Proposal description
PROPOSED: Fund a trial run of "Ignore Dash," a display-based ad campaign scheduled to run in May on websites within the Google Display Network. "Ignore Dash" ads can advertise any number of Dash attributes and integrations, but this run will focus on branding Dash as the coin for "Instant Confirmations."
(Note: The "Watch" button in these ads will link to a trackable landing page at Dash.org which features a short video of someone making a real, in-person purchase with InstantSend. This InstantSend-themed landing page will link to instructions on how to buy/spend as an end user, and how to integrate as a merchant.)
Why "Ignore Dash"?
For years, Dash has been ignored by much of the crypto-buying market. The "Ignore Dash" ads, then, capture attention with reverse psychology and attempt to reverse this situation. Many mega-brands have utilized this tactic successfully in the past, including Buick, Patagonia, and Lenovo.
We posit that the primary reason Dash has been largely ignored is a failure to brand ourselves appropriately. When most of us are asked what Dash is, we go on about "governance!" and "second tier of infrastructure!" and "treasury system!" and practically every other thing that Dash does well -- which is a lot of things.
But that's not what works -- you already know what works. Bitcoin? "Digital gold." Litecoin? "Silver to Bitcoin's gold." Ethereum? "Smart contracts." Monero? "Privacy." We suggest that at this time, Dash brand itself with "Instant Confirmations."
We'll say it again: Dash? "Instant Confirmations."
Who is making this proposal?
A three-way collaboration of Amanda B. Johnson (concept design + market selection), Nathan Pettijohn (strategy + production), and Pat McKenna (ad buy + testing/optimization). Mr. McKenna represented by colleague Jason Nesbitt in the team introduction video below.
What does Fernando Gutierrez, CMO of Dash Core Group, think of this campaign?
Fernando has been consulted throughout the creation of this campaign. He's expressed excitement about the boldness of the "Ignore Dash" approach, and agrees that Dash should be branded with a single, core selling point at this time.
Fernando has also offered to coordinate the creation of the custom, trackable landing page(s) at Dash.org to be the click-through destinations of the ads.
Is this campaign still viable if/when a Google ad ban happens in June?
While the first month of the "Ignore Dash" campaign is indeed slated to use the Google Display Network for distribution, we are not limited to it.
Should Google go through with its cryptocurrency ad ban in June, and not offer exemptions to proven projects like Dash, the "Ignore Dash" campaign can be distributed through other ad networks. Partner Pat McKenna has the necessary relationships with alternatives to make such a transition happen, should it become necessary.
What countries will the ads be shown in, and to whom?
Ads will be shown in the U.S. and Canada to those whose web profiles indicate that they're already interested in cryptocurrency (using both their Google search terms and their domains visited). Better still, "Ignore Dash" ads will largely run as a "re-market" to a portion of the 5,000,000+ people who've already viewed the "What is Dash?" video, as it was uploaded and advertised by Pat McKenna in this proposal.
If "Ignore Dash" is deemed successful, we will make a future proposal to expand it to more geographical regions.
How will we know if the ads are working?
Metrics for this campaign are being actively developed in collaboration with Fernando Guttierez. They include a Google-specific poll to gauge awareness ("brand lift"), web traffic, and/or wallet downloads
Chosen metrics will be reported in full at the end of this proposal's cycle.
What does this cost?
30 days of ads on Google Display Network websites = $92,000
Labor (layout + strategy) = $8,000
Labor (testing + optimization) = $8,000
TOTAL = 314 Dash (subtotal of $108,000 [309 Dash @ 30-day SMA of $350/Dash] + 5 Dash fee reimbursement)*
*In the event of a price decrease, we hope the buffer currently created by the 30-day SMA fills the gap. In the event of a price increase, however, the excess will either be set aside and put toward decreasing the asking price of a future campaign, and/or held in reserve to protect against a price decrease in a future campaign.
---------------------------------------
Please post any questions you might have below.
Thank you for your consideration,
Amanda, Nathan, Pat, and Jason
(Note: The "Watch" button in these ads will link to a trackable landing page at Dash.org which features a short video of someone making a real, in-person purchase with InstantSend. This InstantSend-themed landing page will link to instructions on how to buy/spend as an end user, and how to integrate as a merchant.)
