by 2022 was not a good year for cryptocurrency.
The “crypto winter” is in full swing after a series of unfortunate but unexpected events: the collapse of the so-called stablecoin soil, the bankruptcy of major crypto exchange FTX, and the failure of numerous crypto lending institutions such as Celsius. It seems that the entire market is basically in turmoil.
And of course, all this market uncertainty has also affected NFTs, or tokens, which are not quite the same. For example, the largest NFT brand, Bored Ape Yacht Club, is now trading. down 80 percent from the peak value just eight months ago.
But that’s not the only thing that harms NFTs. Many online communities emerged strongly opposite The idea of tokenizing everything on the blockchain, effectively turning their favorite brands and hobbies into speculative assets.
Still, some brands still believe in the NFT exaggeration. And Mashable couldn’t help but take a look at some of the weirder ones from last year.
Donald Trump Digital Trading Cards
Topping the list (and just below the wire) is Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States.
Trump in the last weeks of 2022 sent social network Truth Social big announcement It will be held on December 15. All of his supporters speculated that it must have been a big thing for Trump to mock such an announcement. Dilbert comics creator Scott Adams prediction Since Trump has already announced his 2024 presidential campaign, this big reveal could be his vice presidential election announcement.
Humility came December 15th and Trump…announced a collection of NFTs called: Trump Digital Trading Cards.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
It was also great timing! In the midst of the biggest crypto crash in years, Donald Trump has decided to enter the NFT market.
The Trump card collection includes 45,000 NFT pieces, including badly photoshopped portraits of the former president as a superhero and professional football player, as well as riding a net and much more. At $99 each, the Trump NFT collection includes a chance to win prizes such as a dinner with Trump, a group Zoom meeting with Trump, or a “signed memento.” If someone buys 45 NFTs – yes, $4,500 worth of NFTs – they get a guaranteed ticket to a Trump gala event in Florida.
It’s all so weird and badly timed, but once you see it in promotion Trump released NFTs while he was announcing them, and you’ll see that’s very fitting for Trump as well.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
Starbucks Loyalty Program (now with Web3!)
Coffee giant Starbucks has long offered rewards to its customers through its successful loyalty program. It’s simple: Customers download an app and receive special offers, as well as earn rewards for food and drink based on their purchases.
Then Starbucks decided to try a new loyalty program powered by NFTs.
Coffee chain started rolling Web3 rewards program called Starbucks Odyssey in early December. The new program on the Polygon blockchain mostly seems to gamify the old, already existing program. Instead of just buying your favorite beverage and earning rewards, Starbucks wants customers to take “journeys” and accept the company’s challenges. For example, users can earn NFTs by going to a new Starbucks location they have not visited before. These NFTs act as “stamps” and each stamp has a specific number of points associated with it. Users can earn more points by completing tasks that provide them with additional NFTs or by trading NFTs in the aftermarket.
Starbucks has not yet disclosed how many users are currently beta testing the program, but shared that there has been “unprecedented interest” in Starbucks Odyssey.
Why passively buy your morning coffee on the way to work when you can spend your day completing challenges and then speculatively trading NFTs in crypto markets to earn a free latte?
But really, the most incredible NFT-related Starbucks moment of the year came in April. At a time when unionization campaigns were spreading to Starbucks locations across the country, CEO Howard Schultz tried to get his employees together during a company-wide meeting. Right there, in front of an audience watching the live broadcast, Schultz excitedly announced That Starbucks is considering entering the NFT space. Their audience – the employees at his company – couldn’t care less.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
Are NFTs “R” Us?
Who doesn’t remember Toys “R” Us?
If you’re reading this, you may have good memories of going there as a kid. It was once the largest chain of toy stores in the United States.
Then in 2017, Toys “R” Us declaration bankruptcy. Stores are closed. In fact, some of the biggest Toys “R” Us locations are still empty to this day. The company and its beloved mascot “Geoffrey the Giraffe” disappeared for a while in the US. There have been attempts to bring the brand back over the years as new management companies have opened seasonal venues for the holidays. Eventually a deal was struck with Macy’s to open basically toy divisions in their department stores under the name Toys “R” Us.
