GM DOers! đ
Mercedes, Porsche and Lamborghini all launched NFTs in the past few years. đ
While itâs hard to believe, Porsche did their first auction back in 2021 and Lamborghini in 2022. đ¤Ż
In 2023, Mercedes joined the cool kids club by launching their own NFT collection. đ
In todayâs piece, weâll explore how three of the biggest car manufacturers in the world joined the web3 space by launching NFTs, and more importantly, why they did itâŚ
Comparing the three to determine a âwinnerâ is almost impossible. Theyâre not only different, they all had different approaches when they joined this space.
So today, our goal is to find a blueprint that guides brands on how to join web3.
Keep in mind that this wonât be a one-size fits all. However, it will give some clarity over why, how and when (if ever) to start experimenting.
But letâs first explore what each of the 3 brands did, and how their actions performed.
đ Lens Protocol: The Future of Social Media
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/8ccd77eb21315f18d892f57999aeb258.jpg)
Decentralized social media finally allows creators to own their content, data and followers. Thatâs why we choose to build part of our media platform on Lens Protocol.
Mercedes NXT
Mercedes first announced their web3 endeavors by announcing the launch of their new Twitter account: Mercedes-Benz NXT, an account aimed for interacting with their web3 community.
Then, on the 7th of June, Mercedes announced the drop of their Maschine NFTs.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d46e278b342943c1f6e27122b660a544.gif)
Mercedes-Benz pioneered its entry into web3 with "Maschine", a unique series of 1,000 NFT tokens.
They cleverly collaborated with the esteemed Fingerprints DAO, leveraging their profound web3 expertise, instead of reinventing the wheel in-house. Kudos!
In a stroke of branding intelligence, they entrusted the creation of this digital artwork to the celebrated artist Harm van den Dorpel, renowned for his innovation.
By combining their iconic brand identity with experienced partners and cutting-edge technology, Mercedes-Benz has showcased a forward-thinking approach to web3 and social media engagement.
The launch of their NFT was done through a Dutch auction, aka a fancy way of saying âweâre initially selling them for millions and if we really have to stay the whole night for just a few bucks, we definitely will!â
The auction started at 2ETH, but the interest was about 80% lower than expected.
The 1000 NFTs minted went for an average price of 0.34 ETH, resulting in $410,652 raised.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a39e33b042f9d73d8f14a4c65111b48a.png)
Porsche 911
Porsche dipped their toes into web3 in 2021 (crazy, right?) when they auctioned a 1/1 design sketch of their iconic 911 model on Superrare for 30 ETH.
https://superrare.com/artwork-v2/tradition--vision-26657
On January 25 of 2023, Porsche announced their 911 NFT collection. This was supposed to include 7500 NFTs, which were supposed to sell for 0.911 ETH each.
When Porsche realized that thereâs no chance for them to mint out, they decided to stop the mint.
At the end, there were 2363 NFTs minted, with 5137 failing to sell.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/992f3c87cfed9ce358caf6342377e056.png)
Nevertheless, Porsche managed to raise a whopping $3.5 Million (2000 ETH).
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/010d7c10f38c281b3514e54aadf0b259.png)
Do You Enjoy Looking Onchain? đđ âď¸
Itâs (honestly) the only way to separate noise from reality. Thatâs why we send our PROs a weekly onchain report combined with industry insights.
By doing this, we ensure you stay on the forefront of web3 and invest and build successfully in this space.
Not a PRO yet? Letâs fix thisâŚ
While raising millions might sound like a success, this wasnât necessarily the case.
Porsche's leap into NFTs didn't quite land. They had to stop the mint, suggesting that things didn't go as planned.
Overall, it felt like they just handed the task off to a hired agency, and the lack of effort showed.
To make matters worse, they tried to sell these NFTs for almost 1 ETH in a tough market.
This move didn't sit well with NFT holders, highlighting how crucial it is to tune in to the market sentiment.
The point of this report isnât to suggest how Porsche couldâve done a more successful launch. For that, weâll let our frens at Jump tell you.
