Tracking how marketers are trying out non-fungible tokens
By Ad Age Staff. Published on March 29, 2022.
WELCOME TO AD AGE’S NFT BLOG
In less than a year, the acronym NFT has gone from WTF to BFF for brands. Non-fungible tokens are digital assets like bitcoin, only they’re unique and irreplaceable, like owning an original work of art online. They utilize the same authentification technology as cryptocurrency and, similar to the digital dough, are still nebulous in their uses. While some NFTs hold monetary value, others link owners to communities or can even be worn digitally.
Still confused? Read our guide to NFTs here.
Keep reading and check back often for the latest NFT news from Ad Age.04.04.2022 @ 11:54 AM ET
EVIAN DROPS FIRST NFTS TO CELEBRATE FRENCH-ALPS HERITAGE
Water brand Evian dropped its first NFTs, a series of 20 with artist Sara Shakeel. The lone design features sparkling, alpine-themed imagery that celebrates Evian’s French-Alps heritage. It also builds off an experiential collaboration between Evian and Shakeel that was held earlier this year in London.
The NFTs will be minted on the eco-friendlier Tezos blockchain and are available for purchase through an Evian-branded microsite for €495 (~$650) apiece. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Somerset House Young Talent Fund to support training in the digital arts and workplaces for aspiring artists in London. Web3 company Renaissance contributed to the collection’s creation.
—Asa Hiken
03.31.2022 @ 6:02 PM ET
SAMSUNG INTEGRATES TVS WITH NFT FUNCTIONALITY
Samsung has teamed with NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway to integrate the platform’s functionality onto its TVs, as reported by Decrypt. The feature will allow TV owners to view, buy and trade NFTs on their screens using Nifty Gateway. It will be available within Samsung’s 2022 TV lines, including its QLED and Neo QLED products. Some previous models, such as The Frame and Micro LED, will support functionality by downloading the Nifty Gateway app. The partnership builds off an announcement Samsung made during this year’s CES, in which it expressed plans to offer NFT functionality.
—Asa Hiken
03.29.2022 @ 9:15 AM ET
MAC COSMETICS TO DROP KEITH HARING-THEMED NFTS FOR HIV/AIDS RELIEF
MAC Cosmetics has teamed up with the Keith Haring Foundation to release NFTs featuring the late artist’s work, according to Decrypt. Haring was an American graffiti artist whose animated imagery gained prominence during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s (Haring died from the disease in 1990). The collection will include 5,275 NFTs spanning three levels of rarity: red (5,000 tokens for $25 a piece), blue (250 tokens for $150) and yellow (25 for $1,000).
All proceeds from the drop will go to MAC Viva Glam, the cosmetics brand’s nonprofit that supports HIV/AIDS organizations. The money will be disseminated to services benefiting HIV/AIDS-impacted youth. The drop is a collaboration with blockchain software company ConsenSys and will be minted on the Polygon chain. The NFTs will be available to purchase via credit card or crypto on ConsenSys’ NFT platform starting April 10.
—Asa Hiken
03.28.2022 @ 12:54 PM ET
ANHEUSER-BUSCH HOSTS NFT BREWERY TAKEOVER WITH THEMED CANS
Anheuser-Busch hosted #NFTBeerfest on Sunday at its flagship brewery in St. Louis. The takeover, which was reserved for holders of a Budweiser Heritage Can or Royalty Collection NFT, featured limited-edition Bud Light Next cans with imagery from Nouns DAO, a project with which the brand previously partnered for its Super Bowl commercial. Budweiser also unveiled cans with the Budweiser name replaced by “Beer.eth”—an apparent partnership with Ethereum Name Service, which allows users to create personalized crypto addresses with a “.eth” suffix.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NrZWxldG9uX2xvYWRpbmdfMTMzOTgiOnsiYnVja2V0IjoiY3RhIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19zcGFjZV9jYXJkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9mZiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1508130242552074245&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fadage.com%2Flive-blog%2Fhow-brands-marketers-use-nfts-updated-list&sessionId=139b5646ae4200111a1d58b28c785b7ac7e3ebdd&theme=light&widgetsVersion=f9f80a909a60b%3A1648751432723&width=550px
The event appears to have included food, music and giveaways from tech companies that were present. Anheuser-Busch has been active in the NFT space, having launched several collections across its Bud Light, Budweiser and Stella Artois brands. Anheuser-Busch’s VP of digital and DraftLine Spencer Gordon spoke on the importance of using NFTs as a tool to enrich communication with consumers during a recent Ad Age event.
