What is Blockchain in Marketing? Revolutionary Tech Guide

Blockchain in marketing means using distributed ledger technology intentionally to create customer experiences that are transparent, safe and provable, that cut out the middlemen and that offer cryptographic proof of every marketing claim, transaction and brand promise. This new model puts more control over data in the hands of customers than ever before, and allows brands to build trust through enduring transparency, instead of making promises in ads.

The blockchain marketing revolution generated more than $185 million in primary revenue for companies including Nike. Meanwhile, large corporations such as Walmart have experienced a 99.97% increase in supply chain traceability. The size of the world blockchain industry is projected to be $248.9 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 65.5% over the period 2020-2029. This translates to digital marketers needing to become familiar with blockchain marketing use cases in order to be forward-thinking in an economy that is increasingly moving towards transparency.

Blockchain marketing is not like regular marketing, it involves cryptographic proof for every statement, transaction, and customer interaction. This technology enables groundbreaking use cases such as tokenized loyalty programs, marketing programs that create more openness within the supply chain, stopping ad fraud, and controlling customer data in a way that puts customers in charge. These applications are redefining how brands successful engage with privacy-sensitive consumers in the digital environment.

How blockchain can change marketing

Blockchain creates permanent records which can't be altered or tampered with, which makes it ideal for marketing use cases where trust and validation are crucial. A whole lot of big banks (90%) have already begun using blockchain in their operations, and a good amount of big brands (58%) have implemented blockchain in marketing in some way, shape or form.

Key blockchain marketing tools that are changing the game

The technology operates by sending identical copies of transaction records to numerous computers, also called nodes. This all but guarantees fraud is impossible, because hackers would have to change most of the copies at the same time. For marketers, this presents unprecedented opportunities to demonstrate authenticity, substantiate claims, and build trust with customers by engaging in open, verifiable transactions that consumers can verify for themselves.

Marketing tasks are self-operated by smart contracts according to the rules set in advance when certain conditions are satisfied. For example, a smart contract might automatically grant customers tokens whenever they do certain things, such as checking a purchase or writing a bona fide review. This automation improves the speed and reliability of marketing programs and reduces the cost.

Zero-knowledge proofs enable marketers to build personalized experiences without decrypting private customer data. This solves the privacy paradox that has plagued digital marketing for years. This allows brands to serve people content that is extremely relevant to them, but to do so while abiding by things like GDPR and maintaining a respect for people's privacy.

Data privacy Good for business How the data security dividend is reshaping the way businesses relate to their clients

Conventional marketing relies on centralized data storage and it's easy for hackers or people to get in and tamper with things. Blockchains disseminate data across many nodes, which makes it very difficult for a person to access or alter that data without permission. This additional layer of security makes people more likely to share their personal information with brands.

When marketing claims, product certifications or customer communications are posted to the blockchain, they cannot be altered or removed. This is called "immutable records." This permanence is where brands are held accountable, and where consumers have verification that a company is following through with what it says and where the product is truly authentic.

Game changing blockchain marketing apps are transforming the face of business

Communication that opens up the supply chain leads to trust on measurable scale

Top brands are tapping the power of blockchain transparency technology to make products fully traceable, thereby gaining a competitive advantage by being able to stand by their claims of sustainability, and to tell the truth about where products come from. The application of blockchain at Walmart reduced the time to trace contamination from 7 days to 2.2 seconds (an improvement of 99.97%). This would allow them to do selective recalls rather than recalls of whole entire categories (recalls that had cost them millions in lost sales and tarnishing their brand).

This shift highlights how blockchain can transform supply chain operations into marketing advantages. Customers, when they can scan a QR code and check verified certifications and handling records for their product from its source to the shelf, trust the brand more than ever and will often pay a premium.

Unilever's palm oil blockchain project traces 188,000 tons of oil palm fruit through their supply chain, providing customers real-time proof that they're receiving their palm oil from places that don't cut down trees. Recent market research insights has found that 73 percent are more likely to buy products tracked on the blockchain thanks to this marketing transparency approach.

LVMH's AURA Blockchain Consortium demonstrates how blockchain can sell luxury goods. Its platform allowed you to follow the diamond from the mine to your finger and scan it with your smartphone to verify its authenticity. It prevents counterfeiting and allows customers to claim they experience premium brands that are worth higher prices.

