Forget cat memes. The next crypto bull market will be driven by TradFi.

Get ready for the next crypto marketing surge, but don’t expect it in your inbox.

Consider how financial institutions market their ETFs. Some, like VanEck, target the Web3 community publicly on platforms like X. That is visible to everyone. 

But most firms will market their ETFs to their traditional audience, the traditional way: private, 1×1 outbound marketing and events. The recipients of this campaign will be traditional finance stalwarts, more familiar with blue chips than private keys.

Imagine a financial advisor with a sales target emailing their affluent clientele. They’re sharing articles about blockchain technology’s potential, discussing the impressive ROI of the latest crypto ETF and debunking common misconceptions about cryptocurrencies. This is a coordinated, strategic effort to cast crypto in a positive and compelling light, led by the advisors who inform what makes up the portfolios of many of the largest pools of capital.

The same investors who once viewed digital currencies with a side-eye are about to get a tailored introduction to crypto from their trusted advisors. This isn’t an anonymous influencer promoting the virtues of blockchain from a digital soapbox. It’s the familiar voices they’ve relied on for years, now discussing the potential of digital currencies and an emerging asset class in its early stages. The effect of these familiar voices in the crypto conversation? Profound. The clients of these institutions, with their substantial investment power, can significantly alter the market’s dynamics. 

Financial institutions aren’t merely selling a product. They’re recasting the narrative around cryptocurrencies. As the institutions that have guided financial markets for decades start endorsing digital currencies, we’re witnessing a paradigm shift.

Read more from our opinion section: Web3 is for regular people, too

Hundreds of crypto ETF applications, more of which seem likely to start getting approved now, signal more than just a new offering in the investment landscape. They’re a vehicle for a new narrative. It’s not just about making crypto accessible — selling backstage passes to the crypto concert minus the mosh pit — it’s about reshaping how crypto is understood. And this transformation is starting now, behind the polished mahogany doors of financial institutions.

As Web3 marketing continues to spawn cat memes, NFT galleries, infrastructure summits and DeFi hackathons appealing to the crypto-versed crowd, a new cohort of traditional investors are about to be subtly ushered backstage by the persuasive voices of ETF marketers and salespeople. The crypto concert is about to get a lot more eclectic. The crypto community should prepare for this influx, ready to equip these new entrants with the necessary data and strategic messaging that is custom fit for their audience. Because in the world of crypto, a rising tide means a new game for everyone.

Amanda Cassatt is the founder and CEO of Serotonin. Amanda previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of ConsenSys from 2016 through 2019. Joining one year after the launch of Ethereum, Amanda played a crucial role in defining, creating, and growing the narrative for ConsenSys, Ethereum, and blockchain overall.
Amanda stewarded the ConsenSys brand through its global expansion across enterprises, governments, developers, and consumers. She created and scaled the marketing team to over 50 people, serving both the ConsenSys brand and 50+ portfolio companies such as MetaMask, Infura, Truffle, and Gitcoin; managing teams in product marketing, growth, design, content, community, events, email, analytics and SEO. Amanda’s contributions to some of the most successful product launches, token sales and fundraises landed her on Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016. Amanda is the author of the world’s first web3 marketing book, Web3 Marketing: A Handbook for the Next Internet Revolution.

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