Sam West, Mars: Unlocking Brand Value via Web3-Enabled Programs

04/18/23 • 31 min

What value does a large global CPG company see with web3 technology?
This week, our guest on Web 2.5 is Sam West, the Senior Global Marketing Manager of Web3 at Mars.
In her role, Sam explores the transformational opportunities that web3 can unlock for Mars Pet Nutrition brands. She leverages the Metaverse, NFTs, Blockchain, and AI to accelerate Mars’ purpose and make the world a better place for pets.
Through her role, Sam has helped launch an NFT-enabled membership community working to restore coral reefs through Sheba’s Hope Grows program and helped Pedigree drive pet adoptions with an interactive metaverse experience called the Fosterverse.
On today’s episode, Sam shares her background and journey into web3, some of Mars’ big tech-enabled programs, and the value a global CPG brand sees in investing in these spaces.
Show Notes:
0:00 Episode announcement
0:30 Show intro
1:40 Sam's intro and career prior to Web3
3:36 Sam's web3 alias
5:33 All about Mars
7:02 Sam's role at Mars and integrating web3
8:07 An overview of Hope Grows
11:04 The resources and teams involved in Hope Grows
13:14 Sponsored message from Hang
15:18 The tech that Sam explores and uses
17:54 Community decisions
19:28 Sheba's passion for the coral reef project
21:43 From cats to dogs
24:54 Pedigree’s Fosterverse
27:41 Sam's advice for builders
30:04 Shill
30:53 Wrap-up
31:08 Closing
Show Resources:
Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammwest/
Mars on the web: https://www.mars.com/
Mars on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marsglobal
Mars on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsglobal/
Mars on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mars/
Show Sponsor:
Hang.xyz: https://www.hang.xyz/

Show Website:
https://www.web2point5.io
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Show Credits:
Dana Hork (Founder, Host, Producer)
Ron Passaro (Co-Producer/Editor)
Seton Rossini (Brand Design/Cover Art)
DISCLAIMER: This show is strictly educational. None of this is financial, tax, or investment advice — and not a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please always do your own research. For important disclosures, see web2point5.io/disclosures.

Previous Episode

Tom McLeod, Arkive: Building a Participatory Museum

What if the Smithsonian was owned and curated by the Internet?
This week, our guest on Web 2.5 is Tom McLeod, the Founder and Executive Director of Arkive, a decentralized, democratized, and participatory museum.
Arkive’s goal is to flip the script on how society thinks about museums, art, and who gets to decide what is historically significant and worthy of being displayed.
In this episode, Tom gives a behind-the-scenes look at Arkive, how it works, and some of the big works they have acquired.
Show Notes:
0:00 Episode announcement
0:34 Show intro
1:51 Tom's intro and career prior to Arkive
6:33 Understanding the museum world
10:29 Overview of Arkive and how it differs from typical museums
12:45 Comparing the Arkive model to a wholesale/retail framework
14:46 Overview of the works, acquisitions, and pieces in Arkive
18:01 Sponsored message from Hang
21:11 The acquisition logistics
24:09 Acquisitions from Madonna
27:09 The journey and joy behind discovering works
29:16 A final piece from the collection
32:24 The price of Arkive's pieces
34:35 How web3 is utilized at Arkive
38:35 The Arkive community
41:20 The community's future
43:28 Shill
43:56 Wrap-up
44:05 Closing
Show Resources:
Tom on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmcleod3
Tom on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmcleod/?hl=en
Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmcleod3/
Arkive’s Website: https://arkive.net/
Arkive on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arkive
Arkive on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkivedao/
Arkive on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkivedao/
Show Sponsor:
Hang.xyz: https://www.hang.xyz/

Next Episode

Kit Codik, Liquid Collections: Bringing Web3 to Wines & Spirits

How could the blockchain bring new capabilities to the beverage / alcohol industry
This week, our guest on Web 2.5 is Kit Codik, the Founder and CEO of Liquid Collections, a web3-powered wine and spirits platform.
Kit is a serial entrepreneur with three decades of operating and investing experience across wine and spirits, media, structured finance, venture capital, consumer tech, and apparel industries. Notably, he served as the Founder and CEO of Liquor.com for over a decade before jumping into web3 to launch Liquid Collections.
Liquid Collections began as a platform that democratized access to starting a new alcohol brand. He worked with existing communities, from Lil Nouns to Meta Angels to Carly Reilly’s Overpriced JPEGs, to go to market with branded bottles. He’s now leveraging the Liquid Collections platform to help traditional beverage brands build new programs that drive brand loyalty and gather 1st party data.
On today’s episode, Kit shares his experience in the beverage and alcohol world, his vision for Liquid Collections, and some of the learnings and pivots that he and his team are making along the way.
Show Notes:
0:00 Episode announcement
0:36 Show intro
1:20 Kit's intro and career prior to web3
3:00 Kit's experience at Liquor.com and interest in the beverage world
5:06 The idea for Liquid Collections
9:03 The vision for Liquid Collections
14:36 The first community
17:54 How Fallen Angel Tequila was created
19:47 Understanding who can buy Fallen Angel Tequila
21:43 Sponsored message from Hang
23:34 OPJ with Carly Riley & Amber Vittoria
26:44 The meaning behind OPJ's name
36:12 What Kit is working on and excited about
39:49 Shill
40:22 Wrap-up
40:40 Closing
Show Resources:
Kit on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kitcodik/with_replies
Kit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitcodik/?hl=en
Kit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kcodik/
Liquid Collections on the web: https://liquidcollections.com/
Liquid Collections on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiquidCol
Liquid Collections on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liquidcollections/
Liquid Collections on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liquid-collections/
Show Sponsor:
Hang.xyz: https://www.hang.xyz/