—Asa Hiken 03.21.2022 @ 2:09 PM ET
STELLA ARTOIS DROPS GENERATIVE ART NFTS FOR WORLD WATER DAY
Credit: Stella Artois
Stella Artois released an NFT collection to support Water.org ahead of World Water Day (March 22), which is intended to raise awareness for the two billion people who don’t have access to safe water.
All proceeds of the collection, dubbed “The Drop Artois,” will go to Water.org. Each of the 1,024 NFTs in the collection will be minted as generative art, a process by which computer algorithms can be manipulated to combine various traits in order to create unique pieces. The traits are all water-themed, including waves that rise and fall, a flow field-powered mist and droplet shapes with rhythmic animation.
Each NFT will cost 0.15 ETH ($438.05 at the time of writing) and will be available on the generative art platform Art Blocks. The designs were created by artist Eliya Stein. “The Drop Artois” is Stella’s second NFT drop, following a set of digital racehorses it released last summer in partnership with the blockchain-based game Zed Run.
—Asa Hiken
03.17.2022 @ 5:30 PM ET
PRODUCTION COMPANY BEHIND ‘THE REAL WORLD’ TO CREATE NFT-SUPPORTED SHOWS
Bunim/Murray, the production company behind shows like “The Real World” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” is forming an entertainment group focused on creating content backed by NFTs. Dubbed Wonderfuel, the new entity will release a slate of shows that include NFTs as both a method of funding and audience engagement. Various tokens will drop alongside the shows, allowing fans to access unique rewards and involvement in creative decisions.
Wonderfuel is a joint venture between Bunim/Murray and Virtual Arts, which will lend its crypto-enabled crypto-enabled, fan engagement mobile platform. As with Bunim/Murray’s typical content, the new shows will be unscripted. They are planned to air on traditional networks and streamers, and alongside Web3 platforms.
—Asa Hiken
03.10.2022 @ 4:40 PM ET
ACURA MAKES ITS FIRST NFT
Credit: Acura
In honor of the automaker’s new 2023 Integra, Acura is turning the car into an NFT. Those who reserve a real-life Integra online will be eligible to receive one of 500 NFTs of the car.
The NFT was created by Andreas Wannerstedt, a Swedish 3D designer and artist. Acura will also open a digital showroom in the metaverse on March 22, called Acura of Decentraland, where visitors can walk around the showroom, play games, and browse merchandise.
—Erika Wheless03.10.2022 @ 10:30 AM ET
BLUE DIAMOND FUELS METAVERSE APES WITH ALMOND MILK-THEMED NFTS
Credit: BlueDiamond
Blue Diamond wants its Almond Breeze beverage to be the official drink of the metaverse. The brand, working with TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, announced a collection of NFTs called #APEFUEL that is intended to nourish the apes in the metaverse. Ape imagery has become popular in the NFT and greater metaverse space thanks to early NFT collections like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club. The animal has even entered crypto lexicon with “apeing in,” meaning to buy NFTs or tokens without doing much research.
#APEFUEL will feature 1,000 free tokens of Almond Breeze banana almond milk digital art, three of which will come with a one-year subscription of the real product. Blue Diamond will donate 5% of NFT resales to Future Farmers of America. The collection opens to the public on March 16, although a waitlist opens March 9 for fans to get access a day early.
—Asa HikenFlashback: Blue Diamond offers to carve your face into an almond03.07.2022 @ 5:01 PM ET
PAPA JOHNS DELIVERS A BAGFUL OF CHEESY NFTS
Credit: Papa Johns
Papa Johns today dropped its first collection of NFTs—a series of handbag designs inspired by the pizza delivery bag. The drop promotes the newest element of the ongoing Papa Johns X Cheddar line at the pizza restaurant chain. The NFTs were created by designer Tom Hoff, based in Spain, and artist Ash Sketch from London’s Central Saint Martins. Both took cues from the delivery driver bag and last year’s Papa X Cheddar campaign, which introduced streetwear including a range of upcycled delivery driver uniform garments and accessories. The NFT collection includes 19,840 items, a reference to Papa Johns’ founding in 1984.
—Jon SpringerRead: Papa Johns promotes new chief marketing and digital officer03.07.2022 @ 10:15 AM ET
GRAMMY AWARDS NFTS LAUNCH AHEAD OF CEREMONY
Credit: OneOf x The Grammys
Free NFTs celebrating the annual Grammy Awards were dropped today. Following a partnership made last fall between The Recording Academy and NFT platform OneOf, the collection will include one “golden ticket” NFT that provides a travel stipend for two to this year’s ceremony on April 3 in Las Vegas. Three subsequent NFT drops will occur weekly (on Mondays) leading up to the event, with each week highlighting diverse work from a digital artist. This year’s Grammys were postponed from their original date in January due to the Omicron surge.