Why "Ignore Dash"?
For years, Dash has been ignored by much of the crypto-buying market. The "Ignore Dash" ads, then, capture attention with reverse psychology and attempt to reverse this situation. Many mega-brands have utilized this tactic successfully in the past, including Buick, Patagonia, and Lenovo.
We posit that the primary reason Dash has been largely ignored is a failure to brand ourselves appropriately. When most of us are asked what Dash is, we go on about "governance!" and "second tier of infrastructure!" and "treasury system!" and practically every other thing that Dash does well -- which is a lot of things.
But that's not what works -- you already know what works. Bitcoin? "Digital gold." Litecoin? "Silver to Bitcoin's gold." Ethereum? "Smart contracts." Monero? "Privacy." We suggest that at this time, Dash brand itself with "Instant Confirmations."
We'll say it again: Dash? "Instant Confirmations."
Who is making this proposal?
A three-way collaboration of Amanda B. Johnson (concept design + market selection), Nathan Pettijohn (strategy + production), and Pat McKenna (ad buy + testing/optimization). Mr. McKenna represented by colleague Jason Nesbitt in the team introduction video below.
What does Fernando Gutierrez, CMO of Dash Core Group, think of this campaign?
Fernando has been consulted throughout the creation of this campaign. He's expressed excitement about the boldness of the "Ignore Dash" approach, and agrees that Dash should be branded with a single, core selling point at this time.
Fernando has also offered to coordinate the creation of the custom, trackable landing page(s) at Dash.org to be the click-through destinations of the ads.
Is this campaign still viable if/when a Google ad ban happens in June?
While the first month of the "Ignore Dash" campaign is indeed slated to use the Google Display Network for distribution, we are not limited to it.
Should Google go through with its cryptocurrency ad ban in June, and not offer exemptions to proven projects like Dash, the "Ignore Dash" campaign can be distributed through other ad networks. Partner Pat McKenna has the necessary relationships with alternatives to make such a transition happen, should it become necessary.
What countries will the ads be shown in, and to whom?
Ads will be shown in the U.S. and Canada to those whose web profiles indicate that they're already interested in cryptocurrency (using both their Google search terms and their domains visited). Better still, "Ignore Dash" ads will largely run as a "re-market" to a portion of the 5,000,000+ people who've already viewed the "What is Dash?" video, as it was uploaded and advertised by Pat McKenna in this proposal.
If "Ignore Dash" is deemed successful, we will make a future proposal to expand it to more geographical regions.
How will we know if the ads are working?
Metrics for this campaign are being actively developed in collaboration with Fernando Guttierez. They include a Google-specific poll to gauge awareness ("brand lift"), web traffic, and/or wallet downloads
Chosen metrics will be reported in full at the end of this proposal's cycle.
What does this cost?
30 days of ads on Google Display Network websites = $92,000
Labor (layout + strategy) = $8,000
Labor (testing + optimization) = $8,000
TOTAL = 314 Dash (subtotal of $108,000 [309 Dash @ 30-day SMA of $350/Dash] + 5 Dash fee reimbursement)*
*In the event of a price decrease, we hope the buffer currently created by the 30-day SMA fills the gap. In the event of a price increase, however, the excess will either be set aside and put toward decreasing the asking price of a future campaign, and/or held in reserve to protect against a price decrease in a future campaign.
---------------------------------------
Please post any questions you might have below.
Thank you for your consideration,
Amanda, Nathan, Pat, and Jason
Show full description ...
Discussion: Should we fund this proposal?
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1. its tone is identifiable as that of someone who is being ignored and who's nose is out of joint as a consequence
2. if you tell people to "ignore Dash" - they probably will
It is beneficial to look at campaigns with a wider view. To compare against all our compaigns to see which is the best place to put our investment.
The proposal states that the target audience is people from USA and Canada that have expressed an interest in cryptcurrency. Due to limited budget funds let us compare spending money on Ads that will attract speculative investors compare to other proposals that offer offering benefits to real people with real problems e.g Venezuela.
Legal framework for cryptocurrency use.
