With everything I’ve seen this week from @y00tsNFT, and recently from @dust_labs, and I’ve never been more bullish on @frankdegods/@DeGodsNFT & @kevindegods/@dust_labs. Here’s why…

👇THREAD 🧵 1/12👇

First, before people call this a bag pump, I currently hold just one t00b, no @DeGodsNFT, and no y00t (yet). I’ve also had constructive critiques (not FUD) about the project in the past, but I find myself impressed as time goes on.

👇THREAD 🧵 2/12👇

Let’s talk about something that’s incredibly important to NFT projects, especially in this bear market - BRANDING. Some have it nailed (like @doodles, who I’ll use as an example below), others are figuring it out, and everyone should be taking it seriously.

👇THREAD 🧵 1/16👇 What I’ll cover in this thread:

⭐️What branding is

⭐️Why branding is important

⭐️An example of a great NFT brand

⭐️How to begin establishing a brand identity

👇THREAD 🧵 2/16👇

I'm seeing increasingly unrealistic expectations for NFT founders on the timeline. NFT companies will never grow if people ONLY buy them with the goal of "dumping" them at a higher price (greater fool theory) or to get constant airdrops to sell (ponzi-esque).

👇THREAD 🧵 1/8👇 People are FUDing NFT brands who give utility longer than a week or two out. I don't want to invalidate anyone's feelings, but I'm seeing this in multiple NFT projects and it's simply not fair to founders. Feedback is fine. This is different.

👇THREAD 🧵 2/8👇

Other NFT brands...take note...@kevinrose, @JustinMezzell, and the @proof_xyz put on a clinic with Future Proof today. In case you missed it, here's what they talked about, along with my thoughts.

tl;dr - they're building an empire and it's gonna be fun.

👇THREAD 🧵 1/20👇 They started off talking about three core priorities - @proof_xyz, @moonbirds, and Highrise. I'm going to go out of chronological order because there are some things we need to get out of the way ASAP.

👇THREAD 🧵 2/20👇

I just got off the @proof_xyz call with the preview of Future Proof. Here are some things they announced along with my takeaways/commentary on it. My tl;dr initial reaction - this community call was a home run. Super well done by @kevinrose & @JustinMezzell.

👇THREAD 1/16🧵👇 Off the rip, they set the stage by acknowledging the elephant in the room. They hit on the cc0 announcement and discussed the balance of bringing community along for the ride. It was authentic, and set the tone nicely to move forward with the cool stuff.

👇THREAD 2/16🧵👇

I’ve heard a lot of discussion about NFT brands like @doodles, @BoredApeYC, & @pixelvault_ being “too quiet” without constant announcements/updates. Even two weeks of radio silence is met with criticism and a falling floor.

Let’s unpack this critique.

👇THREAD 🧵 1/15👇 NFT companies are operating in an unprecedented time where startups are being built in public. We usually don’t hear about companies like Uber or Airbnb until long after they’re founded. They have time to iterate, change course, and define new paths.

👇THREAD 🧵 2/15👇

I see people on the timeline comparing NFTs to alt coins and IMO that's shortsighted. Even if the traders *currently* overlap, NFTs are significantly different than crypto because of tangible benefits which can be created in existing communities/brands.

👇Thread 🧵1/6👇 Take @Starbucks, for example. They're coming out with NFTs. They're not coming out with a coin or bringing crypto into the fold in a major way. On the more practical/transactional side, things like tickets, music, and car titles can be enhanced via NFTs.

👇Thread 🧵2/6👇

I strongly believe that NFTs are in a major transition period.

Working full time in Web3 I regularly talk to VCs, founders, and researchers. Based on those discussions, and my own observations, there have been three eras and we’re legging into the fourth.

👇THREAD 1/14🧵👇 👾Punks Era
(June 2017 - January 2021)

The first era is the longest and it’s where NFTs in their current form were born. Two Canadian friends started a digital movement and inspired the ERC-721 standard. The impact of @cryptopunksnfts can’t be understated.

👇THREAD 2/14🧵👇

What @doodles did last night was something I’ve never seen in NFTs. Forget terms like bullish and bearish…those are often short term phrases. Last night shows me Doodles is a brand ready to permeate pop culture for years to come. Here’s why…

👇(THREAD 🧵 1/8)👇 Let’s start with Julian Holguin, the new @doodles CEO, previously President at Billboard. He looks like a home run hire. He delivered an Apple-like keynote (again, NEVER seen this in Web3) about the direction of the brand with polish and stage presence.

👇(THREAD 🧵 2/8)👇