Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved. 24 02 I’m a believer To grow a customer base, it will soon become essential for brands to engage their communities— or build a new one, if they have the permission space. The next generation of brands will be built as communities first , and then t urned into brands that benefit from the proactive participation of a community. This is a huge step forward from the long- established model whereby founders have defined a brand, advertised, and then engaged in sales. In a Web3-enabled world, a founder might start with community, define the brand with them, and only then start to market and monetize. Brands like Doodles are already proving the business model. The Doodles NFT project is a profile picture collection from artists that portrays different cartoon characters with joyful pastel color combinations. It launched in the middle of an NFT frenzy but, instead of going big right out of the gate, it built a dedicated, tight community of fans who were financially and emotionally invested in the brand—a rare combination in a space known for speculative investment and making a quick buck. As Doodles has grown, so has participation, with customers taking a proactive role in shaping its future. 36 + omit text; letters, algorithm version 3, aspect ratio 3:2, change 100