—Asa HikenAlso read: Last year’s Grammys ratings hit record low03.04.2022 @ 5:30 PM ET
KENDRA SCOTT CELEBRATES WOMEN WITH JEWELRY-INSPIRED NFTS
Jeweler Kendra Scott minted its first NFT as part of a collection celebrating Women’s History Month, with designs that are inspired by its Women Empowerment charm. The drop aims to elevate five artists who created 20 NFTs while highlighting the lack of representation of women as creators in the NFT art market. Each token will be sold for 0.1 ETH (~$280) on OpenSea and come with a physical version of the charm. The artists will also retain full rights to the NFT ahead of minting—costs that Kendra Scott plans to cover.
—Asa Hiken03.01.2022 @ 2:26 PM ET
PARLER LAUNCHES NFT MARKETPLACE
Credit: Parler, DeepRedSky
Parler, the alternative social media app with a conservative-leaning user base, is now hawking Trump-themed NFTs. On Tuesday, Parler said it launched an NFT marketplace called DeepRedSky. The first project is based on former President Donald Trump. Parler called it the Official CryptoTrump Club. Parler said it would sell 250 NFTs in the first drop and that the collection will ultimately reach 10,000 NFTs.
Parler rose to prominence around the same time Twitter and Facebook blocked the former president from their services in 2021. Parler said it wants to tap into Web3 with the rest of the tech world, and said it would try various drops through Solana’s blockchain, which is a platform to generate and deliver NFTs. It’s not the first time the former president and former First Lady Melania Trump have popped up in NFTs. In January, Melania Trump held an NFT sale, also through Solana, but it turned out she was also the only buyer of the tokens.
—Garett Sloane02.28.2022 @ 2:15 PM ET
LIQUID DEATH TO DROP NFTS OF SEVERED HEADS
Credit: Liquid Death
Canned-water brand Liquid Death announced the incoming drop of its “Murder Head Death Club” NFT collection, in which each token is a unique, cartoon-severed head. The collection will contain 6,666 NFTs across four tiers of varying rarity.
While the drop won’t occur until March, users can now sign up for a whitelist called the “Murderlist” in order to earn first access to the NFTs. The collection’s art was designed by Adult Swim cartoonist Will Carsola, and each token will cost .0666 ETH ($186.14 at the time of writing), plus transaction fees. Each NFT will also provide access to Liquid Death’s Discord community, virtual events, NFT-branded merch and undisclosed in-real-life perks. Those who purchase multiple NFTs will have the chance to win more exclusive prizes, such as being featured in a Liquid Death commercial or becoming the brand’s CEO for a day.
—Asa HikenMore on Liquid Death: Kids chug tallboys in regional Super Bowl ad02.25.2022 @ 10:30 AM ET
AP SCRAPS NFT OF MIGRANT BOAT AFTER BACKLASH
The Associated Press pulled the sale of an NFT after significant backlash from the public on Twitter. The NFT depicted a short video of a boat overcrowded with migrants drifting in the Mediterranean Sea and was set to drop today at 12 p.m. ET. Viewers responded to the collectible, which was promoted in a tweet by the publication on Thursday, in an overwhelmingly negative way, calling it “grotesque” and “dehumanizing.” The tweet was deleted some four hours after the original post. Later, the AP came out with a statement on Twitter, saying the video was a “poor choice of imagery for an NFT” and that its intended auction on the following day would be canceled.
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NrZWxldG9uX2xvYWRpbmdfMTMzOTgiOnsiYnVja2V0IjoiY3RhIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19zcGFjZV9jYXJkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9mZiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1497018097827741696&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fadage.com%2Flive-blog%2Fhow-brands-marketers-use-nfts-updated-list&sessionId=139b5646ae4200111a1d58b28c785b7ac7e3ebdd&theme=light&widgetsVersion=f9f80a909a60b%3A1648751432723&width=550px
The NFT was supposed to be part of a marketplace that AP launched earlier this year to highlight its photojournalists’ work. The subject matter of the NFTs was set to range from space and climate to war and other topics, though AP said it is reviewing its efforts. Previous NFTs that the media company has dropped include photographs of the war in Afghanistan and wildfires in California.
—Asa Hiken02.24.2022 @ 4:45 PM ET
DUKE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES NFT COLLECTION FOR MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM
Duke University announced it will drop a collection of NFTs inspired by its men’s basketball team. The collection will be available on the OneOf NFT platform from March 3-5, so as to line up with head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5. A portion of the proceeds will support Krzyzewski’s higher education nonprofit, The Emily K Center. More details about the NFTs and their tiers will be released before March 3.
—Asa Hiken
