SAFE Network Brand ID Competition

Marketing
61

I think we can take the opposite lesson from bitcoin.

Bitcoin was never supposed to be just bitcoin, it was always intended to be a platform for many things, but the technology has become synonymous with a particular application: cryptocurrency, and bitcoin in particular. It has applications in this area, but I think most people focus on just that area, and so there’s a risk that many other applications don’t get imagined, or don’t get a hearing when they are.

SAFEnetwork has even more potential as a platform than the blockchain IMO, so it would be even more limiting in people’s consciousness to make it synonymous with a cryptocurrency.

Safecoin also already suffers from confusion as - just another - altcoin for anyone who has reached the point of understanding that term.

SAFE (or SAFEnetwork) as a brand clearly states that this is about a set of principles embodied in a new technology, without being easily confused with, another altcoin or just a cryptocurrency.

Safecoin both leverages itself using SAFE as its root, and brings the importance of that root to the fore. Having both could work very well for both. It isn’t either or, and it isn’t negative to have two brands that link together as well as this. Brother and sister! :slight_smile:

Nobody has addressed the point I made about apps that have nothing to do with a coin struggling to get across their unique selling point (SAFE) when the brand that they apply includes the attention grabbing, but misleading element: “coin”?

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62

Excellent point. The consumers drive the use case create the demand. Business adoption relies on analysis, consensus and costs where consumer adoption will be immediate driven by pure emotion. Google is a perfect example of this.

63

Except the APP will be earning (SafeCoin) and allows the APP developer another income choice (SafeCoin) instead of just selling off as much data on as many people to advertisers and governments (same thing in some respects). SafeCoin payment scheme to developers is the only thing that has interested my developer friends. Including me who plans on building many APPS on Safe. Not just SafeCoin, but the potential of SD, which again is SafeCoin.

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64

I think the SAFE Network is business (developers/companies) facing and the apps they create will be consumer facing.

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65

I see that point clearly. Can a consumer create a vault and store information without an app? Can a consumer create a public profile/webpage without an app? Can the safe network be used by the masses without an app?

66

I knew there was something not quite right about ‘safe network’ when pronouncing it and it struck me…it’s missing a beat and so is unbalanced.

Common-time is 4/4 i.e 1234 | 1234 and we know it as the most common beat in life.

So when we pronounce it were saying safe __ net work …we insert a pause, because the phrase is in 3 parts.

‘safe __ net work’ …trying writing a catchy jingle with that.

Now try ‘safe coin net work’ to me that rolls nicely, has more impact and I could write a catchy melody with that.

Yes, it’s not a heavy hitting plus point, but when your talking marketing…I’d rather have that balanced 4 beat to work with.

‘bit___ net work’ …sounds weird… right :blush:

67

@MrAnderson

Except the APP will be earning (SafeCoin) and allows the APP developer another income choice (SafeCoin) instead of just selling off as much data on as many people to advertisers and governments (same thing in some respects).

This didn’t address my point because that is irrelevant to the audience that an App developer is trying to communicate his unique selling point to: How does an App developer communicate SAFE to users, when the message is Safecoin?

You’ve illustrated the potential for confusion perfectly! :slight_smile:

Also, it might well not happen anyway.

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68

I completely agree with you. Besides the cost to PUT data, most applications won’t be interacting at all with the coin. Safecoin is a sidekick of Safe. An incredible sidekick but one nonetheless. To me Safe is so much more then Safecoin.

Think about this: the “SAFE conference” or the “Safecoin conference”? The SAFE conference sounds much more grandiose and all-encompassing. The Safecoin conference sounds just like another altcoin meetup, it fails to grasp the true nature of what this project is about.

On a more meta level, it’s kinda weird to ask a small amount of people to decide for a brand that represents the collaborative effort of a collective. Idk, I’d say, just let it emerge. The community will organically adopt something. As for the logo, I was quite happy with the simple SAFE in blue, I don’t really understand why it needs to change.

I just say “Safe”.

  • On Safe you can do this…
  • On Safe you can do that…

Anyway, my 2 safecoins…

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69

Always wondered who created the logo. Does anyone here know? Was the community involved in decision taking?

70

it was a design contest for the community to participate in, which I believe will be very similar to the network competition.

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71

I personally have had great success with https://logotournament.com/. Yes it costs ~$300 but is well worth it. The process basically has plenty of designers giving samples once you define the rough criteria and then the community would have dozens to choose from. Then you narrow it down to a few and work w/ the people to make minor alterations as necessary. Just my recommendation based on my experience.

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72

Interesting, thanks for linking. I would love to participate in an open competition that involves not only community members but also professional designer. I have to say, I really like the Safecoin design and I wouldn´t mind if that was the logo for the network as well.

Currently to me the most interesting question is how “the community” takes a decision. Who is part of the community, who isn´t? How could we possibly prevent vote manipulaton?

What about fundraising a logo competition and allow the donators to curate the winner. Whether the result is adopted is up to anyone who uses the network anyway, so the decision is merely there to make sure that contributors are paid within the competition. Just as a suggestion. I remember the Quark Logo competition where people fundraised ~10,000 EUR in Quark for the competition in a few days. Unfortunately the whole thing turned into a big mess when the winner was supposed to be elected by the poll function of bitcointalk :wink:

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73

Mainly developers and privacy advocaters will care about the actual network. Network branding should be focused on them. Most users care about applications, and if they can communicate with their friends. They do not care about the underlying network. Only if it is easy to use and easily accessible.

