Article author: DEFI EDUCATION Article compiler: Block unicorn
Today’s article topic is about religion, religious branding in crypto projects. Every crypto project is obsessed with building a “community.” Those truly successful projects not only have a community, but also a religion.
A community is a group of people with common interests and activities. The focus is on common interests, not brands. Crypto Twitter is a "community" ".
Religious brands, on the other hand, have a deep connection with the brand emotionally, not just in terms of interest. Apple and Tesla are religious brands, and their customers and followers are loyal to their ideals, not just their products.
In a bull market, the projects that achieve the greatest success (and valuation) tend to be those that achieve a quasi-religious status. Devoted followers of these projects will constantly promote the project and actively attack anyone online who does not believe in it.
Here are some examples of past religious projects:
1. Hex
2. Luna
3. Olympus DAO
4. Frog Nation
These projects, despite their mechanical problems, are worth billions of dollars, making it easier for those who catch them early enough of people brought huge rewards. Today, we provide a framework for identifying crypto-religions.
Religion and religious brands
In historical context , groups labeled as religious run the gamut from extremists to the marginalized and persecuted. Many groups labeled as religious form on the fringes of society or in opposition to cultural norms. Some of these were characterized by exploitative and manipulative practices, giving the religion the negative connotation it carries today.
We will not discuss the sociological background of religion today. In consumer culture, the concept of "religious brand" is distinct from the concepts of religion and social religion. However, there are many similarities in how they create strong followings and loyalty.
We can put aside those creepy rituals and identify with each other as we seek a sense of community within ourselves. People identify deeply with religious brands and become not just customers, but highly engaged members and strong advocates of the brand. The main difference is that religious brands have a cult following, not just typical brand preferences.
Characteristics of crypto-religion
Unique features of crypto-religion , in that members have a financial incentive in the success of the religion by owning tokens. This reinforces religious-like behavior as people's livelihoods are closely tied to the success of the project. Crypto-religions have five common characteristics:
1. Religious leaders
2. Exclusivity
3. Us versus them
4. Signal ownership
5. Common ownership
"Religious leader" means in the field of encryption, although decentralization is a basic principle of encryption principles, but there is still a core component that still exists in the most powerful crypto communities (past and present), namely "religious leaders".
Here are some examples:
So does the world's leading religious brand:
These leaders are not just ordinary online influencers. They fuel entire movements (and create billions of dollars in wealth!).
These leaders usually have the following characteristics:
1. Charming personality< /p>
2. Autocratic personality
3. Confidence and persuasion
4. Far-sighted thinking
5. Resist criticism
Cultural brand leaders often embody the brand's lifestyle and values, creating a strong association between the leader and the brand.
Elon Musk is a great example of a cultural brand leader. Through Tesla and SpaceX, he became known for his ambitious, visionary thinking. He had a charismatic personality that inspired the public at large, and he had no hesitation in adopting unconventional and controversial methods. His personal brand is closely tied to his company's brand. As a media-savvy individual, he was able to use his platform to sell his vision to the masses, creating rabid customers.
This is why Elon can sell tequila, flamethrowers, WiFi access, not just electric cars. Tesla buyers are more than just consumers of the product, they are loyal members of the Tesla community. Eelon's customer base will buy anything he sells, including publicly traded equity in his company. The reason Elon has a net worth of $230 billion is because of his status as a religious leader, not just the profitability of his companies.
Exclusivity
Most crypto projects try to reach all People, while cultural brands are exclusive. They are open, but only to believers, non-believers need not apply.
While most crypto projects find a "narrative" to participate in by looking at what other projects are doing, cultural brands are formed through radical differentiation.
Joining means shedding your old beliefs and embracing the beliefs of the group.
Take high-end watches as an example. It's not enough to have enough money to buy a new Rolex, you have to be "chosen" to spend upwards of five figures on a piece of metal. To outsiders, the prices for these 5-figure watches are ridiculous. Perhaps it is—for unpopular nonbelievers.
The same is true for streetwear brands. Clothing brands such as Supreme and sneaker brands such as Yeezy use the release of limited commodity supply to create hunger marketing and exclusivity, making them 's items are highly sought after, creating rabid customers who will line up all night long to buy the latest products.