Loyalty Points, Tokenized Tokenized loyalty programs alter the relationship between consumers and that businesses they chose to patronize

Starbucks Odyssey was the first of its kind to utilize the power of blockchain for loyalty programs, seamlessly integrating the NFT "Journey Stamps" whitelisted into their 30 million strong rewards program. Developed on Polygon's proof-of-stake blockchain, the program enabled members to exchange NFTs totaling more than $33,000 for work and kept users engaged with gamified challenges that tied between both the digital and physical worlds.

The program's early success highlighted some of the primary benefits of blockchain loyalty: the program used its own tokens, which could be transferred; rewards could be layered to build over time; customers own loyalty assets, rather than being locked into point systems that can only be redeemed for a single brand. Starbucks shuttered Odyssey after 18 months, though, which illustrates how important it is to commit to blockchain projects long-term strategically instead of thinking about it like a test campaign.

This case highlights both the potential and pitfalls of blockchain for marketing. The technology is capable of producing amazing new customer experiences, but for that to happen, you need serious long-term commitment, clear value propositions and integration with existing business models rather than some separate experimental programs.

Papyrus: Unchangeable verification systems to prevent ad fraud

Blockchain addresses the $35 billion a year issue of ad fraud, with records of ad impressions, clicks and conversions that can't be altered. Fake clicks, bot traffic and fake impressions are issues with the conventional digital advertising that eat into marketing budgets and report false performance metrics.

Blockchain ad verification platforms, including those introduced by the likes of Integral Ad Science, employ distributed ledgers to prove ads were viewed by real people, not bots. Participating brands claim their marketing Return-On-Investment has increased by 45% thanks to confirmed human engagement and reduced fraud waste.

i

"The intersection of blockchain technology and marketing represents the most significant shift toward transparency and customer empowerment we've witnessed in over two decades of digital transformation. Smart contracts don't just automate processes—they create verifiable trust that traditional marketing simply cannot deliver."

— Tessar Napitupulu, CEO of Arfadia & Digital Marketing Expert

Both the Brave browser and the Basic Attention Token (BAT) demonstrate how a privacy-first advertising system operates. Users can be rewarded with a cryptocurrency for watching ads, while still retaining control over their personal details. This approach coaxes 76–82% of people to interact, while traditional display advertising coaxes 0.9% of people to interact. That's a demonstration of how blockchain can align the interests of users and those of advertisers.

The Arfadia case study demonstrates Indonesia's first blockchain marketing company that is making an effort to create opportunities for people to use cryptocurrencies

Arfadia Digital Marketing Agency, is hot on the heels of success, in the specialized blockchain market scene. It began life as a general digital marketing agency and has developed into "Indonesia's #1 digital marketing company," specializing in the marketing of cryptocurrency and blockchain projects. Founded in 2013 by Tessar Napitupulu, Arfadia is a PT company. It demonstrates how specialized knowledge can provide an advantage in areas that are high risk and highly regulated.

Strategic place-making in the marketing of high-risk cryptocurrencies

At Arfadia, we realized early on that marketing cryptocurrencies required a different set of skills than marketing other kinds of digital goods. We presented ourselves as experts who could solve some of the blockchain industry's most pressing issues, like the challenges of educating the market, establishing trust, playing by the rules and dealing with the misinformation that floods volatile crypto markets.

Our approach is based on "technical blockchain skill" and "full marketing integration" as well. They provide specializing in cryptocurrency SEO targeting keywords like "best crypto exchange" and "best crypto to invest" to ICO marketing management to all-in-one digital marketing solutions built specifically for blockchain companies.

This specialization was crucial because, at the time, the cryptocurrency industry was facing increased regulatory scrutiny and platform limitations. Generalist marketing agencies struggled to adjust, but we at Arfadia were able to navigate complex compliance rules and deliver for clients because they knew so much about the industry.

Creative methods of marketing that circumvent platform restrictions

Big platform such as Google and Facebook banned crypto ads in 2018, and that has forced blockchain marketers to adapt and figure out a way to push their products out to the masses. We at Arfadia were the first to use "advanced SEO targeting" crypto-specific keywords and "community-based marketing" to target crypto communities where early adopters resided.