I´ve tried to persuade people to switch over to secure communication apps, but to no avail. People use the easiest, prettiest, and the most popular apps.

Therefore, the most important thing to get people to the Safe network is to create great apps, and to make them very accessible. Apps that are better than what you find today. To get developers to build apps for the network we need users. (Kind of a chicken and egg dilemma). This adoption will probably be a slow process (but I could be wrong).

I believe that the torrent scene may be the first to embrace the network. It is perfect for file sharing (depending on cost).
Safecoin may also be a driving factor, with instant, private and secure payments.

You could split the branding into three parts:
Branding of the Safe Network for geeks, nerds, privacy concerned, file storers, file sharers and developers.
Branding of Safecoin for traders, shoppers and cryptocoin people.
Branding of Apps for everyone.

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74

Yes you could, but then it’s even more diluted.

Yes, safecoin is the capstone, it is the visible part of the network flowing into your wallet…it is what the consumer will experience, it’s tangible and they might wonder; why is that accumulating, what can I can do with it and dig deeper into the eco system to understand why sharing matters.

Going further;

Many will not care to admit it, but Safecoin is the girl out the front taking a bow…no-ones thinking about the cast of thousands that made it’s production possible accept maybe the nerds, but going on what @MrAnderson has conveyed, even that might be a hard sell.

Safecoin is Structured Data #1 …Decorum saw the potential and became Structured Data # …there, you have you first non Maidsafe app sitting on SD. There will be many more, because that’s where the exciting stuff will get built and the grandaddy of SD is Safecoin…just like BTC is to (albeit) useless alts.

We know the really important stuff is the network (thousand of man hours), nothing is possible without all the stuff going on underneath…but this about marketing. What is the most marketable component of the project to the Public? of course it’s apps, lot’s of apps. Why are those Devs coming to your conference to learn about building apps? Because they want to earn Safecoin…first and foremost, they want to earn a living.

Ultimately, who pays the Devs?

The Public does, either by: fiat>safecoin >apps >devs>network or via sharing/producing>safecoin>apps>devs>network

You will notice the network is at the base of the flow (the enabler), marketing from the bottom is futile.

Your marketing a product to the public and the art of selling is well known…it’s overcoming objections. The path of least resistance is Safecoin Apps and not Safenetwork Apps.

Hold a conference and talk about Structured Data and how exciting a tech that is to build on in the first instance, maybe they will stick around to hear about Crust, Routing, Kademlia…yawn :wink:

I would say, give this a little time to sink in and explore further…rushing to a Brand ID around Safenetwork right now reminds me of the crowdsale…“there was no alternative” was the reason for the unfortunate side of that, but here there is a clear choice that should be thoroughly thought through and debated.

It feels like one of those university debates for/against a topic and that’s the way to thrash out stuff like this. Not via a poll with a loaded premise or a ‘committee’ in the first instance.

I submit that ‘Safecoin’ should be the focus, and that’s after being so mentally invested in the ‘Network’ myself for over 2 years…I feel it’s self evident that a focus on Safecoin is in the best interest of the Network itself. Put the lovely Safecoin out front, keep the fat balding guy behind the curtain :slight_smile:

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75

My 2 cents is that if we make safenetwork branding simply safecoin then like bitcoin the public will only ever know it for money. And the network itself will be viewed as a money making system and not S.A.F.E.

I agree we need branding for the network so that in the early days people can recognise the network and its APPs.

I agree we ALSO need branding for SAFEcoin

So this to me is a competition for the network branding.

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76

Yes, I was the instigator on the idea for a Safecoin logo…and now I realize, why the passion for her shone through back in those dark ages of the ‘Safenetwork’

I wasn’t too pleased with the winning entry I must admit, but it’s grown on me and now I see her as quite funky and cool…ready to be the public face of the Crusty Rusty network :slight_smile:

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77

I suggest that SAFEnet might be a name for the network that both rolls off the tongue, and is an obvious match for SAFEcoin.

Along the same lines I suggest the software that runs SAFEnet be called SAFEcore

SAFEcoin lives on SAFEnet, and SAFEnet is enabled by SAFEcoin. Run SAFEcore to join SAFEnet.

Sorted! :slight_smile:

5 Likes
78

Missing the point somewhat, it’s a lot deeper than the name as I’ve discussed with Structure Data.

In 10 years time, what will be more relevant to billions of people? Safenetwork, Safenet, Safecore etc or Safecoin

In 10 years time, what will be more relevant to billions of people? Blockchain, Database etc or Bitcoin

It’s a serious question with a lot of human energy at stake…get this simple thing wrong and you have set sail to a marketing destination that may not exist in 10 years.

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79

But isn’t this short term till the net is widely adopted. And then just a brand so people see its for the network they are using

And what do you want adopted? A network for money or a S.A.F.E.

Lets have a brand for the network, and the coin. They can work hand in hand to promote the whole

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80

My remark of sorted was a bit tongue-in-cheek, since I know there’s more to marketing than a name,

However, I thought one reason for this exercise was to resolve confusion between different concepts, and easy and suggestive naming that has some coherence, thereby making it more memorable, would surely be a step in that direction.