The overwhelming majority of NFT projects are what I like to call "cookie-cutter projects." Does this utility stack sound familiar?
It's all complete and utter BS, isn't it? And yet, so many of these cookie-cutter projects that provide nothing worthy of standing out have attention, floor price, and royalty revenue advantages over a large percentage of the true builders of Web3.
Like other projects I've elected to cover intensely, Anybodies stands out as a Screw You to the disappointing Web3 norms that NFT collectors have come to accept and valiantly defend (but only for projects they hold, lol).
As we take a comprehensive look at Anybodies, we'll discover a team dedicated to genuine innovation that will benefit the entire Solana ecosystem and also come to realize that, not only does Anybodies rightfully deserve to be in the conversation regarding the next top Solana project, but they also have a very clear path to achieve exactly that.
Looking back a decade from now, it's projects like Anybodies that will be remembered for pushing the Web3 space forward.
Let's dive into it.
Known for high-profile partnerships, highly recognizable quality art, a community of high-conviction supportive holders, and the undisputed most active intern in all of Crypto Twitter, Anybodies is Solana NFT project that needs to be on your radar if it somehow isn't already.
Anybodies is a one-stop-shop for anyone looking to experience the full power of Web3, providing that through a combination of NFT, NFC, AR, and blockchain technology integrated into products that offer true physical-to-digital linked experiences, many of which will be in collaboration with some of the world's top brands.
The core founding team is fully doxxed and brings a wealth of relevant experience to the table. You can learn more about them below:
Elli De Gouveia - Co-Founder & CEO
Joss Aviv - Co-Founder & CTO
Xi Ding - Co-Founder & Creative Director
Anybodies is not a narrowly-focused project. There are grand visions being worked towards, each a complement of the others; not a distracting detractor. These visions can be summarized by what I see as three core pillars of the project: Onboard, Fashion, and Technology. Let's run through each of them.
Anybodies has recognized that NFTs provide an incredible opportunity for large brands to supercharge their rewards programs and acquire new customers. Instead of spending incredible sums of money and using 10+ months to create a joint rewards program promotion with another brand, they can instead utilize NFTs to get the job done in minutes.
Anybodies is building a platform to facilitate this type of activity and other customer acquisition mechanisms. In the process, Anybodies will potentially generate hundreds of millions of dollars in value for partners that use their platform.
"Each brand that uses Anybodies, they bring/create new modules and integrations on the Anybodies Platform. This creates a flywheel that ultimately results in the most comprehensive membership offering. What if a brand that is integrated with Anybodies could create turn-key loyalty partnerships with any other brand integrated with Anybodies? e.g. Toys R Us rewards are now available to Tay Keith Hoodie holders with a click of a button. a good example of this is Delta Air Lines partnering with Starbucks to combine their Loyalty programs which doubled both company's reach. Problem is it took them 10+ months to pull off vs using NFTs and Anybodies you can do it in minutes." - Ellihandro, Anybodies Co-Founder & CEO
I’ve been an avid Solana participants since October of 2021, and an observer even before then. Out of everything to come from the ecosystem, this, by far, appears to be the greatest innovation to emerge from a Solana NFT project thus far. With well-set-up rewards, it has the power to provide almost incomprehensible value to Anybodies holders and onboard millions of new consumers to the Solana ecosystem.
Everyone who has been in Web3 long enough knows that the merch, in general, is pretty terrible. Whether we're talking about quality or design, no one has assumed the mantle of bringing luxury fashion house-level products into the industry—until Anybodies.
While the overwhelming majority of NFT projects working to build a brand have done little to establish any infrastructure needed to actually do so, and have opted for cheap merchandise reminiscent of fraternity and sorority rush apparel, Anybodies spent 2022 readying itself to bring world-class fashion and other merchandise to the world. Here are some key actions they took:
Closed deal with new fulfillment and storage partner.
Established strong partnerships with 3 textile & leather factories from Portugal, Italy, and the UK.
Secured packaging partnership in the UK that is building out AR & NFC-enabled packaging.
With the proper infrastructure in place, Anybodies can effectively scale their merchandise operations globally. Be on the lookout for Anybodies-branded products coming out this year, as well as new collaborations with incredible brands and Web3 projects.