đ¤ Thanks to our trusted exchange partner, BYDFi.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e2ee4a41ab61a4173749f7cd9e80774a.jpg)
We believe that weâre in the early stages of a bull run and thereâs no better time to buy crypto. This is when you should be practising monthly dollar cost averaging into strong network tokens like Ethereum and Bitcoin. đŞ
And if youâre buying itâs important to do so with a licensed and reputable exchange. Thatâs why we recommend using BYDFi. đ
Register Now For New User Rewards
Lamborghiniâs Epic Road Trip
Lamborghini made quite the splash when they first ventured into the world of NFTs. In January 2022, they introduced the Space Key NFT.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e494de97f67ec7382bceab0aaced979c.jpg)
Then, in April 2022, they raised the stakes by incorporating a unique 1/1 NFT into the auction of their last Aventador LP 780-4 Ultima, an auction that fetched an impressive $1.6 million!
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b1c3cc6817ceca7c7d930720e44154ab.jpg)
The launch was wrapped around a Road Trip narrative, making it a unique journey through the digital space.
Unlike Porsche and Mercedes, Lamborghini chose to announce their NFT using their main Twitter account, connecting directly with their dedicated fanbase.
Their minting process was an eight-month event, spanning from August 2022 to March 2023.
Each month, for four days, they minted new NFTs. These included three regular mints priced at $193 and one special "rare" mint at $1,963.
In terms of outcomes, a total of 47616 tokens were supplied, with 2676 minted over the course of the event.
Lamborghini made a total of $1M through mint proceeds.
The Blueprint of Launching a Collection as a Big Brand
Now that youâre up to speed about how Porsche, Lamborghini and Mercedes dipped their toes into web3, letâs see what the blueprint is for others who are waiting on the sidelinesâŚ.
The following section will include 10 key points that you as a brand need to think about.
Also, if youâre a web3 consultant or are looking to become one, hereâs what you need to tell your client.
P.S- The following section is for PROs only⌠If youâre not one already, make sure to upgrade your subscription today. Letâs go đ
1. Establish Your Goal
Just like in any business endeavour, you need a goal. You shouldnât join web3 because itâs a new and shiny thing.
You should adopt this new tech because it can help you achieve your goal.
2. Hire A Web3 Expert
Donât know what your goal is? Hire an expert who can help you.
People like Farokh or Zeneca (and even us at Web3 Academy) spend time advising brands about the DOs and DONTs in web3.
Partner with them and let them guide you through your web3 experience.
3. Communicate Clearly
99% of people HATE technical terms. Thatâs why Apple, when they launched the Apple Vision PRO, didnât use any fancy words like machine learning, AR, VR or other technical jargon.
The same principle applies to web3. When you launch a new NFT collection or onchain experience, spread the benefits (how can it help your customer), not the features.
So never mention the words: NFT, Blockchain, Web3, Crypto, Decentralization, Smart contracts, etcâŚ
4. Grab Your ENS
Your .eth domain is your brandâs identity onchain.
Porsche.eth is the new Porsche.com.
Only now, you can do so much more with your ENS than you could with a web domain.
So if youâre a brand entering this space, you need to get your ENS ASAP!
5. Partner With Other Web3 Brands
Over the years, Adidas partnered with BAYC, Gucci partnered with Otherside, Tiffany & Co. partnered with CryptoPunks & Mercedes partnered with Fingerprints DAO.
What do all of the brands above have in common? â They were successful.
Joining a completely new world is hard. So you need guidance and you need someone to introduce you. Therefore, joining the web3 space by partnering with an existing community will help immensely.
Itâs like when you go to a new city and you ask a friend to take you around (or you hire a guide, aka, point 2.)
6. Have a Web3 Presence
Nobody likes a smartass. Especially when that person isnât as smart as they pretend to be.
So if youâre joining this space, donât just have your marketing team work on this⌠get a few web3 native people on your team, who understand this space and the culture.
Itâs what Mercedes did:
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f5fe74d91c5e9b376c18d3feb982aa12.jpg)
And what Porsche didnât (which is why they kinda failed).
7. Start Small
Often, when brands join the web3 space, they want to become the biggest hit. They all launch huge collections (often a 10,000 PFP collection) and then despair when they donât sell out (like Porcshe).
So our advice is that you start small. Do a free mint or create a digital experience.
A perfect approach that worked is Nikeâs dotSWOOSH IDs. They simply held multiple events and created digital experiences (before launching any NFTs), and gave its community the chance to mint the NFTs for free at a later date.
