In tandem with becoming the first Indian brand to launch a Web3 Roadmap in June, Salud is well on its way to paving the path to take the Web3 realm by storm. The lifestyle beverage brand is now all set to drop a set of 11 uniquely designed Ethereum-based NFTs in this next phase, and enabling this is India’s first-ever invite-only NFT project platform – Token Runway.
The collection of 11 Salud Cusps NFTs has been designed by the brand’s Creative Head Srinivas Naidu and Founder Ajay Shetty in collaboration with Canada-based Ishita Bannerjee – aka popular NFT-creator, Soul Curry Art. Consisting of 2D and 3D Cusps, these 11 NFTs represent Salud’s lifestyle. With this, Salud also gives gin connoisseurs and aficionados an additional reason to connect and engage with the brand via NFTs.
A smart marketing play ensuring that the brand gets the first-mover advantage in the market, the collaboration between Token Runway and Salud, in a way, sets a new trend for brands eyeing to strengthen their position and stay ahead of the competition.
Going beyond digital art, the Salud NFT tokens also present access to select and exclusive activities to its holders, which has seamlessly been enabled by Token Runway – the brand’s technology partner for the project. For instance, the token collectors will have week-early access to all new releases of Salud Sessions – a brand-supported curation of chill deep house music produced by some of the best artists and DJs in the music scene. Not only that, but the NFT collectors will also be privy to VIP hospitality at Salud parties and events – unreplicable experiences in their own right. Further, they will also get invitations to exclusive Salud-sponsored events as well as discounts on Salud Merchandise – an exclusive line of contemporary wardrobe basics of clothing and accessories.
Moreover, with this NFT drop, investors can look forward to owning a property whose investment promises to reap huge monetary benefits. This is for the first time in India, wherein around 11 NFT holders will be given a portion of the proceeds from real-world merchandise sales of the NFT they own. The actual value of the utilities will be higher than its real value.
Talking about the NFT launch, Ajay Shetty – Founder & Director – Salud Beverages, said, “NFT, the new age technology, has been dominating the world and being part of the emergence has potential opportunities for brands like ours. We have always aimed to stay ahead of the curve and have our audience on Metaverse and Web 3.0 to be the brand’s ambassadors. A premium rewards and benefits program is the heart and soul of ensuring value beyond the impeccably designed digital artwork for Salud NFT collectors. It’s an exciting time for us as we explore the Metaverse and the wearable tech space for possible integrations for the brand and Salud NFT holders in the near future.”
He adds, “We call ourselves the game changers not just for Gin but because our design always stems from young ideas and conceptualises through many minds at the House of Salud. Diversity and inclusivity is our form of acceptance of people of exactly who they are even though they can choose to change daily. So that’s the idea behind the designs of NFT as well.”
Ishita Bannerjee (Soul Curry Art) said, “As an artist, it has been a sheer delight to be part of this unique project. For me, it was a creative challenge to design for a project that is first of its kind for India and takes the experience of savouring a drink to a different level. Teaming up with Salud and Token Runway for the NFT drop was a great experience. It’s amazing to see a project coming out of India which has utilities that are comparable to the best in the world.”
Priyank Mahajan – Co-founder – Token Runway, mentioned, “It has been an amazing ride from zero to one in terms of Salud’s Web3 journey. The depth with which both teams worked to enable innovative utilities for the NFT holders is a first of many to come for the market.”
Token Runway has been instrumental in opening the doors to the booming Web3 space for diverse artists, creators and brands in the past year. Its association with Salud for facilitating the latter’s foray into Web3 has empowered the brand to create a worldwide community, engage in a new, more experiential way with its audience and change the way the world parties.