When the excitement of the 2021 Bull Market dissipated in late 2022, I decided to make the most of the impending Bear Market. My goal was to identify and buy into a NFT community that had the potential to rise again when the crypto markets rotate back into Bull territory.
I reviewed the top performing profile pic NFT collections using the classic Marketing Mix framework. (Check out my post NFT Marketing Mix Strategies to see how Product, Price, Place, and Promotion relate to NFT collections and inform their marketing strategies.) After reviewing top NFT collections through the Marketing Mix lens, I chose to participate in the Azuki community. Azuki stood out as an intriguing option due to the target audience persona and successful IRL events. Azuki floor price was around 10 Ethereum when I completed a marketing mix review in November 2022. The floor price is now around 14 Ethereum and the US value of Ethereum is up about 30 percent, making me wish I had purchased my Azuki a few months earlier than I did!
Once I'd selected Azuki as my dream community in November 2022, I realized it would be necessary to sell the V1 Punk I was holding in order to free up funds. This was not an easy decision, and pushed me to seek lower cost entry points into the Azuki Community. I am glad that this happened, because the low cost entry point became my new collecting obsession: Beanz. The Beanz floor price on OpenSea in November 2022 was roughly 0.8 Ethereum for many bean types, while Azuki NFTs started at 10 Ethereum.
Shout out to Brian Colwell for gifting me the first Beanz in my NFT collection. Little did he know, this Edamame Beanz would ignite a collecting fire in my heart.
Azuki, Yes. But First, BEANZ
Beanz Official is a collection of 19,950 NFT characters produced by Azuki and airdropped to its holders in March 2022. The Beanz NFTs initially looked like tiny sprouts, and over time grew into beans with a variety of traits and types. The Beanz collection has become a powerful muse for fan artists of all types. The cute facial expressions and wide variety of traits make it easy to create an origin story for a Beanz, imparting it with personality while finding a Beanz that aligns with personal aesthetics.
Beanz NFTs are paired with a "selfie" image file, giving holders a fun and bold way to share their Beanz personality. Plus, the bold simplicity of Beanz artwork adapts to a variety of media and artistic styles, feeding a vibrant artistic community.
Fan Art Is Beanz Love Language
Here are some recent fan art examples, though there are far too many pieces of quality Beanz fan art to include here.
Fantastic art...
Playful animations...
Cute little butts...
Community crossovers
Azuki even provides a tool for Azuki holders to generate an image with their Azuki "wearing" Beanz on the Azuki's shoulder.
Joining The Garden
Did I make it? Am I in The Garden?
The first thing I wondered once the Beanz hit my wallet was whether I was part of the Azuki community. Did my 0.78 ETH Beanz purchase grant the same benefits as the 14 ETH Azuki?
I began tweeting and connecting with other Beanz holders. The community response was positive and I quickly found a group of like-minded Beanz friends to "GM" every day.
The big A-HA moment came when I connected my wallet to the Azuki Collector profile and realized how many features were now available to me. First, I noticed that the BEANZ Emblem was lit, which sparked my desire to earn other emblems and badges. After reviewing the possible emblems and community badges, I saw that I could connect my Twitter account to earn a community badge. Oh, happy day! But, when I failed to receive the community badge, I thought this was the end of the road for my non-Azuki-paired Beanz in The Garden.
I tweeted at Azuki from my Edamame Beanz (named Ayaka) and less than one week later, Beanz were able to earn the Twitter community badge!
Now, the collecting spark grew into a flame, and my desire to explore the Azuki metaverse intensified. I needed to connect with more Azuki and Beanz friends. Where to start? In The Garden, of course. The Azuki website has a subtle link in the top menu named "World" that you might miss if you get caught up in the bold Azuki artwork dazzling your eyes. I found that the Ruins were a critical initial step in my understanding of the community and the importance of the collector profile. Here you'll find a wealth of information about influential Azuki collectors... I found the "Beanz Hoarder" badge - a reward for collecting one each of the twelve Beanz types - and became fascinated with Azuki lore.
Stay tuned for more details as I journey into the Azuki metaverse and strive to collect a full Beanz Hoard.
Connect with me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kristen_Colwell
Disclosure: Writer owns Azuki and Azuki Beanz NFTs, and does not work for the Azuki Team in any official capacity.