a16z：NFT阶梯，品牌的进化之路

Original author: Scott Duke Kominers and Steve Kaczynski

Original compilation: Luffy, Foresight News

One of the goals of our new book, The Everything Token, is to unlock the business potential of NFTs. Currently, domestic and international brands are already using NFTs in some consumer-facing campaigns, but we think more brands can benefit from this technology. We don’t want local businesses to be left behind, and NFTs provide them with the opportunity to engage fans and communities.

To do this, we’ve created a blueprint for builders—everyone from startup team members to small business managers to big brand executives. We describe a five-step framework for a successful case: the NFT ladder.

Ownership: This is the most fundamental bargaining chip of Web3. NFTs leverage blockchain to create digital assets whose ownership can be defined and verified independently of any platform or intermediary. This helps create markets for goods for which ownership is difficult or impossible to define, including the now-ubiquitous digital images, but also gaming items, event tickets, and even health data.

This means that NFTs can outlive their creators and provide people with a level of personal control just like they are used to with physical assets: the wallet that owns the NFT can decide which platforms can access it and how it can be used it. For example, if you want to move your NFT art collection from one platform to another, all you have to do is disconnect your digital wallet from the first platform and connect it to the new one. This gives people a greater degree of psychological ownership of their digital assets. It sets in motion a powerful incentive loop: when you are the owner of a digital asset, you are incentivized to help build a relevant brand.

Utility: Adding features beyond ownership to an NFT can further drive its value. Many tokens have default functions, such as displaying images, providing access to events, or enhancing online game play. But thats just the beginning: Because NFTs are embedded in software, new features can be added over time. Online gaming NFTs might also grant access to a games Discord server, or unlock fan subscriptions to publications. Utility reinforces the value people place on the NFT and encourages repeated interactions with the asset, which in turn can inspire brand attachment.

Crucially, with NFTs on a public blockchain, utility can be introduced by third parties as easily as the original creators. Combined with the cross-platform interoperability of tokens, a variety of contributors can inject continued value into NFTs in a wide range of online and even offline environments. A person can use a digital avatar on multiple Metaverse platforms simultaneously without the services needing to interact directly with the creator or each other, just like a person can wear a piece of clothing anywhere without brand approval. Restaurants can airdrop coupons for local sports games to “NFTickets” holders. The studio’s new “Morlocks vs. Mages” role-playing game can target people who already hold Witcher NFTs. More broadly, NFT projects can be launched by leveraging networks of people who can identify various interests on-chain.

Identity: The combination of ownership and ongoing utility prompts holders to derive a sense of personal value from their NFT and ultimately develop a sense of identity around them. Interoperability plays an important role here: people can easily display a given NFT (or, more accurately, its associated metadata or media) on different platforms as part of their public identity. Instead, as more and more people begin to associate digital identities with digital wallets, it will be particularly important for brands to issue NFTs to anchor their relationship in peoples online experiences.

Specifically, identity is a big reason why PFP (personal profile picture) NFTs are taking off. These NFTs are designed to allow people to express their imaginative identities and connect with others who share similar images and desires. (More on that next.) But identities can apply to any NFT category. Think of a favorite POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol) NFT to commemorate an event, or even an NFT attached to a slideshow youre particularly proud of. Over time, we expect to see many NFTs establishing personal ownership and identity around personal data, such as academic qualifications and health records.

Community: NFTs have “network superpowers”: each token implicitly connects holders to form a network of people with common interests and experiences. Its like the type of network effects were used to in Web2, except here the value is generated by the asset rather than the platform. NFTs enable people to find their tribe and then provide a basis for their collaboration. The more prominent an NFT becomes in different contexts, the stronger the associated networks will become.

Additionally, NFTs allow the holder to have a two-way conversation with the brand. Some NFTs grant governance rights, as in a DAO or decentralized autonomous organization. But even without granting these rights, NFTs can still anchor a community of brand supporters and give them ownership of the brand’s assets. We describe the fan base in the context of NFT as having a semi-permeable membrane: ideas and experiments can seep out from NFT holders, and the brand itself can integrate the most successful ideas and experiments.

Evolution: All of this combined makes for a powerful digital brand-building component. Through NFT, creators and companies can build a community whose members personally identify with the brand and are motivated and empowered to contribute to it. Connecting these people to each other and the brand can lead them to evolve in unexpected and exciting ways.

The summary here only scratches the surface. The result is that as projects climb the NFT ladder, they have the potential to upgrade ordinary consumer interactions into multifaceted community experiences. Therefore, we expect NFTs to become ubiquitous in both online and offline applications.

As we explained at the end of Chapter 1:

NFTs can turn images into event tickets, and event tickets into brand anchors. They will launch the next generation of customer loyalty programs, creating structures that benefit businesses and consumers in new ways. They will change how we manage work history and health data. They can transform simply owning a product into a close-knit community experience.