5 times brands used NFT for branding, unique experiences and better results

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NFTs (the famous Non-Fungible Tokens ) are a reality that can no longer be ignored and pioneering brands are becoming increasingly aware of it.

While some people are still getting to grips with the concept (if you don’t fully understand what an NFT is, don’t feel like an alien: surveys show one in four Americans don’t either), the fact is that this direct marketing with fantuan database technology is on a meteoric rise ( in 2021, NFTs grew by 11,000% ). And some brands are adopting very creative strategies and generating equally meteoric results for themselves.

Coachella, Super Bowl, Adidas, Dolce & Gabanna and MAC are just some of the many examples of brands and companies that strategically used NFTs to achieve better results in their campaigns and provide a different and unique experience to their customers.

In this article, we will explore these examples further and show you how brands have been using NFTs, what results they are having, and what insights you can absorb for your brand, whether you use these new technologies or not.

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Just to remind you... what are NFTs?
NFTs are unique, distinct and irreplaceable codes recorded by the blockchain system, the same technology used in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

If you want to explore more on the topic, we recommend you read this article . Now, let’s explore how brands have used NFTs as part of their strategy!

Coachella Music and Arts Festival and the Blooming Flower NFT
If you're one of those people who loves a good music festival, then you've probably noticed that the big hit this April was the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. This is a festival that is popularly known for its length, taking place over two full weekends, and for the wide variety of artists from all over the world.

This year, in addition to the big attractions and guest artists, one specific attraction caught the attention of the participating public: NFTs . The festival offered all paying participants a digital NFT image of a flower that bloomed on both Fridays of the festival.

Coachella 2022 also brought other technologies, such as the metaverse and cashless payment, to mix in-person experiences with virtual marketing, and became a good example of the importance of Engagement Marketing in the post-pandemic era.

NFT as event tickets
As you saw in the example above, NFTs offer advantages to today's entertainment market, such as concerts, movies, and sports, as they are unique, distinct, and irreplaceable codes.

One of the benefits that brands can make is the generation of a collectible item for fans, such as a ticket. From matchboxes to luxury cars, the collectibles market moves billions of dollars annually and arouses the curiosity of people around the world. Some companies realized the attraction of their consumers for their brands' collectibles and decided to unite the passion of collectors of physical items with the world of NFTs.

In order to bring the ticket-collecting experience to their consumers, some brands have already decided to launch their tickets in a fully digital version. This is the case of the NFL franchise , which decided to turn the tickets for its biggest annual event, the Super Bowl, into collectible NFTs.


Source: NFL
Brazilian football club Vasco da Gama recently partnered with Block4 (a Brazilian company that specializes in creating collectible NFTs) to issue NFT tickets for the team's fans.

In the entertainment world, the AMC movie theater chain distributed 86,000 NFTs to those who bought tickets for the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home . In the case of the Coachella festival , NFTs were launched that guarantee lifetime access to the event. This was only possible thanks to blockchain technology.

By using NFT and blockchain technology for ticketing, brands and consumers benefit from security against counterfeiting of the items sold. With blockchain, a unique code is generated on the ticket and this code is easily verified by event organizers, and can even be created as a non-transferable and locked code for resale. This proves the authenticity of the ticket and verifies that it is being sold by a legitimate organizer, thus preventing counterfeiting of tickets and providing their traceability for fraud control.

NFT as merchandising
Companies in the fashion industry are very excited about NFTs. Last March, the virtual platform Descentraland held its first fashion show, creating a completely virtual and immersive Fashion Week . Brands such as Dolce & Gabanna, Tommy Hilfiger, Forever 21 and Paco Rabanne walked the runway at the fashion week and the platform generated fan engagement and opened new precedents for fashion shows and public outreach. In addition to the experience of participating in a fashion show, the event also sold NFTs of clothing and accessories from the brands present at the shows.


Source: Lifestyle Asia
NFTs as exclusivity
Some companies have been using NFTs as a way to provide unique experiences to their customers. This is the case of the Californian winery Robert Mondavi , which decided to launch the first wine label sold by NFT in the world. There are only 1996 collectible bottles that can be traced using blockchain technology.

Each wine NFT retails for $3,500 and has a key to unlock a bottle for redemption. That would be a potential revenue of $6.9 million USD. Not bad, right?


Source: Bloomberg
NFTs for fundraising
Some brands are also known for their performance in social responsibility. NFTs provide new opportunities to change the way they raise money for these social movements they support. MAC Cosmetics, for example, will be selling collectible NFTs to raise funds to support organizations in the fight against HIV/AIDS.


Source: Vogue Business
NFTs open up new opportunities not only for brands but also for non-profit organizations. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) started the sale of a collection of 1000 NFTs to raise funds for the promotion of internet access for students in schools around the world. Hope for Haiti in partnership with FXG announced the launch of NFTs to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

What results are brands having with NFTs?
Whether or not there is any hype, NFTs have been worth a lot of money in the market since 2021, when they moved $25 billion, breaking the record since their creation.

Attentive brands have jumped on the NFT bandwagon and are cashing in on it. Adidas, for example, moved approximately $43 million worth of NFTs in partnership with Bored Ape Yatch Club, Punks Comics, and GMoney.

In addition to financial gains, brands have achieved branding results with their customers, providing them with exclusive experiences, creating a sense of community and attracting younger audiences attuned to new technologies more easily. Breaking down the barriers between the physical and digital universe has provided a series of penetrations into markets previously unimaginable for brands, such as the gaming and entertainment market, and even visibility in social impact actions.