Agencies in this market sell community building, token launch promotion, exchange and platform relations, and ordinary marketing for companies that happen to use a blockchain. The last is a normal engagement. The others sit inside securities, advertising and platform rules that decide what may be said at all, and that question has to be answered first.
Whether the asset is a security changes everything
Promotional activity around an asset that is treated as a security carries obligations that ordinary marketing does not, including disclosure of compensation for promotion. Regulators have brought actions against promoters who were paid to publicise offerings without disclosing it. This is a question for counsel before a campaign, not an agency's judgement, and an agency that waves it away is a risk to you rather than an asset.
Paid promotion has to be disclosed, plainly
Whoever is paid to say something favourable has to disclose the connection clearly where the audience sees it, and responsibility does not transfer to the influencer. In this category the payment is often in tokens, which is still compensation. Get disclosure obligations in every contract and check the published posts rather than assuming compliance.
Platform rules restrict the advertising channels
The major advertising platforms restrict cryptocurrency and related promotion, often requiring certification and limiting what may be promoted and where. That removes several channels from the plan entirely and pushes budget into community, content and partnerships. An agency should be able to tell you which channels are open to your specific category before it quotes.
Diligence on the agency itself
Ask which projects they worked on, what happened to those projects, and what they refused to do. Ask whether they take payment in the asset they promote, because that creates an interest in the price. Ask who writes the technical material. A firm whose portfolio is mostly projects that no longer exist is telling you what it is good at.
Questions people ask about web3 agency
Is marketing a token the same as marketing a product?
No. Promoting an asset can bring securities and consumer protection obligations, including disclosure of what you were paid. Ordinary product marketing does not.
Can we run paid ads for a crypto product?
Sometimes, subject to platform certification and category restrictions that vary by country. Confirm eligibility before budgeting for the channel.
Do influencers need to disclose token payments?
Yes. Payment in tokens is compensation, and the connection must be disclosed clearly and prominently where the endorsement appears.
What if we are a normal company using a blockchain?
Then most of this does not apply and you are buying ordinary technology marketing. Say so in the brief, because agencies in this market will price you as a token launch.