This year we launched the Bowled.io token. But make no mistake. This wasn’t just about launching another crypto token. Rather, we sought to answer the following questions: Could a sports-specific Web3 platform bridge the gap between the traditional world of sports fans and cryptocurrencies? We have answered this question with overwhelming success.
As CMO of Bowled.io, I led this ambitious launch by establishing a multi-step strategy that combined traditional sports marketing with cutting-edge Web3 community building. It wasn’t about luck. It was about engineering virality through precise planning, data-driven decision-making, and community-driven initiatives.
Challenge: Creating a Perfect Storm
Luck plays a role in the spread of viruses, but most of it must be designed strategically. The task ahead was clear. How do we get traditional cricket fans to embrace Web3? And perhaps even more difficult, how do you make a cricket-centric platform interesting to the global cryptocurrency community?
Our solution is Stage Gate MethodologyWe broke the launch into carefully coordinated phases. These include:
- Conceptualization: Create a sports-focused Web3 platform that caters to both traditional sports fans and cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
- Market Analysis: Perform market analysis based on data insights provided by Chainalytic’s 2023 Global Cryptocurrency Adoption Index.
- Framework development: Build an “integrated Web3 marketing framework” that effectively combines traditional sports marketing and Web3 community building.
- Create a platform: Implement data-driven tools like WebEngage and Google Analytics to predict and optimize user behavior on your platform.
- Verification: Expands from local ambassadors in 20 countries to an active community in 82 countries on X/Twitter, Telegram, and Discord.
Finding the sweet spot: Where cricket meets global markets
Our hypothesis was that cricket-loving countries should strengthen their cricket-related services. So we deployed community managers in key markets like India and Pakistan, each mini-CEO with local content and cultural cues to cue our fan base.
At the same time, we shifted our messaging to markets with lower cricket participation. Taking insights from Chainalytic’s Global Crypto Adoption Index into account, we selected the countries with the highest cryptocurrency adoption rates and matched them with renewed interest in sports.
Table 1: Top 20 Global Cryptocurrency Adoption Index in 2023
| nation | region | Composite index ranking | Centralized service reception value ranking | Retail Centralized Service Value Receiving Ranking | P2P exchange trading volume ranking | DeFi Received Value Ranking | Retail DeFi Received Value Rankings |
| India | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| vietnam | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| USA | North America | 4 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| Ukraine | Eastern Europe | 5 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Philippine Islands | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 6 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 7 | 7 |
| Indonesia | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 7 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 5 |
| Pakistan | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 20 |
| brazil | latin america | 9 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 11 |
| thailand | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 10 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 6 | 6 |
| china | East Asia | 11 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 23 |
| turkey | Middle East and North Africa | 12 | 11 | 9 | 35 | 12 | 12 |
| Russia | Eastern Europe | 13 | 12 | 10 | 36 | 9 | 9 |
| uk | Central, Northern and Western Europe | 14 | 15 | 20 | 38 | 8 | 8 |
| Argentina | latin america | 15 | 14 | 12 | 29 | 19 | 19 |
| Mexico | latin america | 16 | 17 | 18 | 30 | 16 | 16 |
| Bangladesh | Central Asia, Southern Asia and Oceania | 17 | 18 | 19 | 33 | 22 | 22 |
| japan | East Asia | 18 | 22 | 21 | 49 | 18 | 18 |
| Canada | North America | 19 | 25 | 23 | 62 | 14 | 14 |
| Morocco | Middle East and North Africa | 20 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 26 |
Source: Chainalytic https://www.chainalytic.com/blog/2023-global-crypto-adoption-index/
This allowed us to reposition Bowled.io as a multi-sport IP platform and use cricket as a proof of concept for user acquisition in that region.
This dual approach allowed us to:
- Tap into cricket’s passionate fans in traditional markets.
- It is aimed at sports minds and early adopters of cryptocurrency in non-cricket countries.
- This position allows for further expansion into other sports.
By maintaining a balance between a cricket-focused approach and a broader platform story centered around the sport, we have successfully expanded from our first 20 country base to 82 countries.
The Science Behind the Surge: A Unified Web3 Marketing Framework
The success came from a really well-constructed strategy that combined classic sports marketing and Web3 community building. The core components of this data-driven mechanism include four elements:
1. Data-based decision making
We have set up an ecosystem that combines first-party data in both WebEngage and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). The key strategies are:
- Predictive Analytics: Predict user acquisition trends to optimize campaign timing.
- Group analysis: Personalization of marketing strategies for user segments.
- Sentiment analysis: Real-time messaging based on community feedback.
- Funnel Optimization: Reduce churn in the user journey.
For example, we noticed a surge in engagement during cricket matches and adjusted our marketing accordingly, increasing app engagement by 35% during major matches.
2. Multi-channel engagement
From x/ twitter to Telegram and Discord we used all platforms that could be closer to all cricket lovers and cryptocurrency lovers. Collaborating with local organizations and KOLs has helped us expand our impact.
- X/ Twitter followers increased from 38,000 to 75,000.
- Telegram users increased from 5,000 to 10,000.
- Discord subscribers tripled from 8,000 to 25,000.
3. Strategic timing and leveraging events
We have aligned our activities with major cricket events such as IPL and T20 World Cup. Narrowcasting technology ensured relevant messages at optimal moments of consumption, resulting in a 25% increase in in-app purchases.
Building community has been core to our strategy. Zealy Quest rewards this engagement, resulting in a 40% increase in user engagement and a 30% increase in new sign-ups. Regular AMAs built trust and informed our approach.
Release Schedule: A Carefully Orchestrated Symphony
Key milestones:
During peak cricket season, monthly active users exceeded 500,000. This is a true testament to the potential of fusing traditional sports passion with Web3 creativity.
This well-planned strategy not only established BOWLED.io as a cricket platform, but also set the stage for the subsequent play of broader sports IPs in international markets.
Looking beyond cricket: A blueprint for Web3 success
Bowled.io’s success shows that the future of Web3 lies in building bridges between existing passions and new possibilities. By starting with cricket and building scalability, we created a blueprint for how a sports-focused Web3 platform could succeed.
This is not a winning strategy in cricket and sports. This is a template for how Web3 can find mainstream adoption: by understanding your audience, using data effectively, and fostering authentic communities.
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