From Amazon To Arbitrum: Why a Web2 Legend Moved to Web3 | Andrew Saunders, CMO @ OffChain Labs

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From Amazon to Web3 CMO

This week we’re joined by Andrew Saunders, ex Head of Global Entertainment at Amazon and leading marketing expert, to talk about his recent move to web3. 

Andrew shocked web2 by becoming the CMO at OffChain Labs, the company behind the largest L2 on Ethereum, Arbitrum. 

A marketing giant leaving Amazon to work in the nascent ecosystem of web3 is a pretty big deal. So this week, we’re changing it up from the usual focus of specific web3 issues and zooming out to discuss web3 and web2 as a whole. 

We’ll cover: 

• Building a successful career in tech and why he moved to web3.
• What makes web3 different from web2.
• His web3 marketing strategies.

And much more. He also shared some career building tips during the podcast. So make sure to tune in for some gems on your favorite platform by clicking one of the links above. 👀

Let’s do it. 👇

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So Who Is Andrew Saunders?

Andrew Saunders is the marketer’s marketer, someone that many people aspire to be and learn from. 

He’s worked with some of the biggest companies in web2 tech, marketing, media, and entertainment over the past 15 years. 

Some notable mentions include: 

• CAA where he worked on early social strategies and with clients, such as Ashton Kutcher and Will Ferrel. 
• NBCU where he was the VP of content and creative and worked on shows like Saturday Night Live.
• Tastemade where he was head of global brand strategy and marketing, helping generate 300 million monthly viewers. 
• Amazon where he was head of global entertainment and culture. 

He also worked with Google and Facebook during the early stages of social media and web 1.0. 

Sheesh… What a career—and that’s only the highlights!

And he isn’t just lucky either. Andrew knew that to reach his goal of becoming the best marketer in the world, he needed to gain the right combination of skills and experience. 

So he set out to become a 360-degree marketer, working on all sides of marketing—agency, media, and client—and for startups, global corporations, and smaller companies. 

If you want to pick a web3 mentor, Andrew is definitely an excellent choice. 

But why did he make the move? 🤔

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Tweet of the Week

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How Andrew Became Involved in Web3

Since his career covered many facets of tech, entertainment, marketing, and media on a global scale, Andrew believes he views things differently. 

His desire to stay at the top of the marketing world ensures he’s always looking for the next opportunity to continue learning and upskilling. 

But there are three main factors that led him down the web3 rabbit hole: 

• His passion for Ethereum
• His VC connections
• And his unique marketing ethos. 

Andrew’s always had a knack for borrowing models from one industry, using them in other sectors to great success. By asking himself questions like, “Why can’t I create a new model through merging existing models?” He opens himself up to opportunities that others may not see. 

Besides his desire to create novel marketing strategies, he first learned about ETH and quickly became interested in what the blockchain stood for, its future implications, and the technology’s complexity. 

On top of this, his VC connections were also interested in the space, resulting in him diving deeper into the many sectors of web3.  

Question: Would you make a career switch to web3 in the midst of the bear market?
👉 Reply to this email with Yes or No and tell us your thoughts.

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But What’s So Great About Web3?

Web3 is all about giving power back to the people and creating better alignment between companies and their customers and community. 

Some of the reasons we’re bullish on web3 right now include: 

• It’s inclusive: Web3 is open to anyone who wants to get involved. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your beliefs are, you’ll find minimal gatekeeping in web3. 

• It’s intellectually stimulating: If you’re involved in the day-to-day of web3 there’s so much happening. New innovations and breakthroughs happen constantly and will continue to since we’re still in the nascent stages of web3. 

• It’s global: Web3 access isn’t restricted by where you live. As long as you have an internet connection and a crypto wallet you can become a user, community member, or a builder. 

• It’s authentic: Web3 values authenticity and the focus is always on resonating with users and community members. It’s about being open and transparent at all times, like DAOs who continue to grow in popularity. 

• It’s community-centric: Right now, most growth in web3 is happening organically thanks to the space’s community focus. A big part of web3 is about bringing companies and customers closer together, spurring deeper involvement and aligning incentives.

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Moving From Web2 to Web3 in a Bear Market

While we think moving to web3 at any time is fantastic, many people asked Andrew about his experience moving to web3 in a bear market. 

