Here is the English translation of the text, with the terms in <> retained and not translated: Unveiling the Crazy History of Cryptocurrencies and the Marketing Campaigns that Shaped Today's Landscape Just days before Donald J. Trump took office, the soon-to-be 47th leader of the "free world" unveiled his latest project - $TRUMP, a cryptocurrency "meme coin". Within just a few days, the token's market cap soared to $12 billion. Does this signal the arrival of Trump's "Crypto Golden Age"? Well, things didn't quite turn out that way... The $TRUMP token crashed just days after its launch, causing massive losses for tens of thousands of small investors, while Trump and his associates pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars. Many have described this as a classic "pump and dump" scam. But how did all of this happen? This is a history of cryptocurrency marketing, filled with the craziest and most absurd moments. Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride. Early Days (2008-2012) Bitcoin's first marketing strategy? Forum posts. Bitcoin's birth was not accompanied by flashy advertising campaigns, but rather by Satoshi Nakamoto publishing an academic-style white paper on a cryptic cypherpunk mailing list in 2008. Marketing budget: $0 Viral effect: Priceless. Early Bitcoin advocates were privacy-obsessed cypherpunks, who used the most traditional methods to promote it: endless debates with skeptics on and . Their slogan? "Money, but without banks." Sounds cool, but also a bit crazy. Bitcoin's First Transaction: A $50 Million Pizza Mistake On May 22, 2010, a Florida programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz made history - he used 10,000 Bitcoins to buy two Papa John's pizzas. At today's prices, that's $100 million worth of Italian sausage and cheese... Ouch. Crypto marketing lesson? Never, ever, ever sell, hold until your last breath. Silk Road: The Dark Web's Accidental Bitcoin Marketing Campaign Bitcoin's first mainstream exposure came not from tech enthusiasts, but from Silk Road - the dark web marketplace where you could buy anything your mom wouldn't want to know about. Silk Road provided Bitcoin's first real-world use case, but also saddled it with the "criminal currency" label. This was a free marketing campaign, just not the kind that gets you listed on Nasdaq. Altcoin Explosion & the Birth of Meme Marketing (2013-2016) Dogecoin: A Joke that Became a $50 Billion Behemoth At some point in 2013, software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer felt Bitcoin was too serious, so they launched - a cryptocurrency based on a confused Shiba Inu meme. Marketing strategy? Spamming memes on . Result? It worked. Dogecoin became one of the largest cryptocurrencies globally, proving that if your coin is fun enough, people will throw money at it. In 2014, the Dogecoin community created an infamous moment - they raised $55,000 to sponsor a NASCAR driver, and the resulting car had a giant Shiba Inu face on the hood. Wall Street & Celebrity Endorsements (2017-2018) By 2017, cryptocurrencies had evolved from an underground movement into a full-blown financial gold rush. (Initial Coin Offerings) swept the globe, with startups raising billions of dollars in minutes, even if they had no product, no business model, and sometimes not even a real team. Celebrities Get Involved - Then Disaster Strikes - Kim Kardashian promoted ($EMAX) to her 250 million Instagram followers, but failed to disclose she was paid $250,000 for the promotion. The token later crashed, becoming a textbook "pump and dump" scam, and the SEC fined her $1.26 million. - Paris Hilton once promoted , an ICO project promising a revolutionary AI-driven advertising platform. The project was later exposed as a fraud, and investor money vanished. - John McAfee: The "Shill King" who charged $105,000 per tweet to promote crypto projects, often without disclosing he was paid. He was eventually indicted for fraud and tax evasion, accused of misleading investors for personal gain. : A True Clown Scam Bitconnect was one of the biggest crypto scams in history, operating a Ponzi scheme under the guise of a lending platform. But what made it legendary wasn't just the scam itself, but its insane marketing approach. The company held a massive conference where their promotional ambassador, Carlos Matos, delivered a bizarre, almost cult-like speech, screaming on stage: "BIIIIITCOOOOONNEEEEEEECT!!" This line quickly became the greatest crypto meme of all time - just before the entire scam collapsed and billions of dollars evaporated. Cryptocurrencies Go Mainstream (2019-2021) By 2021, cryptocurrencies were fully commercialized. Exchanges like , , and poured hundreds of millions into marketing campaigns. The Super Bowl Ad Era - FTX spent big to have Larry David star in an ad, promoting crypto as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Ironically, FTX later collapsed in one of the biggest financial frauds ever. - Crypto.com's "Fortune Favors the Brave" ad featuring Matt Damon convinced thousands to buy Bitcoin at $60K. By 2022, those people were rethinking their life choices. El Salvador: The First Country to Boldly Embrace Bitcoin In 2021, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele decided to make Bitcoin the country's legal tender. The government used taxpayer money to buy Bitcoin - right at the market's peak. However, fast forward to 2025, the is now begging El Salvador to stop buying Bitcoin, but they just won't stop...