This led to a few things:
They created a digital experience where ANYONE could attend
They incentivized their community members to engage and be active
They did a mint that cost everyone $0, which avoided the risk of getting blamed for any monetary loss.
(In the Nike example, weâre referring to the dotSWOOSH ID drop, not the AF1 boxes.)
8. Create A Smooth Experience
Whether you want to do an airdrop, free mint or ICO, you need to make the experience EASY!
Ask yourself: Is this process as easy as scanning a QR code & ordering at a restaurant? If the answer is yes, youâre good to go. If the answer is no, youâve got work to do, my friend.
9. Should You Incorporate Web3 In Your Brand?
Seeing alternative accounts on Twitter, like Mercedesâ NXT and Porscheâs eth_porsche (cringe name) makes me think that these brands arenât serious about web3.
Sure, if they just want to test the waters and donât want to risk damaging their brand, itâs understandable.
But remember⌠Just because youâre launching a bunch of JPEGs on the internet (I mean onchain) and fail, does not mean people will stop buying your carsâŚ
At some point, web3 tech will be in everyoneâs playbook (just like using social media is today). So you may as well just put your web3 plays on your main account, like Gucci did:
Despite saying that, I continue to expect web2 companies to branch web3 stuff off. We need to remember that the people behind these projects are well paid individuals who donât want to lose their jobs by failing too hard.
Also, if youâre going to be an advisor for any big web2 brand, I suggest you tell them to make an alternative account.
Why? â Cancel culture is HUGE! And itâs so easy for brands to be judged and punished by a failed web3 approach.
Itâs better to test things first, and if theyâre successful, you migrate to the big account, like Puma did on Twitter.
S/O Tpan for making this point in our Discord.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e8becbf902a185abae30e7654c984e0b.png)
10. Deliver Hype Utility
Whatâs the utility? â Thatâs a frequently asked question by us at Web3 AcademyâŚ
Itâs easy to get your audience hyped up around NFTs when youâre a reputable brand. However, long term, you need to figure out the utility.
Is the main goal community access?
Will you give your holders revenue share?
Will your holders get perks and benefits?
Is it simply fundraising?
Whatever it is, you need to nail it down and clearly communicate it to your community. Failing to do so will backfire, just like it did for Doodles.
11. Create A Digital Experience
Porsche allowed their holders to customize their NFTs.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/702225d5393b2f56e7f47d6bb00e925c.jpg)
This experience makes each NFT more unique and personal, something thatâs valuable to holders for the long term.
Similarly, just last week, Nikeâs dotSWOOSH allowed the holders of AF1 boxes to reveal their shoes.
They did it through a sick animation, which made the entire process much more enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
Tokens (fungible or non fungible) are the greatest marketing tool on earth.
Why? Because it lets you easily build a community in a far more impactful and easy way than what you have available in web2.
And thatâs exactly what NFTs & other web2 tools should be used for.
If youâre trying to make money, youâll very likely fail (especially long term) because people donât give a damn about JPEGs on a blockchain.
Instead, theyâre more interested in what that JPEG (smart contract) does for them (refer to point 10 above).
Focus on the benefits, not the features â itâs copywriting 101.
And if you, as a brand, creator, or brand consultant, understand this, youâre going to make it. đ
P.S. Iâm aware that people (you and I included) are a bit unclear on the specific IRL use-cases that web3 tools, like NFTs, offer.
So⌠Weâre working on a piece called: The X IRL Use-cases Of Blockchain. Reply to this email with Yes if you want us to publish this article next week! đĽ
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.
And remember, you're strong, youâre powerful, youâre alpha! â¤ď¸
See you soon. âď¸
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not financial advice. Conduct your own research and consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions or taking any action based on the content.
![highlight](/api/highlight?text=Mercedes%2C%20Porsche%20and%20Lamborghini%20NFTs%3A%20Driving%20Web3%20Crazy%20%F0%9F%A4%AF&author=Web3%20Academy&url=%40web3academy&avatarUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fpapyrus_images%2F5b3eda661db2d3041a1a6d5fb918f6f3&featuredImageUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fpapyrus_images%2F6da5f1653549714cff5c7122fc413a65.jpg&size=512)
![Web3 Academy logo](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fpapyrus_images%2Fe4af9bfc8c9001dce6840a0d270f956a.jpg&w=384&q=75)