This campaign:
The USA Canada legal status with cryptocurrency is not clearly defined yet. The individual states have not made their mind up what to do exactly with crypto. A few states are more open to cryptocurrency e.g. New Hampshire but the majority are undecided and the underlying feeling is cryptocurrencies are a threat to the current banking system and the USD. i.e. not welcome. When there are no clear laws and regulations set there is uncertainty and doubt in the customer’s mind. Cryptocurrency will threaten the USD dominance (and therefore control) it has in the world. I do not see how proactively promoting crypto in the USA will benefit the USA if it threatens the USD? If the proposal owners think otherwise feel free to comment on this point.
Venezuela legal framwork on crypto
Venezuela has recently issued a decree that the Venezuelan government actively supports the people using Cryptocurrency. There are no legal or legislative barriers to the update of DASH in Venezuela, the opposite is true to the USA the government is actively encouraging people to cryptocurrency.
Conclusion Venezuela is a considerably a better location in which to run campaigns because the legal framework support cryptocurrency update. The USA and Canada are not that open to cryptocurrency yet, see it as a potential threat to the USD and have not made any clear legal guidelines about the use of crypto.
Motivations to buy DASH
This campaign:
According to the proposal description this ad campaign is primarily targetted at US and Canadian people who have “interested” in cryptocurrency. That means the main reason for investing is interest or possibly speculative investment. This motivation is rather weak reason to invest.
Venezuela:
The reason to invest in DASH in Venezuela is because the Bolivar Fuerte currency has collapsed. In the last 3 months of 2017 the currency lost 90% of its value compared to the previous 3 month. The link below shows the currency depreciation of 90% of its value in the vertical lines:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_bolívar#/media/File:Venezuela_inflation_on_the_black_market_(DolarToday)_on_a_logarithmic_scale.png
With this type of erosion of wealth they Venezuelan people need a solution. They are searching for a solution. DASH offers that solution. People are suffering and going hungry. Parents and families are finding it increasingly difficult to look after their children’s needs. people’s hard earned money and savings are disappearing. The motivation for DASH is huge. People need it.
Conclusion: Venezuela has infinitely higher need for DASH. USA / Canadian citizens don’t need DASH for their immediate physical well being therefore it will be only as a speculative investment only.
What type of customers of DASH do we want?
Do we want specualtive investors or do we want real users of DASH as a currency? If so what is the best place to market DASH - USA and Canada or Venezuela?
Impact on the wellbeing of people by buying DASH.
This campaign:
How would the people in the USA and Canada that would eventually buy DASH based on this campaign improve their quality of life for them and their family? What tangible real life benefits will it bring to their life? Answer = not a lot. At best they would make more money holding DASH.
Venezuela.
How much benefit would it bring to Venezuelan people when they have a stable currency compare to having 90% of their wealth lost every 3 months due to deflation. The value is immeasurable.
Conclusion: Venezuela is a considerably better location to invest promoting DASH compare to the USA and Canada. People’s lives are directly impacted in a positive way in Venezuela with DASH.
Ad money destination is it going to an ally of DASH?
This campaign:
The money in this campaign would be going to fund Google. The very company that has stated they will be banning ads on cryptocurrency businesses. Google is not an ally. They are the opposite. They are actively trying to stop the proliferation of cryptocurrency by banning the ads. The reason for this is rather obvious there are decentralized versions of their search engine being developed. The same with Facebook and twitter. Their days are numbered. One day these companies will be overtaken by crypto based decentralized versions.
Venezuela:
The money spent on Venezuela projects goes to the people who are actively promoting DASH. They are our long term allies. They will continue to support us year after year because we are providing a real solution to real problems.
Question: Do we want our money to fund companies that are against crypto currency or for cryptocurrency?
Google, Facebook and Twitter et all are not our allies. We should not be supporting them by giving them our money.
Long term results:
This Campaign:
We will be signing on board speculators who maybe want to hold DASH as a possible investment. Since they do not need DASH for their immediate physical survival they could sell out at any time for any reason.
Venezuela:
Venezuela could take up DASH as its primary currency. 32 million people who are currently suffering unspeakable hardship due to the currency crisis in Venezuela will for the first time in 15 years be able to get back on their feet again with DASH as their sound stable secure currency.