Anybodies deserves far greater recognition for the innovations they're bringing to Web3 than they receive. Let's be clear, the team is unequivocally an innovation powerhouse. Don't believe me? You will shortly.
For starters, alongside RTFKT, Anybodies is the primary standout NFT project championing NFC chip technology in a prominent way. By including NFC chips in merchandise like the Tay Keith sweater (unbelievably comfortable by the way), Anybodies is opening the door for brand collaborations to link their rewards programs to the currently-under-development Anybodies app. This tech enables brands to drive new rewards campaigns and unique experiences to users continuously, predictably generating higher customer loyalty. Big companies love that.
Alongside NFC chips, Anybodies has been doing its part to pioneer AR's presence in Web3 since the project first launched. With a focus on giving users more ways to engage with brands through products, receiving something like a sweater is no longer a regular occasion to take for granted. With Anybodies AR, it becomes a memorable experience that generates UGC for brands.
Not enough tech innovation for you yet, anon? Let's check out Diamond Vaults, the staking platform that the Anybodies team developed. Today, the free-to-use site is Solana's leading staking and raffles self-service platform, boasting over 100,000 verified users, $30 million+ under management, and ~200,000 transactions monthly.
If we dig a little deeper than surface level, it's clear that Diamond Vaults is an expression of "A rising tide lifts all boats," a mantra that the Anybodies team has continually said in recent months. With Diamond Vaults, and everything else they do, Anybodies is here to elevate the entire Solana ecosystem with tech innovations that enable other projects to level up and provide value to their holders as well.
The Anybodies ecosystem is currently comprised of four collections containing five different NFT drops. It's no secret that many more drops are on the way, so getting involved now while prices are low could be a great long-term play. Here's a brief overview of each collection.
Minted on January 18, 2022 as high-quality art focused on inclusivity and representation, Anybodies is the primary collection of the Anybodies ecosystem. With a supply of 3,000, it's a very limited PFP collection compared to the majority of projects in the Web3 space.
Anybodies holder benefits include staking to earn $STYLE (the native utility token of the Anybodies ecosystem), WL reserved on all collaborations, exclusive benefits in Diamond Vaults, and more.
The Anybodies store is where people can buy, sell, and trade Anybodies merch in either redeemed (meaning a physical IRL item was already redeemed) or not redeemed (meaning the NFT can still be used to redeem the IRL version) form.
Currently, the two items featured in the collection are the Anybodies x DeGods hoodie and the Anybodies x AF1 sneaker created in collaboration with VIJZ Studios. Both are examples of products from Anybrand, what Anybodies is calling "the premier web2 launchpad for major companies & brands wanting to get into web3."
The Anybodies x AF1 sneaker was airdropped to early community members for free as the first Anybodies NFT available. Holding the digital version offers a guaranteed WL to every Anybodies mint.
The DeGods hoodie was designed by the Anybodies team as a 200-piece limited drop. Holders of the NFT will have until March 31st, 2023 to redeem the IRL hoodie. Items not redeemed will be donated to charity.
In collaboration with Anybodies, Tay Keith, world-famous award-winning music producer, brought his #1 record and producer label, "Drumatized" to the Solana ecosystem.
By minting and redeeming the physical sweater, holders get access to Tay Keith drops like a 3D avatar, free tickets to live events, Tay Keith beats, and much more by tapping the NFC chip sewn into the sweater's sleeve.
The Anybodies x Toys R Us drop just may have been the most controversial Solana drop of 2022. The collection of 10,000 giraffes sold out slowly and endured enormous amounts of FUD starting at the drop's announcement and continuing to today, despite the Anybodies team recognizing some of their shortcomings and pledging to make improvements in 2023.
Let's take a step past the FUD and get clear on why this collection is so important.
At a fundamental level, one of the world's most recognizable brands has partnered with a Solana NFT project. That brand was founded in 1948 and has generated billions of dollars in revenue in collaboration with many of the most beloved IP brands in the world. Today, they generate over $2 billion in global retail sales annually through nearly 900 branded stores and e-commerce sites in over 25 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East. That brand also recognizes the future benefits of blockchain technology and wants to leverage its resources to successfully integrate into Web3, and they've elected to do it with Anybodies.