Our primary interest became educational content strategies that focused more on truth and education and than hype. Rather than creating promotional campaigns that promised speculative returns, Arfadia built valuable tools that educate users around blockchain and in turn become trusted advisors & authority for their clients.

In the use of AI based analytics for optimizing on a per client basis, our commitment to innovation is clear. We at Arfadia have "adopt advanced AI technology" which will "process data more deeply" and "predict more accurately about future search trends", it also means that "competitive analysis that is done is far more accurate" to know the strength and weakness of competitors.

Measurable results are already demonstrating that blockchain marketing works

While exact campaign metrics were not provided, our achievement at Arfadia was a product not just of in-depth technical expertise in blockchain but in creative marketing. The reason we are called leaders in the niche and can cater to clients from numerous countries is the proof that targeted blockchain marketing works.

We provides a variety of services for clients in cryptocurrency and blockchain, including:

"Search Engine Optimization All In One (Google Search Domination)"
"Online Reputation Marketing"
"Content Production (Content Marketing)"
"Social Media Management, Campaigns, and Advertising"
"Data Management Platform (DMP)"

Our success proves that blockchain marketing requires both technical know-how and creative problem-solving ability to solve for problems native to the space, all while driving measurable business impact on behalf of clients who operate in regulatory environments that evolve rapidly.

Vidy ICO Cryptocurrency Marketing: Lessons We Learned From Its Insane Virality Then Regulatory Crush

One of the stories reminiscent of click bait, and a long long way from the principles of transparency and openness we profess at CloseCross – even with the PARSIQ integration – is the Vidy cryptocurrency token case study. It's a case study in both the upside and the downside of viral cryptocurrency marketing abroad. Few in Indonesia would use Vidy's service, though Vidy had gotten many people in Indonesia to use its service by making deals with media companies and running aggressive advertising campaigns. But the entire market eventually crashed because of regulatory issues.

The viral marketing goes fucking huge

Vidy's penetration in Indonesia attracted over 46,000 token holders at its peak, in tandem with partnerships with leading Indonesian news and entertainment companies. To make the opportunity sound irresistible, the campaign leaned on celebrity endorsements, heavy promotion on social media and puff pieces like educational content to make Vidy look like the best investment opportunity for a cryptocurrency in Indonesia.

Vidy's technology – a patented video advertising network that enables users to earn cryptocurrency for watching embed-video ads – generated real business metrics, including view rates north of 40% on news sites, and actually profits with tier-1 advertisers, while it was running.

But advertising campaigns blurred the lines between what the technology was useful for, and what could be speculation over how powerful an investment could be, advocating aggressive investment positions that drew regulatory scrutiny instead of only encouraging the benefits of the advertising platform and the long-term growth of a business.

Investment values get clipped because of regulatory failure

October 12, 2021: Satgas Waspada Investasi in Indonesia collapsed as a result of unlicensed trading and MLM-type referral formulas which violate the Indonesian finance law.

November 30, 2021: Several leading crypto exchanges suspended trading on VIDY and VIDYX tokens. This helped prices plummet immediately and trade volume dive as Indonesia's largest crypto exchange shuttered all trading.

Here's what happened next, and what we learned from it

VIDY is now trading quite low and with next to zero market cap. Its price has fallen by more than 99% from its high. The crash obliterated a lot of value for investors and has left retail investors less than confident in the country's overall crypto market.

What blockchain marketers need to know:

Everywhere, the rules must take precedence over viral marketing
Speculation is not what businesses need in order to sustain growth
There is less geographic concentration for regulatory changes
It is necessary to separate selling investment from selling technology
It's part of reputation management to have exit strategies and crisis communication plans

This case underscores why, for blockchain marketing, winning strategies are to stress the utility of the technology, play by the playbook, and build value to endure, rather than rely on speculative promotion and aggressive growth tactics that provoke regulatory scrutiny.

How blockchain marketing can help grow your business in a big way 7 x ways

1. Immutably transparent endears customers to your brand

Rather than trust in a brand's assertions or the opinions of third-party certifiers, blockchain provides cryptographic evidence of marketing claims. Companies that use blockchain verification research report that 92% of those taking blockchain-verified surveys complete the surveys, versus traditional methods. This indicates that customers are more likely to engage in open and transparent marketing efforts.

All this transparency allows brands to differentiate themselves by making verified claims about where their products come from, how they are made and how good they are. And when consumers can verify marketing on their own, by consulting blockchain records, it builds trust as never before, which in turn justifies a higher price and encourages repeat customers.

