Executive Summary
Zcash is live inside ShapeShift today. Public communications begin December 18.
We have intentionally held public communications until December 18 in order to align messaging, narrative, and execution.
We are now proposing a Phase 2 marketing plan that is intentionally scoped, execution-aware, and grounded in capital stewardship.
ShapeShift is currently undergoing an internal transition within the marketing organization. Rather than deploying funds across channels that require extensive coordination and ongoing oversight, we propose a focused approach that prioritizes execution quality, narrative clarity, and long-term trust within the Zcash ecosystem.
Phase 2 centers on two channels that we believe are most appropriate for privacy adoption:
- PR and earned media to drive mass-market narrative awareness
- Account-based marketing (ABM) to activate high-intent, privacy-relevant communities
This plan reduces total marketing spend to $18,600, with a proposed Zcash grant utilization of approximately $5,580 (~30%) and a voluntary return of the remaining grant funds. Our intent is to preserve capital, protect execution quality, and support a long-term relationship with the Zcash community.
Context and Approach
Privacy adoption does not behave like traditional consumer marketing.
For Zcash specifically, awareness and usage are driven by:
- Trust and legitimacy
- Narrative leadership around self-custody and permissionless finance
- Real-world use cases where privacy is functionally important
Phase 2 is designed to reflect these realities. It supports Zcash’s launch inside ShapeShift while avoiding low-signal or poorly executed spend during a period of internal transition.
This approach is not a reduction in ambition. It is a deliberate choice to focus on the channels that best align with how privacy technologies actually grow.
Phase 2 Objectives
- Position ShapeShift as a champion of privacy-first, self-custodial, permissionless finance
- Support Zcash’s launch with credible earned media and narrative leadership
- Activate adoption within privacy-native and high-constraint use-case communities
- Establish a durable foundation for future, broader marketing efforts
Phase 2 is not designed for indiscriminate mass acquisition or broad programmatic awareness.
Channel Strategy
Phase 2 prioritizes two complementary channels:
- PR and earned media as the primary driver of mass-market narrative awareness
- Account-based marketing (ABM) as the primary driver of high-intent adoption and community engagement
Channels such as broad programmatic display, generic paid social, large-scale SEO expansion, and video production were evaluated and intentionally deferred due to execution risk and weak intent capture for privacy-focused products.
PR and Earned Media
Scope
Two-month PR engagement beginning with December 18 communications
Narrative focus:
- Zcash availability inside ShapeShift (international decentralized availability)
- Privacy as a core feature of self-custodial finance
- Hardware wallet compatibility and trust posture
Budget
$10,600 total
PR is treated as the primary “mass awareness” channel, emphasizing legitimacy and context through trusted media rather than passive exposure.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
Rationale
Privacy adoption is primarily a state of search and a state of need.
ABM allows ShapeShift to engage directly with communities where privacy is already understood, valued, or required, rather than attempting to generate interest through untargeted exposure.
Execution Model
- Human-led, manual + assisted outreach
- Executed on an hourly basis to preserve quality and flexibility
- Two-month activation window
Budget
Approximately $4,000, covering personnel time for research, outreach, coordination, and follow-up
ABM Community Focus Areas
This is a concrete working framework for outreach.
- Zcash-native communities
- Zcash forums, governance spaces, and community calls
- Zcash-focused Discords, newsletters, and ecosystem publications
- Educational announcements and discussions, not promotional blasting
- Privacy-adjacent communities
- Monero-adjacent educational communities (non-adversarial framing)
- Privacy-tech, encryption, and self-custody groups
- Contextual inclusion of Zcash as a supported privacy asset inside ShapeShift
- High-constraint / high-need use-case communities
- Regions and groups where privacy is functionally important rather than ideological
Examples include communities focused on financial access in constrained environments (e.g. Ukraine, China)
Outreach focused on narrative seeding, education, and long-term credibility rather than volume acquisition
Budget Summary
PR and earned media: $10,600
ABM (personnel-led outreach): $4,000
Total Phase 2 spend: $18,600
Grant Stewardship
Original Zcash grant: $14,000
Proposed Phase 2 utilization (~30%): approximately $5,580
Proposed return/non-distribution of grant funds: approximately $8,420
This adjustment reflects a deliberate decision to avoid deploying funds without sufficient execution capacity during a period of internal transition, while still supporting a meaningful and credible marketing effort around the Zcash launch.
Key Dates and Timeline
Now: Zcash live inside ShapeShift from a product standpoint
December 18: Public announcement and communications begin
December 18 – Late February: Phase 2 marketing execution window
Earned media outreach and follow-on coverage
ABM community engagement and education
Post–February: Evaluation of outcomes and discussion of potential next phases
What Success Looks Like
Success for Phase 2 is defined by quality and signal, not raw volume.
Indicators of success include:
Earned media coverage that positions ShapeShift as a credible privacy-first, self-custodial platform
Meaningful engagement within Zcash-native and privacy-relevant communities
Increased awareness of Zcash availability inside ShapeShift among high-intent users
A strong foundation of trust that supports future collaboration between ShapeShift and the Zcash ecosystem
Closing Note
This Phase 2 plan is designed to support Zcash’s launch responsibly while acknowledging current internal transitions at ShapeShift. By prioritizing narrative leadership, high-intent engagement, and capital stewardship, we aim to deliver a campaign that reflects the values of both ShapeShift and the Zcash ecosystem and supports a long-term partnership.
onwards to Zillions.
Hpayne
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very nice bro, good luck