Digital Assets, Real-life Value: NELK Boys and the Full Send NFT Metacard

The Nelk Boys Full Send Metacard is more than a standard NFT. Unlike the projects we’ve dissected thus far, it isn’t a cartoonish profile picture, or a novel form of art collecting. It's an animated video of a slowly turning 3D model branded access card, identical to every other NFT they offer. Surprisingly masterful at branding, the Nelk Boys flip the typical NFT roadmap on its head to promise a different kind of value to their followers - the chance to use an NFT as an access card to an exclusive club.

While there is a lot to be learned from breaking down the wildly successful Full Send Metacard NFT project, it's important to recognize that the Nelk Boys had an overwhelming following to start off with. With 4.3 million IG followers, 7.32 million YouTube subscribers, and a chart-topping podcast network, their audience was ripe for a product offering. Additionally, this was an audience that had already proven that they were willing to pay large sums of money for Nelk Boys merch, meet-up events, and various other outlets.

The Nelk Boys first venture outside of typical merch offerings was starting a brand of hard seltzer, Happy Dad. With an established audience that had proven buying power, Happy Dad was a massive success in the US and further established the Nelk Boys as a complete lifestyle brand to accompany their college frat-style image. Somehow, the Nelk boys had gone from prominent YouTube and social media pranksters to creating a stunningly well-branded alcoholic beverage sporting massive sales in sold-out releases.  

Now enter the Full Send Metacard. Named after their Full Send brand of merch and supplements, the NFT is a virtual entrance card for both online and in-person activities, including a planned network of lounges, gyms, festivals, casinos, restaurants, and more. Think of it as an internationally recognized VIP card. Instead of focusing on the creation of unique artwork that promises real-life meetups as a by-product, the Nelk Boys put participation front and center. Buying their NFT instantly grants you access to a social club with tremendous promised value, both perceived and actual.‍

Perceived Value‍

With no infrastructure yet announced, it will be interesting to see how these promises come to fruition even with over 7k of their NFT collection already in the hands of buyers, selling for a significant price of 1.13 $ETH (worth around USD $3230). The Nelk Boys tried something different. They took an established audience potentially unfamiliar with or skeptical of NFTs and addressed their number one pain point by promising tangible, real-world value. 

NFT sellers should take note: In order to appeal to an audience, you must address their key concerns and beliefs. Think of it this way:‍

Key Behavior: The audience avoids any involvement with cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

‍Key Belief: NFTs and crypto are unstable, unpredictable, and don’t translate to any real-world value. How can I convince myself to invest in it if I don’t see the value?‍

Key Messaging: Our NFTs provide real-world value with exclusive access to actual events and spaces. Physical or virtual, the card would hold the same value.

Through this lens, the Nelk Boys clearly had an understanding of their audience’s behavior and beliefs and created a product and message that addressed both.

What audience belief is your content addressing? What behavior are you trying to change with your marketing? These are just two of the many questions we ask when putting together a Creative Brief. With this brief, we’re able to construct resonating campaigns that shatter business goals and build sustainable solutions with considerable longevity.

Let’s talk more about it.