Our attitude towards them
If you really To support something, you must also oppose something you don't support. To truly enhance a sense of belonging, there must be a common enemy to fight against. Take Bitcoin as an example. Bitcoin represents ideas such as decentralization, freedom from the traditional banking system, financial privacy and financial technology innovation (us).
In this case, the "enemy" is the traditional fiat currency system, which is outdated, over-regulated, and dominated by large financial institutions and Government controls (them).
Opposition to fiat currency is more than a preference for a different type of currency; it is support for a revolutionary approach to finance that will change the world, these members Will be part of a movement to challenge fiat currencies.
Other examples include:
Apple vs Android
Coca-Cola vs Pepsi
The existence of a common enemy makes members more powerful and cultivates a deeper sense of group identity. Further solidifying the member's identity as part of the group. Members feel more connected by working together to fight a common "threat."
This "enemy" provides an external goal that explains why the group's beliefs or actions are necessary. Members unite behind a movement that challenges the status quo.
Modeling a sense of belonging
Simply being part of an in-group is not enough, members need to be able to show that they are part of it while distinguishing themselves from others who are not.
Emojis, memes, industry terms or terminology (e.g. gm, gn, etc.), clothing, logos, blue instead of green in iMessages are all It’s how members demonstrate their involvement. Remember, a religious brand represents much more than just the product/service to members.
It represents a lifestyle that is consistent with their self-image. People deep in their hearts desire to express their self-image externally. These signals also connect individuals with their own Connected by a larger community of similar values or lifestyles.
Co-ownership
To empower Group power, which means giving up a certain level of control. The management of a crypto-religious brand is not only the responsibility of the company, but also shared by its members. Internet memes (called memes in China, such as Cai Xukun—Chicken You Are Too Beautiful) and events of specific moments exist outside of the decentralized entity and the core team behind the project.
While crypto founders are often strong advocates of decentralizing their protocols, few are decentralizing their brands. However, the concept of shared ownership is crucial in transforming a community into a religious brand. In crypto this is more powerful than anywhere else because members own the tokens.
It’s not just about the ideals of feedback, participation, or even governance; religious brands give members a real stake in the direction and success of the brand. This means involving community members in key decisions, where members are more than just consumers or users; they are active participants and co-creators of the project’s story and future.
This sense of ownership reinforces their emotional investment and loyalty, and it naturally creates ambassadors who truly care about the project. Religious brands move away from a top-down, centralized approach to community building and instead foster a sense of collective ownership and responsibility.
Looking for the next hundred billion dollar religious brand
The best thing about crypto is that you can actually invest in religious brands.
The easiest way to get started is to find religious brand leaders. Note that the religious brand leader is not necessarily the founder or CEO of the project. These leaders only need to be public representatives, which in the decentralized world of crypto could be just one person who strongly supports a project! However, it is even more influential when it comes to leadership figures within a company.
Religion Indicators:
Other leaders and religious brands Leaders argue but cannot break their “frame” (authoritarian nature of religious brand leaders)
1. High engagement with content
< p style="text-align: left;">2. The religious brand leader is a great communicator
3. What we’re going to look at next The factor is community initiative, are there passionate community members, obviously pro bono and not affiliated with the project? If so, this deserves a closer look.
A good test is to post or research some (harmless) "FUD" about the project and observe 1) how quickly people respond and 2) how quickly they The nature of the response. The more angry cartoon characters defend the project, the better(Block unicorn note: Cartoon characters often appear in the NFT community when people face doubts, and people who use NFT avatars fight back). Remember, you're looking for an emotional connection, and sometimes that requires studying how a community responds to its enemies.
Signals are another good sign to look for, with emojis, project NFTs and meme culture being common phenomena among crypto-religious brands. Solana may be a project that has achieved success as a community-driven brand, and Sei is also a project that may achieve religious brand status by the end of the bull run.
Anti-religious symbols
Project changes in religious marketing Gotta be more strategic. It takes some intuition to tell what will gain organic appeal and what will remain non-organic and "forced."
Generally speaking, those who show signs of not taking their religious projects too seriously usually get the best results from their religious communities. Projects unwilling to hand over brand ownership to their religious communities will not achieve the status of religious brands. Tese programs are more concerned with getting the trappings of religion right than with building real connections with believers. Are you seeing other projects developing into religious brands in the crypto space?
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