Here’s what he had to say: 

For Andrew, money isn’t the sole goal of moving to web3, so he’s not solely worried about his compensation. 

It’s all about thinking long-term. Sure, we’re in a bear market right now and fortunes were made and lost. But if you believe in the technology and mission of web3, like Andrew, it’s the perfect time to build—especially if you think web3 will truly eat the world. 

You aren’t distracted by token values or other projects hitting it big and the community is more focused on utility and supporting projects, rather than asking “wen moon”. 

Instead, everyone can focus on delivering quality products and experiences. 

Besides this, moving to OffChain Labs ticked the three criteria that Andrew uses to assess opportunities: 

1. Compensation: He focuses on fair compensation rather than the highest. Of course, it’s good to get paid the most for your skills, but it isn’t the main driver. 
2. New knowledge value: True to his ethos of staying ahead of the pack, Andrew looks for opportunities where he can learn valuable skills to differentiate himself from other marketers and increase his value.
3. New relationship value: As they say, “Your network is your net worth.” Andrew always looks to build new relationships with people he can learn from and collaborate with.

On top of this, he’s extremely bullish on Arbitrum because of the quality of their founders, investors, developers, and partners. He values their culture of kindness and highly engaged community—all factors that made it easy to switch to web3 in the middle of a bear market.

Now he’s using his unique web2 marketing skills to leave his mark in web3.

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Meme of the Week

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Marketing in Web3 and How It’s Different From Web2

The web3 community views a lot of web2 marketing practices as inauthentic. Strategies, such as paid boosting on social or influencer partnerships, are often met with skepticism and distrust. 

But in web3, it’s all about truly resonating with customers, users, and the rest of the community. 

Here’s Andrew’s take on marketing in web3: 

He believes authentic community is everything in web3. So his whole approach centers around becoming the right member of the Arbitrum community to help build their ecosystem. 

Whether it’s partners, end users, or contributors, he asks himself: 

• What are their needs now and in the future?
• How does each segment of the ecosystem prefer to communicate? 
• What are the community’s wants and wishes? 

Besides this he’s always thinking about pushing the envelope with crazy and unique ideas. For example, instead of taking the bandwagon approach of “making the complexity of web3 simple for web2 natives”, he plans to focus on engaging people who are already familiar with web3.

Above all, it’s about using his strategies and plans to build, empower, and benefit Arbitrum’s partners and ecosystem. Because this approach drives organic word-of-mouth marketing rather than relying on paid shills. 

And when Arbitrum’s partners and ecosystem thrives, so does Arbitrum.

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When Was the Term ‘Web3’ Coined?

A. 2012
B. 2014
C. 2020

Find the correct answer at the bottom of this article. 👀

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Now It’s Your Turn To Join Web3

Web3 isn’t only for the tech-savvy or marketers like Andrew who’ve worked with the world’s biggest companies. 

No, web3 is open to anyone who believes in and wants to shape the future of the internet, making it fairer, more accessible, and inclusive. 

If that sounds like you, you should: 

• Get involved in your favorite communities by joining their Discord.
• Start contributing to DAOs to gain experience. 
• Evaluate job opportunities using Andrew’s three criteria. 
• Learn the foundations of web3 and dive deeper into areas that excite you.
• Think about how your unique knowledge and experience can create novel experiences in web3. 
• Read our deep dive on How to Get a Job in Web3. 

But keep in mind that the sooner you start contributing in web3 the faster you’ll learn. 

So don’t wait until you feel 100% ready because that probably won’t happen—no pressure though. (emoji)

As we always say, we’re still early. But the sooner you jump in, the sooner you can become a web3 leader. 

Good luck, frens.

We believe in you and thanks for reading! ✌️

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A Little About Andrew Saunders

For context, this is a speed round that we do with each of our podcast guests. Click here to watch the speed round. 🚀

Here are some of the questions and answers featured. 👇

What’s a token Andrew would never sell?

Ethereum & Chainlink. This isn’t financial advice btw…

What did Andrew recently purchase for under $100 that brings him joy?

The official action figures for run the jewels. 😂

If you could say one thing on a billboard, what would it be?

Connect with Andrew: Twitter

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The correct answer is B. 2014.

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Would you start your web3 career during a bear market?

Reply with Yes or No to this email.

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.