When Steve Jobs first showed the iPhone, the world was blown away by it. They haven’t seen anything like it before. It was new, innovative and way ahead of its time. People were happy to pay whatever the price was as it made them feel good to own an iPhone. This modern, sleek and innovative technology became a status symbol all across the world. But what propelled Apple ahead of its competitors? Even though IBM, Xerox and Microsoft were developing unique and innovative technologies, what made Apple stand apart?

In this short article, we will talk about how branding played a crucial role in Apple’s success and how it could do the same for new and innovative technologies like blockchain.

What are blockchains?

If you haven’t been living in a cave, you have definitely heard the term ‘blockchain’ by now. The arrival of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum in mainstream media has fuelled the interest in blockchain technologies.

In a nutshell, a Blockchain is a digital database or a ledger that is distributed among multiple nodes (devices) of a peer-to-peer network. As this is distributed there is no centralised database or governing system. This ensures that no central figure or authority has complete control over the database (like Google or Facebook). Because blockchains use cryptographic algorithms to encrypt transactions and other activities, they are extremely secure and generally safe from hacking. The overall system is consensus and community-driven.

The secret ingredient of a successful blockchain business

Without going too deep into the technology, let’s look into an example of what makes a strong blockchain company or a project. Obviously, one would say that the technology or the idea is the central pillar of what makes a strong blockchain business. However, over the years a number of businesses and projects with very solid technology died out in the blink of an eye e.g Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO), Ekta and Zilliqa. On the other hand, think of Ethereum, Bitcoin and Coinbase. They all have a scalable business and amazing technology. But what really sets them apart from the rest of the competitors is their brand.

At the moment, the world of cryptocurrencies, blockchain and decentralised systems is attracting a lot of technical people. This often leads to complex and confusing terminologies that often stop the general public from investing their time or money to learn about these innovative technologies. Let’s look at Coinbase. The company has built a very strong and distinctive brand by demystifying terms like ‘cryptocurrencies’ and ‘blockchain’, enabling millions to invest in them. Almost everyone who has some idea about cryptocurrency will know the Coinbase logo and its distinctive ‘C’ a mile away. By investing in its brand early on, and constantly evolving and adapting its tonality and communication for different audiences, they have become the biggest cryptocurrency trading platform in less than 10 years and went public in 2021.

Conclusion

If you are a blockchain startup looking to expand your business, establishing a reputable brand is the key to unlocking growth. It is important to consider that it is still early years and not everyone fully understands these technical concepts. To gain early customer traction, it is vital to invest in brand and marketing that simplifies technical concepts into easy-to-digest information. This is where Apple’s famous tagline ‘Simplify. Simplify. Simplify” comes in and this is what led to the success of the iPhone and all other Apple products.

If one thing should be taken away from this article it is this: invest in your brand from day one. The Coinbase example has shown that by investing in your brand early on, you are far more likely to end up becoming an authority in your niche leading to higher business growth and establishing repeat customers.

If you want to scale your brand and establish authority in your blockchain business reach out to Evolve. We help businesses and brands scale fast.