The story so far
How web3 marketing became a cautionary tale of experimentation without measurement
This chapter explores how web3 marketing evolved from hype-driven experimentation to performance-focused accountability.
Watch this introduction to understand the journey of web3 marketing
The story of web3 marketing over the past few years reads like a cautionary tale of experimentation without measurement.
Walk into any major web3 conference and the pattern is immediately clear: projects spending $100,000+ on a single party with open bars, celebrity DJs, extravagant venues, and branded swag that ends up in hotel trash cans.
When you ask how they measure ROI on these investments, you get blank stares. The logic seems to be: "Everyone else is doing it, our competitors are doing it, so we should too."
This isn't unique to events.
Most "marketing" in web3 has looked more like social media management — making the brand look good, building awareness, crafting a public image. All excellent for generating visibility, but it stops at the awareness layer of the funnel.
The consequence is not a lack of activity, but a lack of accountability. There's rarely any connection between these activities and actual business results.
This pattern didn't emerge because teams were careless or uninformed; it emerged because the incentives at the time rewarded presence and momentum more than proof.
Over the past five years, we've seen the industry cycle through new approaches, each promising to be "the answer".