The results are that if we can help Venezuela take up DASH as its primary currency we will help the inhabitants of an entire nation. When this happens the world wide media will sit up and take note and DASH will be mentioned on every TV and radio channel in every country of the world. The GDP of Venezuela in 2017 was 346 Billion USD. That could be all in DASH.
With an entire country using DASH as its principal day to day working currency how much more stable with the DASH price be compare to now?
On every aspect that I can think of the investment of DASH treasury funds should go to projects such as for Venezuela. I cannot see any logical or reasonable reason at this moment why we should be investing marketing in countries that are resistant to crypto, giving money to companies that are against crypto, so that we can attract speculators who can sell at the slightest whim and will not result in any significant increase in the standard of living for the people investing when we could be investing in worthwhile projects that would return hugely on our return on investment in every area discussed above.
We need to compare one campaign against another campaign in order to make a decision where the limited DASH funds are to go. I think if we look at the above reasons can we not see where our funds should be going?
DeepBlue
Amanda PR Funding for February + January Update by amanda_b_johnson
https://dashwatch.org/files/1524992423556.pdf
I took a look at your report your provided above for promotional work by ABJ however it does not specifically state what podcasts and events ABJ attended, it just states the following:
"The proposal owner was able to deliver podcast appearances, interviews, and guest articles among other forms of positive media coverage for Dash."
Could you provide an actual detailed list. This is useful so that we can see exactly what a proposal owner has achieved for the money and it also enables us to know where to look online to find that content.
It is only reasonable to know what specifically has been achieved on a proposal, especially as this proposal was worth nearly 24K at the time. In other proposal summaries you had detailed lists.
DeepBlue
The reason I'm voting no is that your strengths are not being utilized, which are those 10-15 minute weekly videos combined with interviews. You seemed to have gotten bored doing it, despite the strong support you were getting from DFN to line up topics and interviews.
This is pure speculation on my part but I believe you want to move on to better and higher things than doing interviews and informative pieces on YouTube for the network. You may also feel that advertising angles (or copy angles in the digital marketing world) need to be experimented with more, as your proposal appears to be doing. I'm also speculating that you don't want to be "pigeon-holed" into your previous role anymore.
My 2 duffs is that your goal of building up your brand has to be congruent with what the network wants. I would recommend you find the right balance between the ABJ brand and what the network is asking more of. The network wants a consistent ABJ content similar to what you used to do, with your own twists. This proposal doesn't find that balance.
Did you finish out your last proposal or stop midstream? If so,
are you technically still a Dash contractor for your PMBC proposal? What happened to all the Dash?
Voting NO for an Amanda proposal for the first time in my life. :( [sad]
Get back on camera somehow. Find a way. Your way, but find a way to get back on camera. Maybe find a studio who can present you and Dash how you want to be portrayed. You have a gift for speaking and being listened to.
I'm so happy to see you working at it, but I would have to agree with others that the "Ignore Dash" tagline does not justify a project outside of a domain that Feedbands is doing at such a high level.
How many people even know Dash is on bitrefill or the main sponsor on a jet at an NBC show? Imagine yourself bringing this information to the world in a FUN and interesting way that people outside Dash would care about.
I think we should put out a marketing message to our targetgroup that is both simple to understand and in agreement with Dash vision.
I also think we need to put more thought in what that message should be.
Longer answer:
There is still to much to come which could potentially cause to break free such as ALT36+PRODUCT36, KurvaCash and other 3th World targeting projects, and of-course Dash evolution. Quit possibly it could actually be so easy as that blocks are going to get full for, BTC, ETH, and LTC. This is not unlikely either a 4x size bull-run in terms of transactions and it's going to a certainty these 3 projects will be unable to handle the flow, and fee's will rocket as we..
When I first read the reddit post title, I thought WTF being a hardcore fan of created the best possible crypto-currency possible. Than I found myself read it and say ah lol, you got me, which was pretty cool. Than I thought hey there seem to be lots of hardcore haters of Dash, maybe even more so than people understand that Dash has more than a far shot at becoming a global trust-less decentralized currency in the world.
So, yeah I am certain it's going be eye catching, and quit possibly make a couple trolls foam at the mouth, and create some interesting discussions, a discussion Dash probably will win hands down, but will lose when it comes to upvotes on reddit. Do it seems like Dash is getting a better and better deal when it comes to up-voting (prop for those support in Dash in that fashion). But it's still a battle that will probably lost on Reddit(up-votes are king, downvotes are trolls, scams and fraudsters ). Other people how have not heard of Dash will not get the message either, a far better sites and land-pages are needed, to even start to think about this.
