I’m posting here to gather ideas for Astar novelties from all of you. Generally, stickers, T-shirts, and pens are common, but if there are items created by community members that received good feedback, I would love to hear about them.
It’s still a bit ahead, but I will be a judge at the Japanese NEM/Symbol community hackathon in March 2025. I will also give a short presentation about Astar Network (and Soneium). They have allowed us to distribute our novelties at the venue. Therefore, I wanted to gather ideas from you all.
The event is hosted by NEMTUS, a nonprofit organization that promotes the spread and development of NEM/Symbol technology in Japan. I often discuss the future of Blockchain and web3 with them at open-source events and expos. They have also provided us with the “Mobile Node” concept listed here. Their community is quite active in Japan and has many interesting initiatives, which I find very informative.
In seeking your opinions
Feel free to share your thoughts, but here are some elements we expect in the novelties:
Not too large or heavy
Non-food items (easier to store if leftovers remain)
Not too expensive (approximately $4-$5 per item, up to $10 at the most)
If similar to T-shirts or items that may be slightly more expensive, we can adjust by preparing fewer quantities
The costs for these novelties will be proposed to the community, so we aim for an appropriate and acceptable amount and volume.
Nice idea ! Thanks @tksarah for bringing this topic
Most of the time I really like to have little souvenirs from events and I prefer to have something that can be used daily. I was thinking about accessories that are small and not too expensive but can make you smile and remember where you got it.
Mini list part 1 :
I meant a simple necklace XD Here at work the company gave us some for magnetic passes, I changed it with a personalized one, I wouldn’t mind the idea of having one with the Astar logo I think it will still cost less than $5 to produce
Stickers are really cool, and mugs and caps are as well. However, the latter two options come with a higher cost. Mugs last forever and help strengthen the recipient’s share of mind since they will use them regularly. Caps have a similar effect and also serve as a marketing tool, as they can be seen by others.
Thank you for your opinion! Indeed, the perspectives of being noticeable and long-lasting are excellent points! I’m very grateful to receive ideas from various viewpoints!
nice, I attended web3 summit before, I like the cup and hat, so maybe that would be a good one when I go hiking, I can use them, and people would ask about Astar on the hat
Great initiative! Involving the community to create practical, affordable novelties is a smart approach. Best of luck with the hackathon and your presentation—sounds like an exciting opportunity for Astar!
I am very happy to receive diverse opinions from global members. Since we still have some time, I would like to organize these opinions into a table later.
Using stickers as the baseline (3), I have rated everything on a five-point scale. These are based on my personal experiences as a Japanese person, so they might differ from your opinions. I would like to hear your thoughts based on this.
1 (Poor) - 5 (Excellent)
Cost efficiency
Ease of distribution
Uniqueness
Practicality
Visibility
Sticker or Seal
3
3
3
3
3
Magnet (for refrigerator)
3
3
3
3
3
Pen
3
3
1
5
4
Shoelace
3
3
5
5
3
Socks
3
2
5
5
3
T-shirt
2
1
2
5
4
Cap
2
2
3
5
5
Plastic cup
1
1
2
5
5
Necklace
1
1
5
4
4
Charging cable
1
1
3
5
4
Seed Phrase Keeper with Astar Logo
2
3
5
5
1
The cost efficiency will vary depending on the specific quantities and prices, so it’s difficult to make a definite statement. While listening to everyone’s opinions, I thought it might be good to include “visible items” in addition to the points initially mentioned. By this, I don’t mean “flashy,” but rather items that are relatively noticeable to others. This perspective has a slight positive correlation with being “practical” among the items in the table.
I like your summary!
I think there is definitely a correlation between practicality and visibility. However, I think there is also a difference between those that are used in one place (i.e., home or work) and those that are used outside if you break it down even further (i.e., exposure).
For example, a magnet is not expected to be moved very far from its location. Similarly, cups may not be carried around.
It depends on how far you are willing to go in making the product, but if you are considering the advertising effect, you may want to choose something that is more likely to be carried outside.
Thank you for the comment!
Yes, that was exactly what I was concerned about while creating the table! I thought it would be good to have an indicator of whether the exposure locations are relatively fixed or if they would reach a wider audience.
I agree with @you425 , if we’re going to make something, it should be something that people are likely to carry around.
I agree with @you425’s opinion, however I am of the opinion that sometimes memorable merch may not be easily transferable, however by seeing it you identify with the brand and create a connection with it.
I have two thoughts:
if we are looking for more exposure but less connection, definitely think about easy to move items.
If we are looking for more connection with the user who gets the object, the transfer part matters little.
In the OSS community, based on my experience, instead of transferring ownership to someone else, engineers often use it themselves and subtly expose to those around them that “I am a person with that attribute.” It’s a common practice for engineers to expand their engagement circles subtly in their daily activities. In that sense, stickers are often placed on PCs.
BTW, I also used to have stickers of Ansible, Docker, and Openstack.
I think it will still cost less than $5 to produce 
I want to add some more potentially items: