Rekt Drinks sold out its entire batch of flavored sparkling water – the company’s first-ever product release – within 48 hours of its launch earlier this month. Ovie Faruq (aka OSF), the co-founder of Rekt Brands, believes this proves that the crypto industry’s track record of building communities also lends itself to selling physical products.
“In my opinion, the Web3 principles allow you to build brand and IP at an accelerated pace, which creates an opportunity to do something big,” Faruq said. Declutter.
Rekt Brands and the beverage line emerged from one Ethereum NFT project called Rektguyfrom which a community has existed for two and a half years. They then launched a podcast called Rekt Radio with co-founders Faruq and Mando, as well as the pseudonymous trader Keyboard Monkey, under the banner of Rug Radio. Finally, they launched Rekt Drinks.
(Disclosure: Rug Radio is a sister company of Decrypt. Ovie Faruq’s Canary Labs is also an investor in DASTAN, the parent company of Rug Radio and Decrypt.)
A record-breaking launch.
222,000 cans sold.
Less than 48 hours.
32 countries. pic.twitter.com/TqkPmEuiI6
— Rekt Drinks (@rektdrinks) November 2, 2024
“It has taken us almost 18 months from our initial idea to full product launch, so it is very relieving to see a theoretical idea actually become successful in practice,” said Faruq. “It is groundbreaking for the future of Rekt. We have grown from just an art project with a strong community to a full-fledged brand with the ability to generate real revenue beyond Web3.”
The drink “Liquidated Lime” is sparkling water flavored with a hint of lime and pineapple. Rekt’s branding claims it is free of both caffeine and alcohol, positioning itself as a drink for social occasions where you don’t want to get drunk – or ‘rekt’, as it is. advertising jokes in a comical way.
There are numerous drink brands, but Rekt Drinks was able to use the existing Web3 community to move the original product and create some buzz around the launch.
“Traditional startups may have a great product, but they often struggle to get off the ground because they lack a community or existing customer base,” Faruq shared. Declutter. “Conversely, Web3 excels at fostering die-hard communities.”
One of the most successful beverage launches in recent years is Prime, led by YouTubers-turned-boxers KSI And Logan Paul. Although not Web3 native, the drinks sold out at launch and were in demand thanks to the two influencers’ cult-like following, with fans queuing at stores to get their hands on the drinks.
While Rekt believes it has a strong community, it is not nearly as large as the 40 million subscribers that KSI and Logan Paul have between them.
Rekt Drinks are sold out. Image: Rekt Brands.
In this absence, Rekt has engaged his community using a reward system specific to the Web3 audience. By completing social tasks (such as liking a tweet or following an account), purchasing Rekt Drinks or owning certain NFT collections, users earned DRINK points.
What these points will yield is unclear for the time being. Faruq declined to comment specifically on the subject, citing legal reasons.
However, this is a similar virus mechanic that has contributed to the success of the tap-to-earn genre, as Telegram games encourage users to share projects socially in exchange for points. What these points will earn is often unknown at first, but ultimately the points usually determine how many tokens players will receive in an airdrop.
Regardless of whether Rekt gets an airdrop in the future or not, the launch of his drink is being heralded as a success, with 222,000 cans of Liquidated Lime sold in 32 countries in less than two days.
“I really believe we have something very special with Rekt,” Faruq said Declutter“and the fact that we were able to achieve what we did with a free coin at the start of a two-year bear market is a testament to how loyal and tenacious our community is.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward