When it comes to this newsletter and I think about the next day’s topic(s) there are two scenarios:
I know what I want to write about based on the conversations I’ve had, my mood, or just a feeling that the time is
writeright to write about a specific topicI don’t know what the topic is and start worrying, just a littleeee bit
Although the second scenario is slightly more stressful, it leads to an openness artists can appreciate. There’s a lack of commitment (what am I going to write about?) in the commitment (TPan writes 5x/week).
And sometimes we live for that dichotomy as long as there’s a healthy balance of it.
For you non-creatives (I still very much put myself in this category, though I’m finding my stride in writing), here’s a more applicable example.
You’re going on a 2 week vacation. Do you:
Plan every day: When you head out the door, what activities, where to eat, etc.
Keep it open-ended: You ask the locals what to do, and you let the vacation spirits guide you whichever way the warm winds blow.
I tend to find myself in between these two with unstructured structure. Do some research, compile a list of places I want to go, schedule the activities that require a reservation, and let the rest ride. 😎
As someone that doesn’t have children, I understand this approach probably doesn’t work well lol. But I’ll ride this freedom until I can’t.
Is this what being a parent is like?
Here’s where the direction of today’s wind blew, and I’m glad it took me here!
Have you felt the wind before? If so, let the wind guide you into subscribing or sharing this!
A Goblin’s Letter to the Community
Oh boy here we go again…it’s Goblintown.
HELL YA it’s Goblintown. These ugly creatures have been the largest success in the bear market, and for good reason.
For anyone scratching their heads, here are my previous pieces on them:
I would highly recommend you read the above as some weekend reading (in that order). It’s heavier than a Tiktok, but lighter than a textbook 😂 At this rate, I’ll have enough content for a Goblintown anthology.
By the way did you know they have almost 124k Twitter followers? The account began at the end of May…in a bear market…If you’re a marketer, take note.
This is about as Goblintown fanboy you get for someone that’s a non-holder.
Anyway, I came across this Tweet thread from @process_grey, the artist for Goblintown, yesterday evening.
Grey calls this a ‘low effart thred’, but having spent a fair amount of time following this project, to me this is an artist’s love letter to the community. And my oh my, it’s a beautiful thing to see 🥹
Since y’all are lazy and don’t click on the links I embed (yes, there are analytics on Substack. Also if you did click all my links, you’d spend an hour every day reading my newsletter so I understand lol), I’ll be taking snippets with my commentary.
First of all, let’s get to know Grey a little more through the artwork. They’re talented to say the least.
PS: I’m not a visual artist, so forgive my crude analysis.
Here’s some other examples of Grey’s work:
and some of the collectable passes:
Grey seems pretty talented. There’s range in the talent, along with the unique art styles.
Now that we’ve established that Grey is a legit visual artist, let’s go back to the thread.
Back to the first tweet in the thread.
Let that sink in. That’s a powerful statement. Is that how Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google, with the “input, cooperation, and inspiration from the community”? Nope, different focus and different product. I would argue that almost all companies today don’t start with this type of intention, at least to this degree.
In Web3, the general ethos in the space is that community can not only add, but multiply the impact of the project, brand, or company. And we see that with Goblintown. That is the core theme of Grey’s thread as I see it.
Won’t get into the ‘trap’ portion of Goblintown, that’s the next phase of their project.
What’s notable here is the understanding and openness to the fluidity of where the project is, can, and will go.
But we do that at our company! We take feedback from our users and customers and we put it on the roadmap!
Have you seen the latest Gmail update?
On top of the dynamism of Goblintown, the speed at which they execute and ship is astounding. What they’ve accomplished in < 3 months has been nothing short of impressive. This is a team of 11 A-players. This is early days Netflix level of execution (No Rules Rules is a great book BTW).
McGoblinBurger, a McDonald’s inspired goblin fast food joint was inspired by the community. Grey helped bring it to life. More on McGoblinBurger later.
You asked for some wallpapers…
The community asked for wallpapers, Grey delivered. And Grey didn’t just deliver, he delivered on the same day.
Not impressed? Dude, it’s just a wallpaper.
Let’s take this one level deeper.
That’s faster than your favorite food delivery app. Was it easy for Grey to create that phone wallpaper? Absolutely. But that’s not the point.
Grey cared, Grey responded, Grey showed love back to the community.
Then @valkilmer joined Goblintown. I’m a nerd… I got excited… I reacted…
When big names joined in on the Goblintown fun, it was celebrated. In this case Val Kilmer (of Top Gun fame) tweeted, and Grey created a special Top Gun themed piece!
#NFTNYC was just around the corner… and goblins wanted to HORDE!!! Thanks @steveaoki & @LeeKumKeeUSA
Now this looks like a truck run by goblins @goblintownwtf @McGoblinBurger
McGoblinBurger became an actual thing at NFT NYC. Goblintown also partnered with Steve Aoki and Lee Kum Kee for their activations.
Grey is a machine!
Is all this work paying off for the team? Let’s see.
Goblintown was a free mint, so no primary sales or revenue.
Secondary trading volume is 46,800 ETH (Opensea, not including other platforms so this is a conservative estimate)
7.5% creator royalties
46,800 * 7.5% = 3,510 ETH
With today’s ETH price at ~$1,900, that is $6.7 million
Even if we assume ETH price at $1,000, that’s $3.5 million
Seems like this effort has paid off. Again, this is < 3 months.
And yes, this outcome is an exception to the rule. But the strategies and tactics Goblintown employed are exceptions to the standard playbook as well. You get what you give.
But at the end of the day, this thread from Grey shows me an artist…but not any ordinary artist.
This is an artist in their element. This is an artist genuinely enjoying the process. This is an artist having fun.
Now…replace artist with any role. Marketer, engineer, product manager. That’s what’s going on with the Goblintown team.
This is what the Web3 ethos can unlock that the Web2 ethos cannot. (in my opinion)
Fostering community isn’t about the big announcements. Those help, sure.
It’s about the small interactions.
It’s about answering the seemingly stupid requests from the fans of your brand.
It’s about writing back to your users, not clicking on an emoji reaction.
As the creator economy and Web3 continue to evolve and take the world by storm, genuine community engagement will shine through the sea of performative actions. Consumers may flock towards shiny things, but they’re not dumb (at least not all of them).
So to Goblintown and Grey, here’s a love letter to the love letter, in the form of a ‘low effart poast’.
To communities. 🥂
See you next week 😊