2. Putting fake ads to the curb saves millions in wasted marketing

Automated verification systems put a stop to bots, fake impressions and clicks that siphon away US$35bn a year to the industry. Companies that adopt blockchain ad verification, they say that their marketing ROI increases by 45% on average because they are able to ensure that real people see their ads and fraudulent waste is eliminated.

The more traditional you are in digital advertising, the harder it is to see through, the harder the fraud is to spot. Because blockchain keeps clear, unalterable records, it is easy to identify when someone is misbehaving and have proof of such legitimate engagement — for campaign optimization and budget allocation purposes.

3. Cutting out the middlemen drives down costs

Marketing, payments, reward distributions are all done by smart contracts, no third party required. That not only reduces the cost and enhances processing speed of transactions, it also allows advertisers to boost their profit margins, as well as delivering direct value and transparent rewards to consumers.

By eliminating middlemen, brands are able to pass more value along to customers — and keep more of their money for marketing. This model of direct correlation is especially successful for programs rewarding loyal customers and campaigns attempting to attract new ones.

4. Having access to customer data can give you an edge over your competitors

Self-sovereign identity solutions let customers decide who gets to see their personal data and give them tokens as a reward for participating. This privacy-forward strategy is attractive to consumers who are becoming increasingly concerned about their safety and provides brands with higher-quality data that consumers consented to sharing for marketing.

People are more willing to share their preferences and behaviors, in a granular way (which is critical), for value received where they own and control their data. This makes the marketing data more accurate, reduces the risks of privacy invasions and helps win customer trust.

5. It gets easier for you to work together if you have a cross-brand loyalty network

Rewards are tokenized and transferable at participating brands. This results in loyalty ecosystems of the industry, driving up the customer lifetime value and reducing the expense of acquiring new ones by sharing marketing costs and co-promoting products.

These networks allow smaller brands to tap into larger loyalty programs, while affording consumers rewards that are interchangeable and valuable and thus keep them coming back to alternate touchpoints.

6. Worldwide expansion with adherence in any region

Blockchain platforms are borderless and support local compliance via programmatic smart contracts that automatically conform to local law. This in turn will make it easier for businesses to grow internationally without being forced to spend a lot of money on complex legal infrastructure.

This is especially relevant as privacy laws can differ greatly between regions. Blockchain marketing systems, for example, can automatically alter how they process data, manage consent and distribute rewards based on where the customer is and which rules are in effect.

7. Novel revenue streams in secondary markets

NFT marketing campaigns and tokenized loyalty programs allow for secondary markets in which brands will retain ongoing royalties from their customers' trades, offering them a unique passive income stream beyond initial sales and the longevity of customer interest through the introduction of gamification.

These secondary markets offer customers more value and brands new opportunities to generate revenue and to learn about what the customer wants, by seeing what they trade and what they do on the secondary market.

The price and technical requirements of employing blockchain in marketing

Various sizes of business will have to put in different sums

Simple loyalty token integration or product authentication systems with existing platforms for beginner-level blockchain marketing generally run $10–$50k. That includes start-up expenses, the early development work and the first year in business, for a small to medium-sized business.

Enterprise-level applications that require custom smart contracts, heavy integration and other advanced features cost between $100,000 and $500,000 a year. These investments include custom development, security audits, ensuring everything is up to code, ongoing technical support.

Many start-ups have begun with existing blockchain marketing platforms, which offer monthly subscription models, typically of between $1,000 and $5,000. This makes it possible for blockchain marketing for small and bootstrapped companies to become accessible and to grow.

Technical skills and partnerships needed

Marketing teams don't need to know how to code in order to do blockchain marketing well, but they do need to have a working understanding of the blockchain, how smart contracts work, how token economics work, so they can make intelligent strategic decisions and not piss off the vendors.

Success most often comes in the form of working with experts in blockchain or leveraging no-code blockchain platforms designed to abstract away the complexity of the technology and provide marketing teams with easy-to-use tools for managing their campaigns and monitoring their success.

There are many important skills: Project management, selecting vendors, measuring performance and teaching customers about the advantages of blockchain." When a project allocates 20 – 30% of budget on training you have a marketing team who will be able to effectively handle blockchain projects and explain how a project provides value to customers.

