Jordan Doughty’s Post

FaZe Clan went quiet for more than 50 days after the acquisition by GameSquare Holdings Inc. before returning in the most FaZe way possible ◌ Loading… “I spent three years as an executive at Faze Clan and was quite the run. I've been back in the mix for the past few months helping the founders and GameSquare CEO Justin Kenna with the brand relaunch. FaZe has always made a ton of noise for the internet generation as one of the most high profile brands in the space and this past weekend returned to socials after a fifty day blackout. The relaunch was designed to be polarizing (in typical FaZe fashion) and it was announced that numerous long time FaZe members had been released while revealing the updated creator roster. The aesthetic was a throw back to early DOS operating systems and pre-internet. The very next day FaZe revealed FaZe Max as the latest addition to the roster with multiple members still waiting to be revealed as there are three open slots that are "loading" on the website. The relaunch took over Twitter like wildfire becoming the number 1 trending topic in the US for multiple hours and the videos have since done more than 30M views. We will be recapping the data later this week. The FaZe founders Apex/Banks/Temperrr returning to the brand is already having an impact. They are focused on not recreating the past but focusing on building a modern day collective of innovative creators with a deep rooted connection to one another.” - Jeff Pabst 🔥 The New FaZe After announcing the creators that were released, FaZe has since announced two of the teased four new creators that they will be adding to it’s new roster: Max and Silky. ⚡ Quick Thoughts With still two of their four new creators left to announce, I will hold off on judging FaZe Clan’s reboot until we see the rest of their new additions and have a chance to see some of the content and activations they are planning. However, I do have to mention that though I see where Banks and Jeff Pabst are coming from in terms of getting back to what made FaZe, FaZe — this re-launch was meant to be provocative and it has definitely succeeded in that; I am curious how brands will view this new FaZe. Finding a way to generate organic views and get the community interested in FaZe again is paramount, brands definitely don’t want to partner with a dead brand, but what will potential partners think of this new FaZe and Banks’ polarizing style? #gaming #esports #marketing

🌟 Exciting News from eNaming! 🌟 We're thrilled to announce that eNaming has been entrusted with the sale of a premium brand domain: Appetites.com! This is a rare opportunity to acquire a highly memorable and versatile domain, perfect for brands in the food, lifestyle, health, or e-commerce sectors. Why Appetites.com? 🔥 Brandable: Instantly resonates with consumers, evoking strong emotional connections. 💡 Versatile: Suitable for a wide range of industries, from food & beverage to tech startups. 🌐 Memorable: Easy to spell, easy to remember, and offers incredible SEO potential. If you’re looking to elevate your brand with a domain that stands out, Appetites.com is your golden ticket. For more details, check out the full press release here. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to explore this incredible opportunity further. #DomainNames #Branding #DigitalMarketing #eCommerce #PremiumDomains #Appetites

Yesterday, I watched a classic Marketing documentary : The Merchants of Cool. And it's really interesting how the principles of this 2001 documentary still apply to many aspects of Marketing today, including Web3 and NFTs. A key takeaway for me is: 'For something to be Cool, it’s not about the product. It’s about the lifestyle & the culture.' For the mainstream until now, NFTs have been presented as a product. A ‘token standard’. A monkey picture. And that’s because things went too fast the first time around. The whole story couldn’t be told. In a few months from mint, NFTs were featured on TV shows by people who didn’t understand anything beyond the product. Valuations grew so fast headlines only talked about money. That killed the cool factor for NFTs. Cool is subculture. It stops being cool when it is brought to market for profits by people who don’t understand it, and the mainstream picks up on it. But since then & for the past 2 years, culture has been brewing. Character brands were born. True lifestyles emerged. This time around, we’ll be able to present the mainstream with compelling stories. A lifestyle at the frontier of digital and physical to embrace. True communities of fans to join. This time, NFTs are going to be cool. Because they’ll be presented as anything but NFTs. #NFT #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #Web3 #Branding

