Proposal Name: ApeCoin Drops in the Real World
Proposal Category: Ecosystem Fund Allocation
Abstract
This proposal aims to bring ApeCoin to thousands of new holders and encourage community engagement with an interactive, gamified experience based on exploring the real world.
Dropverse is a platform for geolocation-based NFT drops. We’re building Pokémon Go for NFTs. We drop digital collectibles - including mint passes, NFT redeemables, tokens, and more in both fixed physical locations and also spawned automatically around users’ geolocations. The platform serves as a medium for providing easy, fun, and interactive access to digital assets and exposure to Web3 to casual smartphone users.
As BAYC members and ApeCoin holders ourselves, we have invested a lot of time and effort into growing the ecosystem. We have already used our funds to give out over 1,500 $APE in our beta and are requesting 500 more a month so we can continue growing the $APE holder base and incentivize engagement within the ApeCoin community. 100% of all ApeCoin granted will be distributed to users through our platform.
We hope to use this initial grant to prove that we can add value to the ApeCoin community and test how we can be most effective. If successful, we plan to submit an additional grant proposal that will allow us to scale these benefits.
Motivation
Distributing ApeCoin via the Dropverse platform will bring new holders into the ecosystem, create fun experiences for current holders to earn more $APE, educate new audiences about the benefits of ApeCoin, and help incentivize behaviors beneficial to the broader ApeCoin Community.
Rationale
Most of our target user base does not currently hold ApeCoin and many do not hold any cryptocurrency. We draw in mainstream audiences through our sports and entertainment partnerships, where we onboard users through IRL events and online exposure. We have done multiple drops in the past with brands like Fox Entertainment and at events such as SXSW and Art Basel, with many more partnerships in the works. When we reward users with $APE through in-app engagement, we expose them to the ApeCoin ecosystem. This drives them to learn about and engage with projects in the $APE ecosystem, strengthening the broader $APE community.
We will also utilize $APE in the Dropverse to drive foot traffic to partner locations (Gucci, TAG Heuer, etc.), incentivize engagement with community events (Ape Fest), and drive interaction with partner NFT collections. Our location-based experiences can also attract more partners that are interested in using $APE to incentivize traffic to physical locations.
In addition, we are focused on creating fun experiences for even current holders to earn more $APE while tying the currency to actions in the real world. There’s a wide range of possible experiences we can work with the DAO to create that will increase holder engagement with the community.
Specifications
Dropverse is a mobile platform for geolocation-based NFT drops (think Pokemon Go for NFTs). We gamify the discovery and collection of NFTs at physical locations, reward event attendees with geofenced drops, and incentivize exploration of the world around you.
We are live on the App Store, having launched out of TestFlight in December 2022. We are currently built on Polygon, and will be adding support for other L2s and blockchains.
We have done activations at SXSW, NFT NYC, and Art Basel and have partnered with some great brands including, Fox Entertainment’s Blockchain Creative Labs, Takashi Murakami, VaynerSports, OneFootball, the NBA Players Association and more.
During the beta, we have already given out over 1,500 $APE and have seen our users get drawn into the ApeCoin community and to $APE-related projects.
There are multiple types of drops on the platform:
- Static Drops: pop-ups and event drops at fixed coordinates on a map.
- Airdrops: delivered directly within a user’s radius.
- Spawned Drops: NFTs randomly generated within x-miles of a user.
- DropCrates: Randomized rewards earned by unlocking a crate. They can be generated as any other drop type and require specific NFTs in your collection to unlock.
The current gameplay involves users collecting orbs that are spawned around them to unlock different DropCrates and visiting points of interest to collect partner NFTs or tokens. We currently have ApeCoin Token Passes for 1, 3, and 5 $APE. When a user collects a pass, they are able to redeem it in-app, and we send the corresponding $APE amount to their external wallet.
We are developing an even broader gameplay structure, which will expand the focus of encouraging users to explore the physical world.
In addition to the mobile app, we have a web flow that is activated by QR code or NFC. The web app is optimized for live in-person collection, allowing anyone to seamlessly collect an NFT with minimum friction. The flow instantly creates a wallet tied to a user’s phone number, which avoids the need to connect or create a wallet while at a live event and guarantees immediate collection. In the past, we have used the web flow to distribute DropCrates with varying amounts of $APE to great success.
Anyone is welcome to download and test the app!
Steps to Implement
No major steps are needed to continue allowing users to earn $APE in-game, as we have already been doing it for the past few months. We can create a disbursement structure internally but are also happy to work with DAO members to devise a plan to best allocate the $APE going forward.
To begin organizing custom ApeCoin experiences, we can coordinate with community members and event organizers to identify top priorities and design the drops. Possible new features include:
- Custom drops for ApeCoin Partners at physical locations.
- Community engagement experiences.
- Exclusive drops for ApeCoin holders.
- Potential integrations with Otherside.
Our infrastructure is fully set up for most collection experiences, and any additional steps should be minimal. All costs associated with implementation will be covered by Dropverse
In addition to the ApeCoin rewards, we plan to continue featuring ApeCoin and other IRL events on the Home page of the app, to integrate ApeCoin into our onboarding section, as well as feature ApeCoin on our social media platforms and website. Additionally, we can integrate $APE into experiences we build for other partners to allow for cross-promotion.
We also have physical banners, posters, and redeemable NFC cards that we use to distribute NFTs at events on which we can easily add ApeCoin branding, and we’re happy to work with the community to coordinate on any broader marketing efforts.
Timeline
We can immediately begin distributing ApeCoin on the platform. We are beginning our growth phase, during which we will scale up the distribution along with our marketing campaigns.
We can also immediately begin working with the ApeCoin team and community to design drops that will drive community and partner engagement. Our infrastructure is already built and tested, so integrating with IRL events can be done very quickly. Depending on the complexity of the experience, it should take 1-3 weeks to ship.
Overall Cost
500 $APE a month; 6,000 for the full year. 100% of which will be distributed to users.
We’re just getting started and there’s a lot more to come! We are targeting 1-2 months to launch on the app store. As we just shared with ssp111, we have multiple formats of drops and real life activations to quickly integrate other events which support ApeCoin into.