Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk rose to fame in the digital marketing space but became a significant player in the Web3 field in 2021.
In the same year, he launched the NFT series VeeFriends, which includes hand-drawn characters, each associated with traits he believes are crucial for business success and personal growth. His book (Twelve and a Half) also emphasizes these 'emotional factors' and their role in leadership.
As the CEO and NFT creator, Vaynerchuk transformed these sketches into a series containing 10,255 NFTs, thereby expanding his brand. Some characters have multiple versions, while others are unique.
Each VeeFriends NFT comes with real-world benefits, such as event participation and social opportunities. Vaynerchuk's X events played a key role in promoting the project, enhancing his influence in the business world.
On his website, Vaynerchuk describes the VeeFriends NFT series as a way to build community around positivity, storytelling, and long-term brand development.
Here is some information about Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends.
Who is the visionary GaryVee?
Vaynerchuk, often referred to as 'GaryVee', is a serial entrepreneur, CEO, and the founder of VeeFriends. He has built his career around digital marketing and social media, founding VaynerMedia in 2009, a large independent marketing agency dedicated to helping businesses enhance their online presence and achieve commercial success.
In addition to marketing, Vaynerchuk has authored bestsellers such as (Crushing It!) and (AskGaryVee), where he shares pragmatic advice on entrepreneurship, leadership, and social media strategies.
Vaynerchuk often discusses the emotional skills required for business, noting that traits like patience and self-awareness contribute to long-term success.
Therefore, he combined art with technology, transforming his hand-drawn emotional depictions into a community that connects NFT holders with exclusive privileges, events, and social opportunities.
VeeFriends characters promote positive personality traits
In the original series of VeeFriends, you will find characters like Patient Panda, Empathy Elephant, and Pea Salad. Each hand-drawn NFT is associated with the personality traits that GaryVee values. As a series, it represents a group of characters that can make the world a better place.
It turns out that VeeFriends fans can't get enough of these friendly little animals: after its release on May 11, 2021, part of the first collection was set aside for public release, while another part was held by Vaynerchuk as 'GOO' or Gary Originally Owned tokens.
Each NFT unlocks certain practical features, such as access to VeeCon (the brand's annual conference), meet-and-greets with Vaynerchuk, and access to future NFT drops (including mini drops).
For instance, in October 2021, VeeFriends launched Spooky Vees, a mini drop item that included 31 unique 1-of-1 NFTs, transforming VeeFriends into Halloween versions.
A year later, VeeFriends underwent a major visual overhaul, with Vaynerchuk's hand-drawn characters revamped into colorful, vivid versions. The second version contains 55,555 NFTs and introduced 15 new characters. Although version 2 owners cannot use VeeCon, they can enjoy lower NFT prices and other convenience features, such as member-exclusive drops.
VeeFriends enters the plush toy market
After the first release of the VeeFriends series, the entertainment company brought more fun to its community by establishing unique collaborations with well-known brands.
For example, due to the partnership between VeeFriends and Mattel in 2021, UNO fans had the opportunity to purchase VeeFriends UNO cards.
A year later, in the fall of 2022, VeeFriends collaborated with Macy's and Toys 'R' Us to launch a series of VeeFriends collectibles. While plush toys and vinyl record collectibles are available for public purchase, VeeFriends NFT holders can redeem collectibles if they own the corresponding NFTs.
Vaynerchuk acknowledged in a blog post that this was a full circle moment for him.
This collaboration means the world to me, beyond your imagination. It's fantastic to think of VeeFriends being available at both Macy's and Toys 'R' Us. I cherish the times I spent growing up in Edison, New Jersey, walking through the aisles of those stores, and the characters we picked embodied elements that first-time collectors would love, just like some toys I saw for the first time on the shelves of Toys 'R' Us. I can't wait to see them in-store and on the shelves - it's a full circle moment for me and a significant milestone for the company.
VeeFriends helps Vaynerchuk enter IRL events
In its founding year, VeeFriends also entered the traditional art world, hosting an auction at the renowned Christie's auction house, where Christie's auctioned five of Vaynerchuk's VeeFriends artworks, which ultimately sold for $1.2 million.
With the release of the VeeFriends series and its accompanying mini giveaways, VeeFriends also hosted a multi-day annual conference called VeeCon.
All VeeFriends Series 1 NFT holders can use their NFTs as 'tickets' to VeeCon, valid until 2024. The conference will feature panel discussions and keynote speeches, with speakers including Gary himself, actors, entrepreneurs, and digital artists.
Looking ahead, VeeFriends may continue to intensify efforts to develop its web3 brand. In July 2024, VeeFriends released its first children's book (Meet Me In The Middle), featuring the characters Patient Pig and Eager Eagle.
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