I really Love what ABJ has brought to Dash, and continues to bring to Dash including this proposal, so props for that, and she can say stuff like that, she is free person, but in this case Masternodes owners must choose with some restraint.
There is simply no need for going ALL-IN just get, we haven't gotten to play our best hands just yet. Just be patient better hands will certainly come, and that the time to strike.
The negative message play on words does not seem to work for me. It is also playing with fire. Perhaps the reason is the DASH is not that well known at the stage where we are in a position to play off our reputation. A reputation that is not yet strongly established. In addition any time that negative based advertising is used there is a danger that it will be misinterpreted or misunderstood and cause unexpected damage. There have been some catastrophic examples of this in history with brands completely destroyed by this type of advertising that went drastically wrong.
In addition I don't think we need this type of advertising anyway - I would suggest we completely forget dead end advertising companies like google. We need to build sustainable avenues for promotion of DASH. Google has made it very clear they don't want Crypto ads for the future. They are not the avenue we should be focusing on. Google is not our ally. I would rather zero money went to them. We need investments where we build for the long term with our investments where our money is going to have lasting effect, with allies that are pro DASH. e.g we have many valuable real life grass roots projects that will have a lasting effect and are our allies. I have studied the situation in Venezuela and I favour the Venezuela projects that are attempting to go through on this budget. If we get these projects through it could well create a "domino effect" in Venezuela where everyone is talking about DASH in one area due to the high number of Venezuela projects all going at the same time. The momentum is building in Venezuela and we need to keep it going. However I've seen these big projects asking for every high quantities of DASH that don't fit into a larger theme. I am afraid that this seems to be one of them. "instant confirmations is not going to convince people to buy DASH in a country where they actually don't need it. By need, I really mean need i.e. for their immediate physical survival. We could use this money to help Venezuela adopt DASH has its national currency. This month alone there are 4 Venezuela projects. This is in a country where people want to take up DASH with zero resistance they just need education. Why pay for an ad to people that don't even need DASH because they are not in a crisis? They would choose it only as a possible speculative investment. I feel we should be using DASH funds to help people with a desperate need for sound currency, in a country where there is zero resistance, the government is pro crypto, the people need it and it would lead to a tremendous good to 32 million people when the country adopts DASH as their national currency. Think about it we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to help a country convert to using Digital Currency as its national currency.
We are now a the point where we have to consider other projects when voting. There are so many projects competing for DASH we need to put this into the equation when deciding where those funds are going.
In summary:
Negative message = playing with fire
Google is not a sustainable partner and they are no our ally.
Other grass routes projects in this month can have long lasting effects with allies.
Our money on the grass roots projects lead to real improvements in the quality of people's lives.
Ads = temporary effect only.
therefore my vote is no on this project
DeepBlue
Would it be possible to include the destination these clickable ads will lead to as that is the most important ingredient in running a ad campaign as it won't matter how amazing your ads look if the content you're sending traffic to is no good.
I appreciate you mentioned Fernando. "Fernando has also offered to coordinate the creation of the custom, trackable landing page(s) at Dash.org to be the click-through destinations of the ads."
My concern is the destination and content needs to be addressed first before any ad creation. Last week I would have been super excited for this, however I recently saw a O+M / Dash Core Group 3-5 sec instream video ad on Youtube which I clicked out of curiousity and it sent me to the following ad created landing page featuring the same short video advert I saw on Youtube - Please see https://www8.dash.org/en/ for reference.
Here lies the problem. The advert landing page features 2 buttons:
The 1st button = [Get Dash] which leads to the old dashpay wiki - https://dashpay.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DOC/pages/48693287/How+to+buy+Dash which has in big red writing at top of page this documentation is obsolete.
The 2nd button = [Download Wallet] leads to https://www.dash.org/wallets/#wallets
This is the problem - the ad traffic landing on this page do not know anything about Dash. Are they any wiser from this content. Is this content going to result in conversions ie. Dash adoption.
Why would they want to buy or download a wallet, when they don't even know what Dash is yet? Do you understand my reasoning?...
