Jun 17, 2024

Kind Penguin: Pudgy reminds us that web3 has a bright future ahead

Not everyone gets community building like Pudgy Penguins. We need to talk about their latest news—and no, it's not related to Walmart

We know web3 loves Pudgy Penguins. Not only is it one of the most recognizable NFT collections out there, but it has also continuously innovated on what the industry should be like.

When Luca Netz bought the project a few years ago, not everyone thought the PFP would become anything special.

💥 BOOM. 2024

Pudgy Penguins flipped Bored Apes a few times, and it’s constantly being pointed out (by non-financial advisors) as the project to invest in now.

And you know how things go in web3.

It’s full of degens shilling their bags, influencers and celebrities preaching the word, and oh, of course, the eventual blue-chip Ethereum NFTs announcing some big-name partnership that might just keep their holders happy a few months longer.

But then something different shows up.

☝️ Disclaimer: Hey there! Just a heads-up: the stuff I share here about Web3 marketing is my personal take and not financial advice. My opinions are my own and don’t represent my employer or community. DYOR and maybe chat with a pro before making any big moves. Stay savvy!

Pudgy Penguins created a Kindness account on TikTok.

If you’re a poor mortal like me who only observes Pudgy from afar and is not actually a community member, you only hear about Pudgy Penguins from their product announcements and partnerships—either that or GIFs or Reels. You know, the usual great things about them.

But they did something unexpected this time around.

💜💫 Cbass shared on X that “Nobody understands marketing the way @pudgypenguins does“

And you know what, that might be true.

In true MrBeast style, the team at Pudgy Penguins came up with an idea to share kindness on the internet.

Now, that’s something you don’t see every day (sad but true).

TLDR: The Pudgy Kindness account on TikTok started posting in June 2024 —had three videos and 282K followers by the time I wrote this— and posted videos being kind to three Twitch streamers (with generous tips!) You know, heart-warming videos showing that people are good and it’s worth being kind to one another. Go check them out!

The Mr Beast complex

We’re suckers for kindness stories!

Remember when a random guy called Jimmy gave a homeless guy $10,000? For no reason! Well, that’s kind of what set Mr Beast to become one of the greatest YouTubers of our generation.

That’s kind of what this move from Pudgy Penguins makes me think of.

Sure, there are several brands out there doing great things for their communities. But surprising kind strangers with more kindness (yes, even with money) turns out to be a hell of a marketing strategy—and sure, also a beautiful deed.

Lessons from Kind Penguins

1. It’s not enough to be great, you can always do better

Come on, it’s not like Pudgy Penguins needed to do charity to draw attention to its project. But kindness SCREAMS mission and community are higher than any brand partnership.

Pudgies are physically present all around the world—even on my bookshelf! Walmart, Amazon, Target, BIGW, you name it.

But through social media presence and its GIFs, Pudgy Penguins is connecting to retail on an emotional level.

2. Branding is about affection

As marketer Seth Godin says:

"A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another."

The Pudgy Penguins brand gets that in order for it to be relevant, it needs to speak to people’s feelings.

Their popular Instagram Reels, GIFs and TikToks are already a massive phenomenon. But that’s only because they are some of the cutest, most relatable content out there.