Have we seen all of this before? It's 1995 and Chex has just licensed the game engine from DOOM to release Chex Quest 🤯! But I am getting ahead of myself. Are we reinventing the wheel? Brand activations through gaming has been around since the 90's. Sure, back then you got a copy in your cereal instead of having to register a crypto wallet (not in all cases). The beauty of 90's branded games is that it brought to life a brand that consumers had already bought into. - 7Up brought Cool Spot Sega Genesis to life - Cheetos brought "Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool" to life. - Chex brought Chex Quest to life (again, by licensing DOOM) 6 Million Boxes sold in 6 weeks! I forgot to mention that their team could not figure the game out so they had to hire a 17 year old who worked on the game after school. Imagine a team of developers waiting for a 17 year old to finish school so they can start working 😅. Last but not least.....PEPSI MAN! Although it was only ever released in Japan, it's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen from a brand 😂. Users would play a Pepsi themed version of Temple Run, while also receiving side quests through dialog with police officers (side quests along with all quests required supplying more Pepsi to.....you guessed it, Pepsi Town) What do these activations have in common? They were all cancelled. Not because they weren't successful. I mean it's safe to say that Chex never sold nearly as many boxes after the hype had subsided. Brands rode the hype.....did short campaigns with limited offers and tapped out when they had enough because it was NOT their brand identity. The point is.....brand activations through gaming work! They always have, which is why the current blueprint of web3 gaming is a successful one. Successful? You may ask. Given the fact that most of the attention has been garnered by the biggest luxury brands to have ever existed. I mean, were they ever going to fail? Can we judge the longevity of web3 gaming and web3 brand activations on the success of these super star brands who were following their brand personalities and archetypes when entering the space? Just like luxury, everyone would like to have a taste but very little can afford to even so much as enter the front door before being ushered away. A mature web3 will see the everyday person interacting with it. To conclude: A brand experience on Roblox is NOT the answer to every brand entering web3, because if your consumer does not recognize, need or want the experience, you risk losing existing customers for the chance at competing for the attention of GenZ. So this is why top brands do not look to build massive communities of spam accounts farming the next free something. They get in.....they get out......they continue doing what they do best! But yes, we have seen all of this before and we will see it again. Stay tuned....... - Edward Regue | Philosopher of Web3 #ingame #web3gaming #web3marketing #BrandActivation Dan Barry

Animoca Brands’ Yat Siu, Has Officially Stated That. He See's NFTs, As A Eay To Protect Ownership, In The Age Of AI... 📌 📌 NFTs are not taken very seriously today, as AI and content creators are hogging the spotlight. But, Animoca Brands, Co-Founder, Yat Siu has argued, the growing influence of both is exactly why there is a growing need for NFTs. Animoca has its own NFT's, blockchain products and wildly popular games. Also, have worked with international brands and personalities like Disney, WWE, Power Rangers, The Walking Dead, Formula E and Snoop Dogg. Siu argued, NFTs are “digital stores of culture that we can then transform,” whether it's something as simple as owning your value online or protecting your IP. That NFTs can be used to open up avenues for earning money from content, while avoiding traditional paths to monetization, which could cost a lot of money. Ie, being a teacher in Venezuela, earning a monthly salary of about $15, could create educational content or assets that can open doors to a side income. It may cost too much to have a lawyer drum up a contract, but with an NFT, you could create one in a single transaction for less than $1. That, “we’ve seen that in effect, where teachers in these countries have started making assets. They make a small yield, and investors 'buy them, and make more value out of it'. That encapsulation of IP rights can extend to everyone building their own IP by using NFTs. Ie, a dancer on TikTok can create a viral dancing trend, but without proof that they created it, they can't monetize it. As we have no control over ownership of any of it,” Siu said. With blockchain tech, anyone can create a trademark or copyright claim on something they have created. Siu said, “here you can start to defend your rights and really empowers everyone to do that”. It's not easy to develop such an understanding of NFTs and the related tech quickly. But in time, there will be more accessible routes to make this vision a reality. The whole movement can feel deeply personal because it involves money, Siu noted. “In this sense, it feels like digital capitalism sort of comes home in a very big way.” In the US, Siu said he’s seen fairly anti-capitalist movements, especially among the young. “Money and capitalism starts to feel futile, people were very negative towards folk in the finance industry, and they kind of talk about people in crypto in the same way.” But Siu feels this is ironic, as Web3 users were originally the ones who “rallied against the establishment and created an alternative system” outside of TradFi rails. He thinks on-chain dynamics is the best way, to verify information because it’s fully auditable. “That’s why I think blockchain tech will help solve many of the world’s biggest problems that are incoming.” #NFTsandTOKENIZATIONwillPROTECTOWNERSHIPinaAIbasedFUTURE... 👨⚖️ 👩⚖️ #TOKENIZATIONintheFUTUREECONOMY... 💥 💥