The problem with a lot of these ad campaigns is that we forget about the content. It has been said many times before including by Core Team members sending ad traffic to Dash.org alone isn't good enough for users to take action and pull the trigger.
Take 10-20 friends or family members that do not hold any Dash. Send them to Dash.org and see how many will actually take action and buy Dash.
From my personal experience I've had greater results getting people in to Dash by sending traffic to Amanda's Dash School video series on YouTube. I know others in community have done as well as I suspect some of the masternode owners here.
I feel the thought behind these ads no doubt had good intentions, but putting money on ads blindly on hopium without knowing what the destination landing pages or content will look like is a major red flag for me. As that will ultimately determine if ad campaign is successful or not. If it's like the one I experienced from the current YouTube O+M ad campaign then it's a big problem for me personally.
This is why Feedbands created Dashinformer.com & I created https://discoverdash.com/what-is-dash/ as we identified the need for more user-friendly pages that provide a good foundation and intro to Dash.
Also ad theme reminds me of the 'Don't Buy Monero' slogan campaign. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/emesik/dont-buy-monero-sticker/master/sticker.en.png
https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/7k61c2/the_dont_buy_monero_sticker/
I think if you can create or produce the destination content for masternode owners to see first it will help improve your chances of passing greatly as the content part is a big question mark right now as voters will be currently taking a leap in to the unknown.
I honestly believe it would be far more effective targeting crypto audience to encourage Amanda to do more guest video interviews with Crypto YouTubers. It worked last time, it will work this time. The only difference being there is far more Crypto YouTubers now with higher sub count audiences. So it's a win-win on that front if you truly care about performanced based results and bringing new people to Dash that are already in the crypto-space.
Amanda, my offer to help you still stands, with youtube guest interviews, news recap videos as before plus more. I have lots of ideas and ready to go. You know how to contact me if interested. I believe that is what the Dash community is really missing and more importantly wants to see happen.
It is absolutely true that dash.org is not optimized for conversion. We need to improve our website structure because now it has too much info for the new user, but on the other hand, you can't take out things that are important for other groups of people who end up at dash.org (business, devs, MNOs...). We are working on some ideas there because with Evo it gets even more complicated in terms of information architecture. I hope I can share a plan sometime soon.
On the campaign:
First important thing is that we are maximizing for awareness. Usually you talk about four phases in the user life cycle and they come one after the other: awareness (knows that you exist), consideration (thinks about you), use, repetition.
We have an awareness problem. Even most people in crypto know very little or nothing about Dash. We've all experienced this many times, so I won't overextend on this. This podcast by Laura Shin is a great example:
http://unchainedpodcast.co/all-things-cryptoeconomics-pt-1-with-olaf-carlson-wee-and-ryan-zurrer-of-polychain-capital
They talk governance and describe Dash without knowing that Dash exists :(
So what the campaign is trying to get people to be aware of Dash so they can go deeper at a later time. You get that usually by exposing them to your info. Click through comes later, when they want more info or even are prepared to act. Most people are not there yet, and those are the ones we are working for. Success would be everyone watching those pre-roll videos or looking at our banners, even if they don't click to know more. We are planting the seeds there for later interaction.
Bad thing about awareness is that it is very difficult to measure. For that we need Google. They have tools to poll users after the campaign and check how much they remember you. You then compare those results with the ones you get from a control group who doesn't get exposed to the campaign. Measuring this was key for this campaign. I want to know if we can buy your way to awareness or not. And if we can, how much that would cost.
Before those who oppose ads say it, I'll do it myself. Yes, you can build awareness in other ways too and some of those ways could even be preferable. I'd rather pay 1000 people on the ground than Google, but it doesn't need to be OR, we can probably combine. To find the optimal equilibrium we need info. Also, money buys you speed. At some point we may end up with more money than execution capacity again (just a few months ago big parts of the budget were not allocated). We need to do our homework in advance if we want to take advantage of those situations.
On the messages:
In parallel to awareness we are testing themes/messages. The campaign has six different messages per language. We need to know what resonates better with people we target so we can be more efficient. Is it low fees? speed? privacy? For all this testing we have a ton of short videos and banners, and they link to 14 landing pages. We will be able to measure at the Google level (different watching metrics per video/message) or at the landing page level (click through, time on landing page, where they go after...).
