Shimmer 2023
As we are now winding down phase 2 of the elections, I just wanted to share some thoughts so far and provide more information on my candidacy. First of all, I think we will be fine no matter how this turns out because of the quality of the candidates. Knowing this, I struggled quite a bit before throwing my hat in the ring, hence the late application. I wanted to make sure I could not only do something meaningful for the treasury in terms of scaling up the ecosystem but also to add a different perspective to the election process itself. Mainly, I wanted to shine a spotlight on two things I think are important: core branding/messaging for the treasury and committing to a sustained focus on Asia while we continue to build in other regions like Europe and the States. I will discuss IOTA and Shimmer’s potential in Asia in a separate, future blogpost.
So what can I do exactly for the grant committee? Besides the reviewing, administrative and managerial work the Lead position entails, I can help create a compelling core message to first attract builders and then layer the rest of the information in such an engaging way as to guide them into our ecosystem. This and the tech milestones are by far the most important things to accomplish next year. Am I concerned about the current market conditions and the limited funds? Of course I am. But we should remember that the Shimmer network exists to stage for IOTA, and to me, this is the spirit in which we should also address the Shimmer treasury and its governance. Yes, let us be judicious and try to get as much value from the funds as possible, but let’s also be bold and get our name out there as the best solution in the space.
Let’s be honest, most people think they are an expert in marketing, but I want to emphasize there are real skills, talent, knowledge and even artistry involved in doing it effectively. That’s why most fail. The most important phase in any marketing campaign is the genesis of the core brand. If this is not executed on point, then all the other practical processes of marketing become moot. Money down the drain. And there’s no secret to this. All you have to do is create a narrative where the intended audience can identify themselves as the protagonist, and what you are pitching will help them achieve their goals and desires. Simple right?
I have worked on successful TV ad campaigns on a national stage in the US for some of the largest corporations, and I did this in NYC, the most ruthless and competitive place for advertising in the world. My work and input in concerted group efforts have contributed to clients successfully launching new products and for them earning hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. Many times over there were direct, quantifiable correlations, or else why would they keep returning as clients and pay our exorbitant bills?
When you work with the best, who not only change minds but also behavior, then you know there are real levels to this. I learned this day in and day out collaborating with some of the most brilliant professionals in this business and not from some book, website or classroom. Like anything in life, you need to practice with the best to have any chance of winning when competing at the highest level. Most will never know what goes into great branding until they are on the receiving end of its successes, the kind where you bask in its afterglow for many years to come. Our successes resulted in many early retirements.
If we are on the same page messaging wise, then it will be exponentially easier to spread it to attract quality projects and devs. We need to stop thinking that this is going to just happen because we have the best tech. It’s not. But, if we can convince them that building in the Shimmer ecosystem is not only a viable option but something they desire, then we have a chance of getting ahead of the curve next year. Everyone, if you haven’t yet, should go through the applications and learn our qualifications in order to make informed choices. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish all the candidates the best, and I hope in 2023 others finally get to see what we’ve known all these years, which is the true value of IOTA’s vision.
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I was going to finish this on a positive note with the paragraph above, but guys, let’s cut to the chase and get real. After all these years of research and coding, websites and blogposts, memes and emojis, spec and spec2, all the meetings and dms, pamps and rekteds, all the building and the hype, moonaco or the saltmines, the wagmis and the constant complaining, the wens and the soons, and after all that energy, hard work and fuckery, it finally boils down to two things: a solid product and a great sales pitch. That’s it.
These other things, like all these documents and sheets and charts are just some things that look helpful when you either got a runaway success in your hands or just distractions that cause postmortem confusion because you didn’t get your ducks in a row from the start. All this other peripheral work is either going to be good problems to have or there to look busy and constructive with your head down when the ship is sinking. I did all this so why did I fail? Go back and look at what you started with.
Is this any good? Is it great? Will they want it?
And I’m telling you, any Builder worth their salt will have a crisis late at night asking themselves these very questions, because what they are really asking is the value of their ideas and work — their time and effort spent agonizing over the larger picture and the fine details to try and create something meaningful in this life. And unfortunately these things are never easy to answer, much less put into words to share with others and not look like a fool. For those who have never risked it all by putting something they made out there for public scrutiny and don’t know what I’m talking about will have to either take my word for it or just use their imagination.
If you guys entrust me with this important task of scaling up the ecosystem by bringing in the best projects possible this is what I’m willing to go through. Stay up late nights to figure out with the full weight of my literary and advertising background how we can communicate the value of both our technology and the community so the listener not only understands it but will be convinced to build with us out of their own self-interest. Again, getting this message on point the first year of the treasury is the most important task, and I feel I’m uniquely qualified to get it done.
You can read my application here: https://govern.iota.org/t/overclocked-program-lead-application/1511
You can vote here for the Lead position here: https://govern.iota.org/t/sgp-0001-shimmer-community-grant-committee-lead-selection/1544
