occurring. Blockgraph, which will involve Viacom and Spectrum Reach, will provide a platform that offers "marketers best-in-class data capabilities without disclosing identifiable user data to third parties".
Don’t market Lightning Network as answer to high fees, says lead developer
This was an interesting piece of marketing news to come out of one of the hottest stories in blockchain circles right now. The article delves into a tweet from the Lightning Network’s (LN) infrastructure lead that says ‘there’s too much emphasis placed on the idea that LN is all about low fees". What’s interesting about this is that LN’s marketing lists ‘low cost’ as one of the network’s key benefits on its homepage.
TATA Communications survey indicates organisations’ 44% blockchain adoption rate
The telecoms division of TATA, the Indian multinational conglomerate, has surveyed more than 1,600 decision makers as part of it’s ‘The Cycle of Progress’ report, focusing on how the costs of blockchain is stopping some organisations from using it. While this might sound strange to those that believe cost savings are one of the main benefits of blockchain technology, the report explains that the expense relates to the cost of innovation and a lack of relevant skills.
Features and Interviews
Inside Sirin Labs’ blockchain smartphone shop
Sirn Labs’ launched the $999 Finney smartphone last year, which includes a cryptocurrency wallet (hardware that is completely separate from the main device), which is designed to protect private keys as well as generate and sign blockchain transactions. As part of the launch marketing, the company has also opened its first smartphone shop in London, and this feature from VentureBeat takes a look inside.
EOS product marketer calls for removal of blockchain from customer experience
While the article itself is a bit clunky and hard to read, it includes an interesting message from a product marketer involved in one of the best known dapp platforms. Jay Chang, who is a product marketer at Blockone, the software team behind EOS, says that "the key to mainstream blockchain technology adoption is to remove ‘blockchain’ from the customer experience".
Industry Opinions
The most over and under marketed blockchain companies
Venture advisor William Mougayar caused a stir (intentionally, we assume) on Twitter this month when he classified a range of blockchain projects as either over-marketed, under-marketed or right-marketed. As this article describes, it didn’t go down particularly well, with many attacking the criteria he used ("my 37 years of marketing technology experience, 6 years in the blockchain space and intimate knowledge of the industry and players") for his classifications.
Marketing drove the ICO hype and it may lead to its rebirth
In this opinion piece, Dave Matli of ICOBox states that "careless marketing should catch a lot of blame for the quick burnout of ICOs but it can also provide lessons on how to conduct future crypto offerings". He believes that marketers must return to some simple marketing fundamentals for future crypto offerings.
Will 2019 be a year of hope or hype for blockchain marketing?
This review and future gazing piece from Mark Miller in Marketing Tech News provides some reminders of where different firms have adopted blockchain technology to improve their marketing, as well as some emerging examples of blockchain marketing technology to keep an eye on.
And Finally...
Top STO marketing agencies to watch in 2019
This useful list of STO marketing agencies is worth bookmarking by anyone who will be involved in this area over the next year or so. Most respected industry commentators believe that STOs will play a major role in blockchain and cryptocurrency marketing throughout 2019, with many of the agencies listed here likely to play a major role behind the scenes.