On the landing pages:
The link to the wiki was a mistake. When we started working on this, that was the best we had, but since then we have changed a few things on dash.org and now dash.org/get-dash is a much better resource. At some point we didn't communicate, that link didn't get updated and we didn't realize because the focus was not there. It has already been changed. Still not optimal, but better.
A huge part of internet marketing is just building an email list and utilizing it.
It's super easy, folks just need to embed the same list form on their landing page. We can all share access to the account and have clear rules around its usage.
Let's make this happen! Dash should have a huge email list for the spend we are committing.
I’ve tried pushing for a proper email list signup on dash.org front and centre for years.
People need to stop hating on email subscription lists. They work!
I think you two are probably right. Plenty of average-Joes expect mailing lists as a way to keep inform about products and services. No reason not to have the option via the website. Provided, of course, there is an unsubscribe, and really this list should be only controlled by one entity to avoid abuse.
Perhaps this is something Dash Force News could implement since they are already giving regular updates.
The 3 Amigos podcasts are excellent. Keep them up please. We all know Amanda's videos are a huge hit. Good thinking Mark.
For example:
“Instant low fee cross boarder payments because what other currency can do this?”
Just an idea but I encourage your attempt to be different ? just marketing big bold letters “Ignore Dash” i don’t think will get people investing. On the other hand, trump got in office basically from massive hate advertisement. If people hear the name enough they will make the decision to pick that person or thing.
I love your work Amanda, but something just doesn’t seem right about this to me. I will wait to gather more MNO opinions.
The MNO's aren't opposed to Amanda, it's the slogan that burns them deep and hot.
Frankly, I wasn't a huge fan of the tagline, but after seeing this massive reaction, this might be what Dash needs to grab some attention for itself.
God knows Core has no plans of doing Dash's marketing any favors. Fernando and Ogilvy are limp dicks, sorry to be blunt. I'd like to throw some chips behind a team who are not.
If annoying MNOs and getting a massive reaction from them is your purpose, maybe double down and expand amanda's ad campaign headline to read, "Ignore Dash, it's jam packed with limp d**ks". That way you can burn even more goodwill. :P
I'd really like to hear Ogylvy's thoughts around this branding idea, and see what they have already come up with using the vast amounts of money that we've already paid to them.
Ogylvy are definitely not limp dicks (as you suggest), these are the guys who brought out some pretty controversial ad campaigns.
E.G. Did you ever see the Ogylvy & Mather Ford SportKa ad? I bet you wouldn't have the balls to create a campaign like this.
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dzi_8Rscfs
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sportka/
The question is, what is best for our brand?
I'm not a fan of the "Ignore Dash" idea, but I do like the idea of targeted ads to cryptocurrency speculators. I think with large ad campaign spends, we need to have a cohesive approach. Our message is far too splintered and no doubt money is being wasted hand over fist.
I'd like to see Fernando comment on every single advertising proposal directly, and also hear an update re: Ogylvy.
In order to "hook" with "psychology" here are 6 ways: #1 Reciprocation, #2 Commitment and consistency, #3 Social proof, #4 Liking, #5 Authority, #6 Scarcity
Look at #3 Social proof. If you want to hook psychologically, you must state that everyone and their friends are using/getting/buying it. NOT that everyone is ignoring it!!! Please don't make this mistake.
Alternatively you could:
#1 Elicit reciprocation (e.g. Give some free Dash).
#2 Appear consistent (e.g. We've been pro-individual rights and freedom from the start)
#3 For social proof, you could say "Everyone else is using it for fast easy transfers" and if you want to add a snarky comment, then say "But you don't need that" - Let me repeat: Do not emphasize "Everyone is ignoring us." Please consider a different catchphrase.
#4 Be likable: Attractive spokespeople (e.g. Amanda); Compliments "Great people like yourselves would use Dash"; People tend to like people that make them laugh, etc.