People are FUDing this. How? It's madness. Everyone needs to look beyond floor price here; there's so much more at stake for the entire Solana ecosystem.
This collaboration has legitimized Anybodies on a global scale, established them as the only middleman standing between all other Web3 projects and creating Toys "R" Us physical merchandise, and has placed Anybodies one connection away from many of the world's most incredible brands, like Pokémon (which I suspect an NFT drop is in the works), Lego, and so many more.
$STYLE is the utility token of the Anybodies ecosystem. Truthfully, it's one of the only Solana NFT project utility tokens with use cases that actually make sense. Here's what you can, or will be able to, do with it.
Online Store - Holders will be able to use $STYLE to purchase merch and accessories from the Anybodies store.
Physical Store - Holders will be able to use $STYLE to purchase goods and services from partner flagship stores.
This is something not being talked about much, but thinking long-term, it's a big deal. Anybodies has reached the point of escape velocity and, based on what the team has said, has the ability to partner with pretty much any brands they want to in the world. We know that Anybodies is focused on blending streetwear and fashion with cutting-edge technology, so considering the brands that align with that vision and knowing they'd be accepting $STYLE in-store is incredibly exciting.
Mint - $STYLE can be used by Anybodies holders to mint upcoming drops in the Anybodies ecosystem.
We saw this utility play out with the Toys R Us mint; it's a gift that keeps on giving. Holders stake their Anybodies NFTs to earn $STYLE, then instead of using $SOL or other forms of payment to mint new NFTs, they can just use $STYLE. As $STYLE continues to prove its utility and becomes a more desired token in the eyes of the public, all of the $STYLE funneled back to the team through purchases will increase in value and contribute to growing the project. Everyone wins here.
Wardrobe - Holders will be able to customize their Anybodies PFPs using $STYLE.
Events - $STYLE will be able to be used to purchase tickets to live events.
One of the reasons why I bought into Anybodies was the thesis (which is becoming more and more of a reality every day) that the project would align and partner with some of the top brands and individuals in the world. We saw it with their Tay Keith drop, and now with the Toys R Us drop. Each addition to the resume further solidifies Anybodies as a top project in the space and will drive more partnerships towards it. As holders, this means our network grows through Anybodies and we have the ability to elevate ourselves using $STYLE, in part by attending events put on with collaborators.
The token price (like all alts) is down significantly in the current bear market. All things considered, $STYLE feels like a Solana ecosystem token that will shine brighter as time continues to progress. With so much utility already being baked into the token and the future outlook of Anybodies looking better than ever as they eye a run to the top of the Solana ecosystem, I think $STYLE has a solid chance of outperforming a vast majority of other tokens on Solana in the long-run.
Consider the question: what happens when a team takes close to a decade of AR experience and combines it with a platform that will supercharge rewards programs for the world's largest brands through the power of NFTs, while also having infrastructure set up to sell industry-leading-quality merchandise globally?
To me, the answer is Solana's next number one NFT project, plain and simple. If we're talking business fundamentals and tangible potential for growth, especially considering y00ts and DeGods are leaving for Ethereum, there isn't a project on Solana that comes close to what Anybodies has been putting together. If you don't believe me, I challenge you to take everything that has been examined in this article and put it up against Solana's top projects of today. I think that what you find will be eye-opening, at the very least.
At a floor price deeply discounted from its ATH, now is a great chance to enter the Anybodies ecosystem before they reach new heights and eventually become one of Solana's undisputed top projects.
In 2023, there will be "drops from amazing apparel brands, activewear brands, sneaker brands, luxury brands, liquor brands, and automotive brands," all focused on adopting Anybodies tech within their product range and stores. This is shaping out to be the year that Anybodies takes its brand to new heights using Web2 onboarding as its primary growth play.
Everybody will be an Anybodies. It's time to stop fading them, anon.
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Disclaimer: This article is written purely for entertainment and educational purposes and should not be taken as financial advice in any way. Do your own research. If you are seeking financial advice, find a professional who is right for you.