Privacy and GDPR concerns in blockchain marketing

Blockchain features that improve privacy

Privacy compliance Privacy and compliance can be met through blockchain marketing with zero-knowledge proofs for privacy and permissioned data sharing. That way, customers decide who gets their information rather than brands having the possession of centralized databases of personal data.

Smart contracts provide an easy path to GDPR compliance by enabling deletion or anonymization of data on user request. Immutable audit trails prove the company is maintaining compliance for regulatory audits and customer inquiries.

But because a blockchain can't be changed, it "must be carefully engineered to ensure that it complies with the 'right to be forgotten' rule," according to the report. Transparency best practices include keeping personal information off-chain and only placing encrypted references on the blockchain. You should also adhere to privacy by design principles and use lawyers who understand a lot about blockchain privacy laws.

Selecting an app marketing platform

Polygon is the top enterprise blockchain marketing platform, offering low transaction fees, fast transactions, and compatibility with Ethereum, which allows you to create complex smart contracts without making customer interactions expensive. Among the big brands who chose Polygon for apps that people use: Starbucks and Nike.

Hyperledger Fabric is ideal for use cases that require private networks and complex permissions for B2B marketing apps, supply chain transparency and automating internal processes that don't require public visibility.

BNB Chain has user-friendly tools for creating NFTs, and lower fees for marketing campaigns using digital collectibles. For Flow blockchain, it will need to emphasize consumer apps and gaming integrations that are fast and easy to use.

The choice of a platform will depend on how scalable it is, how much it costs, how well it works with existing technology, whether it follows the rules and how well it fits with brand values and what customers expect from it in terms of environmental sustainability.

Frequently asked questions on using blockchain for marketing

How much does blockchain marketing cost for small businesses?

Implementation costs can vary widely based on complexity and method. For simple projects such as loyalty token integration or authentication product systems on existing platforms, the cost of entry-level blockchain marketing generally falls between $10,000 and $50,000. This includes the cost of establish and the development of first year and running costs of the first year.

A lot of companies will lean on the existing crop of blockchain marketing platforms If you want to play with one today, since it can cost as little as $1,000 to $5,000 per month for a subscription. This is what enables blockchain marketing to be affordable for businesses with few digital marketing resources. These systems handle the technical work while providing marketing teams with simple tools to manage campaigns.

Custom development projects with special smart contracts and heavy integration effort might start at $50,000 to $200,000, before the costs of ongoing maintenance and development. But the majority of small companies thrive fine on existing platforms as opposed to custom development.

What are the technical skills that are required for marketing departments regarding blockchain?

You don't need to know how to code to do blockchain marketing well, but you should at least understand the basics of blockchain, how smart contracts function, and how token economics work so you can make intelligent decisions and maintain good relationships with vendors.

The most successful implementations help work with blockchain experts like Arfadia cryptocurrency specialists, which provides "seamless digital marketing integration" and "specialized cryptocurrency expertise" that can solve technical problems as they arise while also teach the marketing team how to do marketing on a blockchain.

Project management, vendor selection, ascertaining performance and educating customers in the value proposition of blockchain technology are all valuable abilities. Spending a good 20–30% of a project's costs on educating marketing teams per project will make it easier for them to understand how to work with and explain the value of blockchain projects for people.

As far as privacy and GDPR is concerned, how blockchain marketing campaigns keep pace with the rules?

Blockchain marketing can also assist in powering privacy-compliant communications via zero-knowledge proofs and permission-based data sharing (so that customers remain in charge of who has access to their data). Smart contracts help facilitate GDPR compliance by automatically deleting or anonymizing data when requested and keeping immutable audit trails.

But because blockchain is immutable, there's a need to design it carefully to ensure it aligns with the "right to be forgotten." Some best practices to keep in mind are to not store personal data on-chain, but only have encrypted references on the blockchain, consider privacy by design principles and to work with lawyers who are really knowledgeable about blockchain privacy.

Self-sovereign identity solutions allow customers to decide how much personal data they share and reward them in tokens for the sharing. It's a privacy-first approach that will appeal to security-conscious individuals and will offer brands more, better consensual marketing data.

What are the most profitable blockchain platforms for digital marketing?