#5 Have "authority" figures state the case for Dash
#6 Emphasize scarcity - there's only a limited amount, say as opposed to fiat currencies
Finally, this may be controversial but please consider it: The "subliminal words" should be included in the messaging. For example, when you're on a tightrope someone shouldn't tell you "Don't fall down!" (brain often understands only positive words so it drops the "Don't" and hears "fall down!") so instead you should say "Keep your balance!" With the words "Don't buy Monero" the brain only hears "buy Monero." Or in our case: "Don't Pay Attention to Dash" (i.e. Pay Attention to Dash). If you say *Ignore Dash* then the subliminal messaging is still *ignore Dash*
TLDR; Do not reinforce the idea that the larger community is ignoring us. That is using social proof against us. The underlying proposal is great. Fun phrasing is great. Branding for "instant confirmations" is great. The words "Ignore Dash" are not.
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practice
And... Dash is being ignored..so let's diffuse this bomb up front.. and bring people in with it.
Emphasize that everyone is ignoring us!
Reinforce the idea the larger community is ignoring us!
Well see it worked. I guess I should have said:
Please don't use actual research on psychology and influence to market Dash!
Do NOT brainstorm any better ideas.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL YOU KEEP AN OPEN MIND
I'd be in favor of trying what you're proposing.
Unfortunately, 800 D month projects were chosen as the most efficient by MNOs to cover North America.
Your project and this other project would take up too much of the budget this month or in the months ahead.
Moreover you do not benefit from the support of the media tool of internal promotion to Dash which admirably did well by Joël Valenzuela via DFN.
There is very little chance that you will be followed on this project.
Good luck anyway.
I'm absolutely going to vote yes for Amanda. She has put a great deal of thought and coordination into this and it's incredibly clear that she's committed financially to its success just as we all are.
Doesn’t Fernando have a pile of marketing dollars already locked in with Ogilvy and an ad strategy from them? Have you had any feedback from their approach? Are they planning to roll out ads too? Any big spend should be aligned.
Didn’t Amanda ask us not to refer to dash as a cryptocurrency, but as Digital Currency instead?
I think we should own the term Digital Cash. So if possible, the ads should show Dash - “Digital Cash” wherever possible.
I like the targeted aspect, don’t like the Ignore Dash idea soo much. Dash isn’t a mega-brand by any stretch of the imagination.
IMO Cryptocurrency enthusiasts aren’t researching crypto to find which is the fastest. They just want to know which one is going to come out on top through adoption.
Cheapair just sent a mail out encouraging people to try using Dash,
LTC and BCH instead of BTC, as Coinbase are pulling the plug on “custodial” solutions for merchants.
I think a good angle is showcasing how many merchants are switching to Dash. I like the concept of the flippining to Dash, and targeted to attract USA & Canadian speculators with links to uphold and other exchanges for buying. But mainly uphold due to ease of use.
To address your question for me, we've used the word "cryptocurrency" in this ad because it's going to be shown only to those whose search histories show that they're already familiar with and/or interested in what that is.
This is NOT the ad we'd show to your mom. That time will come, and we'll have a relevant ad to go with it.
Hope that clears things up.
I hope the ads will include the words Digital Cash directly underneath the word Dash.
Dash should own “Digital Cash” and it should be prominently displayed on all marketing.
Tharp & Clark have a version of the logo that includes Digital Cash.
She's done more to bring new people into Dash than anyone or anything else, so why in the world would we not continue to fund her efforts?
I like seeing her teamed up with Strike and Corduroy.
I'm exploring new territory here for one reason: my own investment in Dash is compelling me to do so.
Thank you for your trust and confidence.
Not only because you add so much value, but also because I feel we need to give back to you for everything you've done. I'm not in favor of doing charity with other people's money, but I would definitely continue to vote yes and give you the opportunity to manage bigger projects with larger budgets, and be properly compensated for it.
The DAO is about decentralized contractors and quite frankly I have lost faith in Ogilvy as they have watched us slide down the coinmarketcap chart. Ogilvy does not log on to talk to us MNOs and the only work it seems like they have provided is that unbearably out of touch logo scheme.
We need to invest in a long-term marketing new team and it really looks like you are forming it right now with Strike Social and Corduroy. Strike Social has a great reputation with Dash so far and even though it lost out last month, the Trejo video proposal by Corduroy was excellent and professional. I love seeing this team forming.
I hope everyone else with at least €350,000 in Dash realizes how valuable advertising, testing and AMANDA are.