Revolutionising SocialFi with gamified engagement

Seizing the moment…

Our partnership with Spaace began in May 2023 when they approached us with a bold vision: they are on a mission to “Make NFTs Great Again.”

While Spaace had groundbreaking ideas, they needed a product design agency to bring them to life. The last crypto cycle had hit NFTs hard, and a lack of innovation led to the collapse of traditional NFT marketplaces, which struggled to survive in a changing market. However, a new cycle is bringing fresh possibilities, and Spaace is seizing the moment to redefine the NFT marketplace genre.

Spaace are looking to revolutionise the field by pioneering 100% revenue sharing, integrating gamified elements into the NFT trading experience. With 65% of $SPAACE allocated to the community, all fees will be redistributed to $SPAACE token holders, adding an exciting layer of layer of sustainable value.

Build momentum through SocialFi…

SocialFi is the latest buzzword in Web3, with many brands and products beginning to integrate it into their strategies. SocialFi revolves around creating hype, which directly fuels user growth. By building a SocialFi experience, brands incentivise the community to engage with the platform and generate content about the brand on social media.

A popular use of SocialFi is in Airdrop Farming, where users earn rewards by interacting with a brand or product, gaining a share of the airdrop in return.

Community building is central to the Spaace brand. Before launching the Marketplace, they needed a reliable way to grow their user base and boost user acquisition. They realised that introducing a gamified SocialFi campaign—one that encouraged people to play and share publicly to their network—could set the stage for a successful token launch. This approach would not only spark brand momentum but also create a runway to sustain the ecosystem and drive product development.

No product in web3 will succeed without a solid user base…

The team at Spaace realised that building a revolutionary marketplace would be ineffective without an engaged community or organically growing user base. This insight led to the creation of a gamified funnel to cultivate a loyal community while the platform’s development was underway.

At the time, we were already moving full steam ahead on the UX and design of the NFT Marketplace (launching soon—keep an eye out!), and we had successfully collaborated with Spaace on their brand identity. When they approached us with this new brief, they needed partners who shared their passion and whom they could trust to execute it.

It was a major undertaking, but we were fully prepared to take on the challenge. Our established relationship allowed us to dive in wholeheartedly to bring this campaign to life.

Enter Spaace Arena…

Our efforts culminated in Spaace Arena, a platform that engages users with the brand ahead of the token launch. Users are incentivised to spread the word about Spaace to secure a larger allocation of $SPAACE. By encouraging users to complete quests, create brand content and spread the word, Spaace Arena helps cultivate brand ambassadors and drive organic growth. This, in turn, supports the Marketplace by building a dedicated base of loyal supporters for the project.

Turn user interactions into valuable insights…

Spaace needed a way to gain insights into its growing user base and boost engagement through Spaace Arena in preparation for the upcoming token launch. This campaign provided a crucial opportunity to gather live interaction metrics before the marketplace launch.

Spaace Arena offers a variety of incentives and prompts designed to encourage users to sign up via email, join the Discord community, and connect their wallets—all while effectively blocking bots. Users are guided through a series of quests, which are set out in different seasons, each offering opportunities to earn XP and further engage with the brand.

The platform’s flow is simple, making it easy to prompt users to sign up. However, the challenge was in keeping them engaged: delivering a dopamine hit and creating a feedback loop that encourages them to return and share the platform day after day. Ultimately, the goal was to build a legion of super users through this campaign—individuals who would be rewarded for their time and energy, thus sharing ownership of the brand. This is the future of Web3 business: building ownership through community.

Use rewards and XP to drive
repeat engagement…

There were several challenges to address with this:

• How do you get users to keep coming back time after time? The answer: offer opportunities to acquire XP, which increases the potential allocation of $SPAACE for the user.
• How can we deliver a dopamine hit? By designing and animating elements such as branded Spaace Chests that open to reveal rewards, and incorporating micro-animations and captivating sound across the platform to create an immersive experience.
• How do we encourage users to engage with the platform and spread the word? By introducing a referral system that rewards both the referrer and the new user, while empowering users to create engaging content on socials that amplifies their referrals.

Spaace Arena features six different categories of quests, each offering unique challenges. Examples include engaging with the teaser website or owning certain BlueChip NFT projects. By diversifying the quest types, we eliminate the risk of users feeling like anything is too repetitive.

Additionally, the arena dynamically updates in the background, alerting users to any XP changes, chest upgrades, or notifications that their chests may now be ready to open—thanks to increased engagement with their social posts—all accompanied by sound notifications when they switch back to the window.

Spaace Arena progresses in “seasons,” with each season lasting six weeks, after which new features are added, enabling a constant cycle of growth. Staying innovative is crucial when developing these campaigns. The abundance of available metrics allows for ongoing testing, evaluation, and evolution. Even more valuable is the development of “super users.” These are the users who rank highest on the leaderboards and progress charts, and they can be engaged for testing across all areas of the product.

A loyal fanbase is your key to web3 success…

Our work on Spaace Arena reinforces the importance of creating something users can actively engage with. The power of a dedicated fan base should never be underestimated, especially when it comes to launching a product or token. These loyal fans must—and can—be rewarded for their efforts in building brand awareness.

It’s no surprise that projects launched with a strong, interactive SocialFi campaign lead to users placing greater value on the product, particularly during token launches.