Neon Turning Intangible to Tangible With First NFT ‘Non-Crypto’ ATM Machine
Neon has built the simplest, most accessible way to buy, sell and trade NFTs in the real world. It installed the world’s first NFT vending machine in New York City, containing verified NFTs built on a carbon-neutral blockchain that enables simple cash-to-crypto purchases.
Challenge
While NFTs are popular, only 2% of Americans have purchased them, and broader adoption is constrained by the extra step of buying crypto to buy NFTs. Neon introduced a frictionless NFT purchasing experience by allowing NFT purchases directly through a purchaser’s credit card, eliminating the inconvenient middle step.
Initially, Neon struggled to attract media coverage and foot traffic that converted to customers rather than fleeting curiosity. Neon hired Bospar to execute a multi-layered integrated PR and marketing campaign to engage NFT artists, journalists and the end consumers to create buzz and rise above the crowded space.
Strategy
Campaign Results
Media Coverage
- 882 placements generated 5.2 billion impressions. Top hits included AP, Bloomberg (Matt Levine), CNN, Financial Times (Chris Nuttall), Gizmodo (Asha Barbaschow), MSN (Natasha Dailey), New York Business Journal (I-Chun Chen), Reuters (Elizabeth Howcroft), The Guardian (Wilfred Chan), The Street (Colette Bennett), Time Out New York (Anna Rahmanan), Thrillist (Chris Mench), USA Today, Yahoo! (Yael Bizouati-Kennedy) and ZDNet (Jonathan Greig).
- Neon has dominated the share of voice, besting its well-known competitors Opensea, Mintable and Rarible and owning 37.9% of the NFT coverage.
- Thanks to widespread awareness, Neon’s vending machine has become the de facto stock image for any NFT story and a go-to photo for journalists.
Business Impact
- After our media announcement, sales from the vending machine skyrocketed by over 1,000%.
- In the two weeks following the launch, Neon sold over $17K of NFTs, and the machine sold out 3x.
- Inbound requests increased by 150%, with 50 artists wanting their NFTs sold on the vending machine.
- Neon is closing deals with top-tier artists, maintaining a waitlist of over 100 artists who want to collaborate.
- Neon’s online domain authority increased by 9 points, and its profile views increased by 6,100%.
- The trendy vending machine attracted nearly 20,000 visitors in one month.
“Prior to our campaign, the concept of purchasing an NFT in the physical world was inconceivable. With help from Bospar, this campaign created a sea change nearly overnight taking NFTs in the physical world from unthinkable, to obvious, to taken for granted at full tilt. I knew we had done something drastic and meaningful when I began hearing from dozens of people I hadn’t spoken with or heard from in years.”
— Jordan Birnholtz, co-founder Neon