Animoca Brands’ Yat Siu, Has Officially Stated That. He See's NFTs, As A Eay To Protect Ownership, In The Age Of AI... 📌 📌 NFTs are not taken very seriously today, as AI and content creators are hogging the spotlight. But, Animoca Brands, Co-Founder, Yat Siu has argued, the growing influence of both is exactly why there is a growing need for NFTs. Animoca has its own NFT's, blockchain products and wildly popular games. Also, have worked with international brands and personalities like Disney, WWE, Power Rangers, The Walking Dead, Formula E and Snoop Dogg. Siu argued, NFTs are “digital stores of culture that we can then transform,” whether it's something as simple as owning your value online or protecting your IP. That NFTs can be used to open up avenues for earning money from content, while avoiding traditional paths to monetization, which could cost a lot of money. Ie, being a teacher in Venezuela, earning a monthly salary of about $15, could create educational content or assets that can open doors to a side income. It may cost too much to have a lawyer drum up a contract, but with an NFT, you could create one in a single transaction for less than $1. That, “we’ve seen that in effect, where teachers in these countries have started making assets. They make a small yield, and investors 'buy them, and make more value out of it'. That encapsulation of IP rights can extend to everyone building their own IP by using NFTs. Ie, a dancer on TikTok can create a viral dancing trend, but without proof that they created it, they can't monetize it. As we have no control over ownership of any of it,” Siu said. With blockchain tech, anyone can create a trademark or copyright claim on something they have created. Siu said, “here you can start to defend your rights and really empowers everyone to do that”. It's not easy to develop such an understanding of NFTs and the related tech quickly. But in time, there will be more accessible routes to make this vision a reality. The whole movement can feel deeply personal because it involves money, Siu noted. “In this sense, it feels like digital capitalism sort of comes home in a very big way.” In the US, Siu said he’s seen fairly anti-capitalist movements, especially among the young. “Money and capitalism starts to feel futile, people were very negative towards folk in the finance industry, and they kind of talk about people in crypto in the same way.” But Siu feels this is ironic, as Web3 users were originally the ones who “rallied against the establishment and created an alternative system” outside of TradFi rails. He thinks on-chain dynamics is the best way, to verify information because it’s fully auditable. “That’s why I think blockchain tech will help solve many of the world’s biggest problems that are incoming.” #NFTsandTOKENIZATIONwillPROTECTOWNERSHIPinaAIbasedFUTURE... 👨⚖️ 👩⚖️ #TOKENIZATIONintheFUTUREECONOMY... 💥 💥

Are we on the cusp of a gaming evolution? Is proprietary software changing how players engage with brands and monetize in gaming apps? The answer appears to be a resounding "Yes!" according to our latest article. Meet Iconicfuture GmbH, the Hamburg-based startup that is pushing the boundaries in brand marketing and software in the gaming world. Founded by Malte Barth and Ze'ev Rozov games, and they are driving increased engagement, retention, and significantly boosting monetization! Dive into our article to find out how their proprietary platform, developed by a versatile team of experts, is revolutionizing the licensing process, making it fast, simple, and cost-effective. With an extensive network of licensors, they’re offering unlimited access to top entertainment brands, selling millions of branded items, and seeing a significant increase in game and app downloads. Discover how they're changing the game! Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/d68b-Dtu #Startups #GamingInnovation #BrandEngagement #Monetization #ProprietarySoftware #Iconicfuture.