Polygon is the number one enterprise blockchain for marketing as it is low in cost, is fast and is built on Ethereum. Starbucks and Nike are just some of the big names that picked Polygon for their apps that customers use and that need to talk to customers frequently and have low transaction fees.

Hyperledger Fabric works for enterprise businesses that require private networks and complex permissions for B2B marketing apps, supply chain transparency and automating internal processes that companies don't want exposed to the public.

For digital collectibles marketing campaigns, BNB Chain comes with user-friendly NFT development tools. Flow blockchain, meanwhile, is designed for consumer apps and gaming integrations that require high throughput and ease of use.

The decision to pick one platform over the other should depend on how scalable it needs to be, how much it costs, how well it works with existing technology, and how well it fits in with brand values and customer expectations around environmental sustainability.

What are the most major issues in blockchain marketing and how can they be addressed?

The principal risks are regulatory changes, technical glitches, market changes and the problem of persuading people to use the product. The Vidy token case is an example of how breaking rules can destroy value, and Nike's RTFKT shutdown may serve as a warning against treating the blockchain as an experiment, rather than a strategy.

There are many ways to lower it, from launching pilot projects to working with reputable partners to abiding by the rules in place to picking a well-proven platform to emphasizing utility over speculation. This reduces being reliant on one by several blockchain apps.

It's the long term commitment that is really the key to success. Brands who treat blockchain marketing as tactical campaigns, rather than strategic infrastructure, are often left with less than optimal outcomes — or worse, they actually damage their potential relationships with Web3 communities or early adopters.

How long does it typically take to see ROI on blockchain marketing?

There are various kinds of apps, and each have varying timelines for ROI. Openness in the supply chain and the ceasing of ad fraud can directly lead to immediate savings in operations within between 3 and 6 months by reducing fraud losses and cleaning up operational inefficiencies.

Improvements to loyalty programs typically take 6 to 12 months to bear fruit in terms of customer retention and engagement as customers adjust to the new systems and tell their friends about them.

Investing in trust and differentiation for your brand will not become fully realized for another 12 to 24 months. Yet, these apps are what often provide businesses with the greatest competitive advantage and allow them to retain customers over time.

Successful programs fix business challenges, rather than just on getting people to use blockchain. By taking a more targeted approach with clear customer and business needs in mind they get results more quickly.

Is blockchain marketing just for consumer brands or does it work for B2B too?

B2B blockchain marketing generally generates better Return on Investment (ROI) than consumer applications, since business customers who grasp the benefits of blockchain have greater transaction values, more complex supply chains, and more compelling reasons to share their business process.

Examples of successful B2B blockchain marketing in different sectors include Walmart's B2B supply chain tracking, LVMH's consortium designing luxury goods authenticity, and Unilever's sustainability verification.

Examples of B2B applications include vetting suppliers, automating contracts, opening up partnerships, tracking compliance, and forming industry consortia. B2B customers typically are more familiar with technology and have more compelling reasons to use blockchain than regular consumers, so it's easier to bring to market.

Related Terms

Ad Impression - Single instance of an advertisement being displayed to a user in blockchain-verified campaigns
Marketing Automation - Technology automating repetitive marketing tasks that agencies use to scale client campaigns efficiently
Return on Investment (ROI) - Key performance metric agencies use to measure and demonstrate campaign profitability for clients
Web3 Marketing - Marketing for decentralized internet apps with focus on user ownership and community governance

What Pros do"Success in blockchain marketing"?

Don't lead with blockchain tech but lead with customer pain point

Rather than apply blockchain for the sake of applying blockchain, look at addressing actual marketing challenges such as ad fraud, customer trust, supply chain transparency, or data privacy. Effective blockchain marketing satisfies real-world business demands that just so happen to be solved with blockchain technology.

Successful blockchain marketing campaigns are at least as effective as their traditional counterparts at solving existing problems. Take, for example, opening up the supply chain, which can make customers feel more confident about the authenticity and sustainability of the products they purchase. Tokenized loyalty programs also provide customers rewards that are more valuable and flexible.

Prioritize established platforms, rather than building one yourself

Use existing blockchain marketing platforms for NFTs (like Polygon), supply chain transparency (IBM FoodTrust) or loyalty token systems instead of trying to build it all in house. Custom development generally takes 12 to 18 months longer and requires ongoing technical support.

