A Brand New World
They say you can tell much about a person by the company they keep.
This simple phrase generally refers to personal encounters in social circumstances, however it’s one that extends to our political and business worlds also. Politicians have been made, and broken, by connections they have had outside of the political system. Brands can rise and fall based on the reputations of their ambassadors.
Nike’s recent advertising campaign with controversial NFL star Colin Kaepernick sparked a boycott of the brand from patriotic Americans who objected to the infamous quarterback’s refusal to stand during the national anthem, which is played at the beginning of every NFL match. Kaepernick began kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner in late 2016 as protest against racial injustice, sparking outrage in parts of the nation and even drawing condemnation from President Donald Trump himself.
The campaign from Nike drew videos from a flurry of indignant consumers burning their Nike merchandise, which lead to President Trump tweeting that “Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts”.
Despite the initial outrage and criticism from the White House, Nike sales have been going through the roof, up 61% since the initial tweet, which featured a black-and-white photograph of Kaepernick captioned “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Perhaps more importantly than driving significant sales, the campaign has put Nike firmly into positive public sentiment, with many media analysts lauding the campaign as “genius”.
While brands and corporations choose their partners principally based on business purposes, there are many other important factors at play in all business partnerships. In the burgeoning world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, many tokens and projects are still establishing their brands and what their organisation stands for. For PlayUp, the Universal Gaming Platform, the path to growing a credible public brand has already been set, given the company’s strong and credible history in the Australian gaming sector.
PlayUp has been a fantasy sports operator since 2014, rising from humble origins in Sydney to establish a worldwide platform today that attracts over one million users in 70 different nations. PlayUp’s most significant period of growth in that time has come in 2018 alone, where their user base has more than doubled and six new gaming platforms have been acquired as part of the PlayChip Ecosystem, an online gaming ecosystem that will soon adopt its own native cryptocurrency, PlayChip.
Much of this has come from increased public awareness. In April 2018 PlayUp became the official wagering sponsor of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, one of Australia’s oldest and most recognised sporting franchises. The sponsorship includes the logo of the PlayChip on the team’s shorts, marking the first time a cryptocurrency has had a sponsorship role in Australian sport. Fellow PlayChip Ecosystem platform betting.club also has sponsorship agreements with fellow NRL clubs Parramatta Eels and St. George-Illawarra Dragons.
The sponsorship of three household sporting franchises is a huge coup to getting national brand recognition in Australia given the huge draw power of the NRL, particularly in New South Wales and Queensland, who’s combined populations equal over half of the national population.
Former international cricketing superstar Brett Lee is the official brand ambassador to PlayUp, joining in March 2018. Lee maintains an active social media presence on YouTube and Instagram, as well as having a Twitter following of over four million. Long a media darling to Australians, many remain unaware of the huge following he commands in India, where he continues to work as a commentator during the annual IPL tournament and has even starred in a Bollywood film.
Following the joining of Brett Lee as an ambassador, PlayUp jumped to the 10th most trafficked sports-related website in India in April 2018, granting huge visibility across the massive sporting market in the country. Views of the cricketing icon on PlayUp’s YouTube channel number over 800,000, and his tweets and instagram posts have received millions of impressions.
From a public perspective, the jury still seems to be out in regards to cryptocurrencies. Many simply do not understand the technology, the concept of decentralisation, and much of the new terminology that comes with the industry. Very few ICOs enjoy brand recognition outside of the crypto space, whereas the PlayChip and PlayUp are part of an Ecosystem with seven established brands with a presence in 70 different countries.
In recent months the PlayChip Foundation has announced listing agreements with LATOKEN, one of the fastest growing cryptocurrency exchanges of 2018, and HitBTC, a top-10 exchange by market cap. Announcing agreements with leading brands in the crypto world while still in pre-sale is a good omen for future success, and brand recognition within the industry. It is rare for tokens to see this type of traction so early on.
Strategic partnerships in the crypto space will continue to become more significant as more household brands enter the industry. PlayUp and the PlayChip is currently at the forefront of that and will continue to pave the way for established companies and brands entering the market in future.
PlayChips are available for purchase at www.playchip.global, or alternatively can be earned in free-to-play challenges at www.playup.com