Oh yeah, there’s also Toys “R” Us NFTs Now too.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
Toys “R” Us started sales 10,000 NFT digital animation versions Geoffrey the Giraffe toys, apparently “inspired” by the physical toys available in the company’s stores. according to the official Web site For Solana-based NFTs, they all seem to be exhausted.
Who is the market for NFTs, which are again basically speculative variable assets from a toy store?
The lyrics, “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys “R” Us kid,” went to the earworm tune that was the Toys “R” Us theme song. So maybe this was more of a nostalgia game, trying to attract adult fans of the toy store with good memories of running down the aisles as a kid.
Still, while it’s not speculation, the hook here includes exclusive discounts, in-store experiences and events for NFT holders. As a Twitter user discovered Toys “R” Us employees are unaware of the program when learning about NFTs at a physical retail location.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
NFT sharks doo-doo, doo-doo
Toy “R” Us NFTs are for adults who want to commemorate the good times of their childhood at their favorite toy store. But what’s wrong with these Baby Shark NFTs?
Baby Shark became a viral hit song for kids with a version uploaded in 2015 by South Korean kids entertainment brand Pinkfong. It has inspired a never-ending assortment, from toys to TV shows. No nostalgia effect here. Children who grow up listening to Baby Shark are still mostly children.
Still Pinkfong in November announced It was partnering with Toekenz, which advertises itself as a “kid-friendly” NFT platform, to create a blockchain-based Baby Shark game “for kids ages 5 to 9”.
According to the announcement, Toekenz is turning NFT trading into a game for kids. Kids will be able to earn “licensed digital tokens” while learning about cryptocurrency and NFTs.
Translation: Children under 10 years old speculate on securities. What’s next? Baby’s first day trading platform?
Your favorite 90s music apps are now selling NFTs
Who hasn’t used Winamp, the ’90s media player? I bet even seeing that name takes you back to the good old days of Windows 98 and AOL dial-up.
Fast forward to March 2022 after decades and Winamp is once again in the limelight. But not for good reason. winamp announced via Twitter launching An NFT collection based on Winamp skins.
Reaction from Winamp supporters not good to put it briefly.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
But there was no more bite than Justin Frankel, one of the original creators of the Winamp software.
“I’ve spent my last years not being suspicious of Winamp owners,” Frankel said. tweeted. “No more. You suck.”
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
Frankel went further on his website, taunting NFTs as a “negative-sum ecosystem” where people are told to buy only so NFT backers can buy them and cash them out.
Unfortunately, Winamp wasn’t the only beloved old-school internet audio relic that had turned to the NFT-dark side.
Remember Limewire? Of course, you may have downloaded a lot of viruses while illegally downloading your favorite music. However, you’ve probably discovered a bunch of unsigned indie bands that want you to listen to their music.
Well, Limewire is basically just a NFT platform now. rascal.
RadioShack switches to Edgelord to promote crypto
Speaking of zombie brands, RadioShack made waves over the summer, years after the company went bankrupt (twice) and essentially closed all its retail outlets.
Why is that? The official Twitter account of RadioShack, the electronics store that once sold amateur radios to your grandfather, started tweeting like a little 4-channel edge lord.
The tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)
“If you find a squirt, marry it,” says RadioShack. sent In June.
People quickly started speculation That the RadioShack handle was hijacked by hackers. But no, that was not the case. Its new owner, the get-rich-quick internet marketer Tai Lopez, was running a small guerrilla marketing campaign for the rebranded RadioShack.
What is this rebranded RadioShack? He still sells some electronics in his e-commerce store. But that doesn’t seem to be his only focus. RadioShack now sells NFTs and cryptocurrencies. The company built its own cross-blockchain bridge to exchange crypto and launched its own NFT collections.
What strange things are going on for the store where you used to buy Duracell batteries for your RC cars.