According to enterprise adoption survey, "90% of the leading banks" and large companies are now working with blockchain technologies. To be successful, they typically have to partner with specialized vendors rather than develop the technology internally.

Legacy platforms provide security, they meet regulatory requirements and they deliver a superior user experience that would be tough and expensive for any company — even Facebook — to replicate in house. They also provide integration tools and support resources to reduce integration times and technical risks.

First, build for non-tech people

Hide the complex bits of blockchain behind user experiences users are used to (think of the existing marketing program you have in place) but make the benefits of blockchain transparent. Starbucks Odyssey worked in part because customers didn't need to understand crypto wallets or have any technical expertise to participate.

The way to do it is progressively better disclosure. It allows basic users to use features that behave like conventional marketing, while advanced users can utilise blockchain-specific features such as secondary market trading, cross-platform token usage, or advanced verification features.

When you're designing a user interface, what is more important is if the thing you're building is simple and familiar, not that it's full of blockchain technology. Here are a few reasons why: It turns out that customers actually care less about how this stuff works and more about things like verified authenticity, valuable rewards and data control.

measure both blockchain-specific KPIs and standard metrics

Traditional marketing metrics, such as conversion rates and the customer acquisition costs, should be accompanied by trust proofs, transparency engagement, token utility usage and community contribution. And the marketing of blockchain typically improves these more qualitative measures of things like people's perception of your brand, and how loyal your customers are.

Some metrics specific to blockchains include verifying click through rates, secondary marker activity, token usage across networks, and community governance involvement. These metrics tell us something about how blockchain generates value that traditional analytics can't.

Advanced analytics-using companies say they get "45% higher marketing ROI" than their competitors. Blockchain provides them with new data points to focus on in terms of customer behavior and optimizing campaigns.

Plan for a long-term commitment and building

It's not a series of short-term campaigns or experimental programs efforts, but long-term investments that blockchain marketing requires. While the Nike RTFKT and Starbucks Odyssey shutdowns were effective for a moment, they have soured beloved brands in the eyes of Web3 communities.

Plan for projects that will be more than a year, have graduated strategies for growth and exits that include customer benefits. Blockchain marketing is better served as a mechanism to drive long-term customer relationships rather than as a method for promoting products with defined expiration dates.

Smart blockchain marketing views the technology as a tool to backstop customer relationships, brand differentiation, workflow quality, not as marketing campaigns or experiments here today and forgotten the day after tomorrow.

Revolutionising marketing using blockchain tech and smart thinking

Blockchain marketing represents a major shift from promise-based marketing to proof-based customer participation. This creates the new opportunities for brands that are prepared to adopt transparency, customer empowerment and new technology. Consumers are ready to spend on blockchain-based companies and estimate the market size is expected to be worth $248.9 billion by 2029, and with 58% of top brands already favoring the brand-building technology – you'll have a competitive edge ahead of competitors as you build your customer's trust and create a more efficient marketing business.

This validation from early adopters is evidence that blockchain marketing can make a difference: 99.97% improvement in Walmart's supply chain traceability verification, guaranteed sustainable sourcing verification at Unilever, and loyalty program integration at Starbucks are all proof that blockchain offers real business value beyond being a new technology. But tales like Nike's RTFKT shutdown and Vidy's regulatory crash illustrate the importance of planning ahead, abiding by the rules and being in it for the long haul.

To accomplish that, you have to prioritize what customers need over what blockchain can do, opt for established platforms over something you build yourself, design for non-tech-savvy users, and start defining a blockchain-specific value added over and above traditional marketing KPIs. Businesses that embrace blockchain marketing and have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, together with the right partners that clearly have a customer-first orientation, will find themselves on top in the new era of customer engagement, which is open and decentralized.

The blockchain marketing revolution isn't coming; it's already changing the rules of successful brands proving trust, authenticity, and value to increasingly sophisticated consumers. Digital marketers shouldn't really be asking themselves if they need blockchain mktg, they should be asking how soon they can start some strategic blockchain programs to elevate their brands in a more transparent market.

MOST MARKETING LEADERS will take to ensure they understand blockchain's potential, that's where they'll start — by launching small pilot initiatives and peeling back layers of the tech — while seeking out experts and ensuring they never lose sight of the real prize: Solving problems and creating value for customers via the unique capabilities this new technology offers at a time when trust matters now more than ever.