Creating a Decentralized Disc Brand

While planning out how Doomsday Discs would look as a brand, we decided that it should ultimately take on a decentralized nature. First of all, who is the “we” that made that decision?

Who Are We?

There is a small core of people who came up with the Doomsday Discs brand as a concept– a brand that embraces the inevitable collapse of society due to the flaws and follies of governments, economies, and the constant cultural clashes that seem to plague humankind. Plus, we openly recognize the repetitive flogging of the planet by the unforgiving, catastrophic course of nature. But disc golf lives in the present, and it will continue into that gloomy future. We embrace it. The coming doomsday definitely lends itself well to a very colorful and expansive pallet for design and marketing.

Having recognized the value of a Doomsday Discs brand that marries the love of disc golf with the acceptance of a dismal worldview, that core of initial creators began setting the wheels in motion. Plastics manufacturers were contacted. Initial disc models were formed. Tests were run. The website was created, and the seeds were planted. Not wanting to go through the entire process alone, we decided that a larger team of players would be necessary to properly build multiple disc line-ups and to spread the word about the brand. But what would that team look like?

We, the initial developers, took on an anonymous persona and began reaching out to build a team that would become the true face and body of Doomsday Discs– a team that would be different than any other in the disc golf market.

Who Is Team Doomsday?

Initially, Doomsday Discs posted an application to be on the team. A few people who were paying close attention to new social media accounts or that received mysterious stickers from disc sellers ended up applying. Those applicants were accepted as the first members of Team Doomsday, and we currently consider them the “Survivor Team.” But we didn’t want to limit team membership when there is a lot about traditional “teams” in disc golf that doesn’t really make sense. First of all, disc golf isn’t a team sport. Second of all, if a “team member” for a brand is essentially part of an awareness campaign, why would we want to limit such a team? We want every willing participant to be a part of our team. Especially since our goal for the brand is essentially to have it run by a growing group of enthusiastic players. We want the focus to shift away from the developers and more toward the players. Every player who is excited enough about the brand to participate should be able to. Why turn them away?

So, after establishing the first Survivor Team and providing them with an initial batch of Team Doomsday t-shirts and a prototype disc to add to their bag, we decided to open up team membership to everybody. However, there isn’t an endless budget to give away apparel and discs, so we decided that anybody could become part of our Prepper Team by purchasing a Prepper Team Pack. Consider it an initial investment in the growth of their brand.

New team members would be given a discount code to use themselves and to share. They could openly wear team apparel, throw team-stamped discs, run Doomsday Discs events, and basically do whatever they want to spread the word. Over time, we’ll be able to evaluate the activity and enthusiasm of those team members by seeing how often they have participated in the Doomsday Discs Discord chat rooms, how much they’ve shared information to the public, and how often people have used their codes. Those team members who are the most active will be rewarded the most by the growth and success of the brand by receiving rewards.

By keeping an open invitation to players to become a part of the team, we are also able to work with a larger pool of players when it comes to naming discs, directing future developments for products, and essentially defining the brand for the future. That is the primary reason for our team concept– to create a brand by the players, for the players, and that rewards those who participate in the process. We consider it to be the first Decentralized Disc Golf Brand in the market.

What Makes Doomsday Discs Decentralized?

Whenever a new brand appears in the disc market, a lot of people start asking the same questions.  Who owns the brand? Who makes the disc for them? Until recently, there have been only a handful of actual disc manufacturers in the world, and even new brands were produced by those same manufacturers. But Doomsday Discs is different. The brand uses multiple plastics manufacturers, most of whom have never made discs until now. That way, we’re not only diversifying our sources, but adding to the overall disc pool by adding new machine time dedicated to disc golf. Since the source of discs is not singular, that makes the brand decentralized (not from a central location).

As the developers delegate much of the brand’s creative development and awareness campaigning to the team members, that means that brand management is also decentralized (not handled by a single person or small group of people).

Add in the fact that much of the brand’s marketing tools will be handed freely to the team members with few restrictions, and it becomes even more decentralized in terms of profitability and brand building. Team members can use the Team Doomsday logos (which are shared on the Discord server) to make their own apparel and signage. They have been known to add the logo to their favorite discs as well as to other items like towels, which they then offer to other players. They can run Doomsday Discs Demolition 2-disc tournaments however they see fit for their local players and make money doing it. By sharing team discount codes, team members can even “cash in” on the use of their code at the end of the year, using it to get more merchandise, discs, or even player packs that they can then use to run more events for more profit.

Doomsday Discs plans to find even more ways to decentralize the brand by increasing the ability of Team Doomsday players to profit from the brand’s growth. The initial developers will continue to turn the direction of the brand over more and more to those Team Doomsday players by holding regular surveys and asking for suggestions.

The address, ownership, and names of initial developers remains less a focal point (whether known or unknown) and the focus turns onto the larger population of Doomsday participants.

What Does the Future Look Like for the Brand?

We foresee a future where Doomsday players are competing in every disc golf event, if not running them. We see a future where Doomsday apparel (whether bought from our store or shared among friends) is seen in every crowd on every disc golf broadcast. We see a future where independently owned Doomsday vehicles pull up and vend from a mobile store of unique discs at every popular course. We see a future where anybody who wants to become a part of the brand has the real opportunity to contribute, participate, and take part in the spoils.

That is…at least until there is not more future but the dark, devastated landscape where only survivors roam.

What Does the Future Look Like for the World?

It’s bleak.  Very bleak. 

But until the doomsday comes, we’ll contribute to the overabundance of plastic byproducts in a positive way…with flying discs.