Bitcoin has come a long way in the last two years, and investor involvement has boosted trustworthiness in the currency. But many potential bitcoin users are still put off by its reputation, which is considered shady at best, and positively criminal at worst. Links with Silk Road have not helped bitcoin to foster a squeaky clean image, and high profile exchange hacks have been been undesirable for bitcoin’s many investors.
Now, bitcoin has its own PR campaign and a host of supporters who will aim to turn things around. These supporters are being paid to endorse it, just like the typical smiling celebrity holding a can of Pepsi aloft.
Bitcoin Promotion
Bitcoin is going to be pushed as the face of friendly, accessible and affordable commerce thanks to a brand new ad campaign. Its organisers hope that users drawn to bitcoin will put their concerns to one side and give it a go.
The key to this media campaign is an ad agency called TheAudience. It has been tasked with educating the public about the positives behind bitcoin. TheAudience will utilise social media influencers, and – in particular – their social media profiles. These powerful voices are all set to populate their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feeds and push the plus points behind cryptocurrency. In some cases, all they’ll do is mention the fact that they paid for a particular item using bitcoin.
It sounds very simplistic, but influencers are proven to drive traffic and improve conversions, so there’s no reason why they can’t improve reputation, too. This modern form of endorsement is designed to raise bitcoin’s profile and associate it with some wholesome and recognised names in the social media space.
Paying For Success
Naturally, there’s no central authority behind bitcoin, but many companies stand to gain from its increased popularity. TheAudience will be paid by a group of companies and organisations, including BitFury, BitGo and the Bitcoin Foundation.
TheAudience has connections to Disney and Napster, proving its worth as an authoritative marketing firm. The latter connection comes via Sean Parker, a man who has built a formidable reputation for investing in some of the most promising startups on the web. Their company is all about getting massive amounts of people consuming the content they’ve placed via their influencers, so we can expect to see references to bitcoin peppered all over social channels in the coming months.