Branding is how they see you, marketing is how you see them. Branding is how they see you, marketing is how you see them. Branding is how they see you, marketing is how you see them. Recently, a YouTube thumbnail caught my attention, so I decided to watch the video. It featured what appeared to be an excerpt from a statement made by someone in the video. After watching, I realized that the person whose picture was placed beside the caption never actually said anything like that or something related. To me, the thumbnail was a complete misrepresentation of the person's character. It’s frustrating to think that someone takes the time to attend a live recording, carefully choosing their words, only to have them misrepresented for clicks. I can imagine that someone who didn’t watch the video or didn’t pay close attention while watching could now form an opinion about the person based on false information. This got me thinking about branding. Whether or not you make a deliberate effort to build your brand, people will still perceive it in a certain way. Perception isn’t always in your control, but being intentional about your messaging and presence can help shape it more accurately. As important as branding is, many projects are more fixated on branding elements like logos and brand colour, but feelings always leave larger impressions. You'll agree with me that you may not remember what Berachain’s logo looks like, but you can definitely relate to how vibrant the community is, their lingo, and brand mascots. If you're posting regularly on social media, sending emails, replying to  tweets, organising events, that’s marketing; everyone does that. But not everyone is intentional about branding. Getting Started Here are the simple steps to creating your unique Web3 brand: Discover baseline requirements Discover baseline requirements Discover baseline requirements A major feature of a bird is that it has wings. A major feature of a car is that it houses a mobile engine, which includes a steering wheel, seat, and tires. A major feature of a layer 2 chain is that it's faster and cheaper than the base chain. A major feature for an AI agent is not a token, but that it can make decisions based on the information it has learnt. You get the drift? Ensure your product meets the baseline requirements (product market fit) before you start wishing on what you want your users to see you as. wishing Your brand should not be centred on features Your brand should not be centred on features Your brand should not be centred on features Imagine that Ethereum built its brand story around the fact that you could create smart contracts on it. Then, fast forward a few years, other blockchains started popping up with similar features but with faster transactions per second, cheaper fees, and other features. If your brand is just centred around “we’re faster,” “we’re cheaper,” or “we’re more scalable,” then you're not building a narrative. Your brand story should be crafted around your why and not your what. Your brand story should be crafted around your why and not your what. Your brand story should be crafted around your why and not your what. why what The point is: features can be duplicated. Don't short-live your brand by sticking to features. This also goes for projects without product market fit that push their brand around incentives. We all know how that ends. Here's a text from Deb Gabor’s “Branding Is Sex” Branding Is Sex” A duplicable feature can be part of your brand story, along with everything else that is unique to your company. If it’s a feature that must be there because you have to put a check mark next to it and say, “Customers won’t consider
us to be relevant in this category without this,” then, yes, it needs to be part of the brand story. But is it the lead? No, it’s not the lead of the story. A duplicable feature can be part of your brand story, along with everything else that is unique to your company. If it’s a feature that must be there because you have to put a check mark next to it and say, “Customers won’t consider us to be relevant in this category without this,” then, yes, it needs to be part of the brand story. But is it the lead? No, it’s not the lead of the story. But you can build a brand on the unique combination of your features, the things you do and you enable your customers to do, plus the things you make your customers feel, and the stories that your brand tells about its customers. The sum total of all of those things is the brand story. When done well, it’s impossible for competitors to copy. This is how you build a lasting brand. But you can build a brand on the unique combination of your features, the things you do and you enable your customers to do, plus the things you make your customers feel, and the stories that your brand tells about its customers. The sum total of all of those things is the brand story. When done well, it’s impossible for competitors to copy. This is how you build a lasting brand. Mind your language when positioning Mind your language when positioning Mind your language when positioning Positioning in a competitive market is hectic because you need to stand out to be recognised. One way to do this is to be intentional about what you want to be called. Let me give you examples: a) Ethena Ethena Ethena’s messaging deliberately avoids the term stablecoin, connoting a clear distinction from long-standing competitors like Tether and Circle. They are also deliberate about consistently highlighting bond-like yield, which helps them position as a lower-risk asset for DeFi users. This approach is designed to attract institutional capital. b) Unnamed prediction market b) Unnamed prediction market Months ago, while drafting the branding modus operandi for a client building a decentralized prediction market, which intended to launch on Solana, I discovered that the prediction market is saturated with over 50 others, including Polymarket. Despite the loud PR Polymarket got after the U.S presidential elections in December 2024, the common bias is that prediction markets are a form of betting or gambling, the only difference is that it happens on the blockchain. So, stepping into the market with just a single feature that allows users to place their stakes on either Yes or No on whatever trending topic is basic. basic I decided that the team should add more features, which, to my knowledge at the moment, don't exist, and then position it as an information market; more like a decentralised Quora where information on any subject can be easily pulled up. In addition to the usual prediction market with Yes or No stakes, users who consistently make accurate forecasts, those who seek answers, and those who ask questions will all be rewarded in-app and progress up a ranking ladder with badges. information market Positioning with this idea could drive mass adoption. Imagine someone going to Google to ask a certain question and then landing on the website. A few seconds into perusing the platform, the user will discover that they get rewarded for providing useful information for others. Build a brand with self-expressive benefits Build a brand with self-expressive benefits Build a brand with self-expressive benefits This is where many brands both within and outside Web3 fail; they're so keen on writing blog posts, pushing newsletters and updates but forget to carry their community along. Building a Web3 brand with self-expressive benefits means going a step further, not just solving a user’s problem, but deliberately shaping how they feel about being part of your community. It's like giving them a blank space to fill, allowing them to find themselves in your project. It also means finding out what they think about you, to enhance their picture in your brand’s story Not everyone does this; those who do stay top of mind. And this is why Berachain is usually referenced as one of the Web3 projects with a strong brand. Here's how they did it: 👇🏼 Bear Avatar 🐻 Bear Avatar 🐻 Bear Avatar 🐻 Bear Avatar Bera, named after bears, adopted the bear as their community avatar. Anytime you see a bear PFP on X or Farcaster, it’s a sign that the person is affiliated with Berachain. This serves as a form of self-expression, allowing community members to create and customise similar avatars that embody and promote Berachain’s ethos. Catchphrases Catchphrases Catchphrases Berachain has unique catchphrases which you wouldn't understand except you're part of the fold e.g Ooga Booga – GM
Bera fixes this – an affirmation that Bera solves major crypto problems.
Bera baddie – a women-led community within the Berachain ecosystem.
PoL(Proof of liquidity)— Instead of miners or stakers securing the network, liquidity providers do. Ooga Booga – GM Bera fixes this – an affirmation that Bera solves major crypto problems. Bera baddie – a women-led community within the Berachain ecosystem. PoL(Proof of liquidity)— Instead of miners or stakers securing the network, liquidity providers do. This illustration with Berachain, like other strong Web3 brands, emphasises making your customers the protagonists. But first, you need to create a template with empty spaces that they can fill in with their own self-expressive benefits. This is only possible if you start by understanding their user journey. Now let's recap with this image 👇🏼

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

The writer is smart, but don't just like, take their word for it. #DoYourOwnResearch before making any investment decisions or decisions regarding your health or security. (Do not regard any of this content as professional investment advice, or health advice)

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I help Web3 projects create the best marketing strategies and tell simple stories. Send an email to Web3.talez@gmail.com to get started.

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How To Create A Strong Web3 Brand : The Bera Way

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