💰 🕹 Monetizing branded experiences on Roblox is becoming essential even if revenue is not your brand's primary objective. Here's why: 📊 The Roblox algorithm heavily favours experiences that monetize. One of the ways Roblox makes money is through in-app purchases, with at least 30% of all in-game sales going to Roblox. As a result, it is in Roblox’s best interest to prioritise experiences with high levels of monetization. Therefore, monetization is becoming one of the main requirements for having a successful Roblox game. While different genres monetize in different ways, here are some general guidelines brands should follow when approaching monetization design: 1️⃣ Create a fun & engaging core gameplay loop and tie the game’s monetization around it. This is a crucial aspect considering that many branded games fail to establish a meaningful connection between the two. While the conversion rate - the ratio of unique players to unique payers - of Roblox is just over 21%, the conversion rate of most branded games gravitates towards zero as not enough emphasis is placed on monetization tactics. 2️⃣ Pick a specific genre to build the game around. This is particularly important as Roblox players have clear genre-level expectations with regards to the kind of content they want to pay for and engage with. Certain genres are known to monetize better than others. For example, titles in the simulator genre are more prone to in-app purchases given the high level of effort required to progress to the later stages of these games. It’s much easier - and cheaper - to pay to win than it is to perform the same repetitive activity for hours on end. Non-genre specific games can lead to low engagement and therefore low monetisation. Many brands tend to over-prioritise bringing their full brand vision to life in their experience, rather than creating a single-minded genre-specific game. 3️⃣ Crafting your UGC collections according to trends. It is essential to know that some asset types and items are more popular than others - head items, hair types, or emotes are all having a moment right now. For example, 7 out of the top 10 best selling UGCs on the Roblox marketplace are head items. Item aesthetics are also crucial - surreal designs tend to be more popular than virtual representations of real-life garments. Spotify Island is an example of a branded game that monetizes well, with over 1,000 paid item sales in the last 30 days alone. However, 98% of revenue is generated from the sale of only two items, both of which are emotes which are currently limited in supply but high in demand. 👋 Looking to boost the revenue prospects of your Roblox game? Then don’t hesitate to reach out! #roblox #robloxmarketing #monetization #metaverse

I laugh at (mock) people who wear $10k watches, expensive branded wear and ridiculously priced luxury goods. Or at least, I used to. I used to think that these meant nothing, miss the bigger things in life, and were stopgap fillers for people trying to find their identity. Actually, till today, I’m sure that that's true to some extent. But as I’ve grown older, the more important thing I’ve come to appreciate is this – everyone is walking on their own journey. And different paths come with their own set of potholes you must cross and mountains you must climb. And that there is no glory in having your right answer alone, if all you do with it is to mock another who is finding his answers. It’s a bit rich to tell someone from a less fortunate position that “money isn't that important”; It’s a bit rich to tell someone who was bullied from young to just “not bother about what other people think of you”; It’s a bit rich to tell someone to just “have more confidence in yourself” when they grew up being told they weren’t good enough. I am strongly resolute that there are some right answers in life. But I’ve come to learn that the road towards it is always going to be wrongly imperfect. Severely imperfect at times. So the best thing you can do is not to laugh at someone crossing their potholes. But with love and grace, do whatever you can to help another human being cross his obstacles, while navigating your own. That is fundamentally, what I want to achieve building Avium. We’re not a typical startup-gaming-web3 company. I’m not selling pipe-dreams, answers to a get-rich-financial-free scheme, or filling your identity in life. But what I am trying to do is to bring together the broken and fragmented game industry in Asia. I have a firm business thesis that UGC gaming platforms, which allow the creation for decent-quality video games at a fraction of time and costs, will enable the rise of the creator economy for the video gaming space. And they will do for the gaming industry what Youtube did for aspiring video creators – where everyone can be empowered to create their own games, publish their own games, and earn a meaningful income participating in the UGC economy. And that together, we will embolden, uplift and empower this gaming creator economy in Asia, and improve the livelihoods of the many in this region. Building Avium is my journey. With my own set of potholes to cross, and mountains to climb. It’s going to be a long, imperfect journey. I’m going to need a lot of help from a lot of people to achieve what I want to do. So if this journey resonates with you, and you see value and purpose in what I am trying to do with Avium, I invite you to connect with me. I’ll be sharing more about what I do, the challenges I face, and the imperfections in my own journey. And along the way, I hope, for everyone who reads what I write, that in me navigating my journey, you will find your own answers in your unique path as well.