Collapse and Reputation Crisis (2022 to Present)

FTX Collapse: A Global Spotlight Firestorm

FTX, once the golden boy of the Altcoin industry, collapsed in a highly dramatic fashion in 2022.

It turns out that when your company is controlled by an organization that runs a polyamorous sex cult in the Bahamas and secretly gambles with customer deposits, things usually go in a bad direction.

Marketing lesson? Maybe don't spend $300 million on sports sponsorships while you're allegedly running a Ponzi scheme.

Regulators Finally Arrive

By 2025, the marketing of Altcoins has changed.

It's no longer the era where flashy ads and celebrity endorsements can make a token skyrocket overnight. After years of pump-and-dumps, bankruptcies, and scandals, regulators have stepped in, imposing stricter guidelines that force Altcoin projects to actually explain what they're doing before selling tokens. What a novel concept!

Social media platforms have also tightened their advertising policies, requiring influencers to disclose sponsorship information, and AI-driven marketing gimmicks face greater scrutiny.

The Future of Altcoin Marketing in 2025: Boom or Bust?

Altcoin marketing in 2025 has entered a highly uncertain new phase, impacted by AI-driven marketing campaigns, regulatory uncertainty, and the post-halving market surge.

With Donald Trump back in the White House, Altcoin regulation has become murky - some factions push for deregulation, while others warn of financial instability and fraud risks.

The SEC's regulatory measures remain unstable, creating an environment where companies either leverage the relatively lax rules or brace for sudden, harsh crackdowns.

Meanwhile, AI is transforming Altcoin marketing, from hyper-personalized ads to deep-faked influencer shills. While this boosts user engagement, it has also led to a surge in scams, with AI-generated hype fueling fraudulent projects. Social media platforms are tightening restrictions on Altcoin ads, forcing companies to rely on viral, community-driven marketing - a strategy that can rocket a token to the moon or destroy it with a single bad headline.

With the 2024 Bitcoin halving reigniting investor interest, marketing budgets have reached historic highs. However, the entire industry remains a minefield of misinformation, as AI, meme culture, and regulatory chaos collide.

Will Altcoin marketing mature into a sophisticated, respectable industry? Or will it collapse under the weight of scams and legal crackdowns?

Only time will tell...

Altcoin Business Failures: The Most Absurd Flops in Digital History

You may not be surprised to learn that not every Altcoin project can reach the moon. Some crashes are so spectacular that they become legends in their own right.

To end this article, I've found the three most hilarious (and disastrous) recent Altcoin marketing failures for your enjoyment!

1. Terra's $40 Billion Collapse

Led by Do Kwon, Terraform Labs promised to revolutionize finance with TerraUSD (UST) - a stablecoin maintained by algorithms rather than reserve funds. Investors flocked in, drawn by Anchor Protocol's promised 20% returns. For a while, the project thrived - UST became a top stablecoin, and its sister token LUNA skyrocketed in value.

In May 2022, UST lost its peg, triggering a death spiral that wiped out $40 billion in a matter of days. Retail investors were devastated, regulators cracked down, and Do Kwon - once infamous for mocking critics - fled before being arrested. Terra's collapse became one of the biggest failures in Altcoin history, proving that hype cannot fix a broken system.

2. Centra Tech: A Crypto Scam Endorsed by Floyd Mayweather

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and rapper DJ Khaled were the high-profile backers of Altcoin startup Centra Tech, which promised to launch a revolutionary debit card that could seamlessly convert Altcoins to fiat for everyday use. Riding on the celebrity endorsements and aggressive marketing, the project raised over $25 million through an ICO, attracting investors who believed they were supporting the future of Altcoin payments.

However, Centra Tech turned out to be a complete scam - the company had no actual partnerships with Visa or Mastercard, and the founders had fabricated their credentials.

Before the product could launch, the SEC intervened, exposing the fraud and arresting the founders. Mayweather and Khaled were fined for failing to disclose their paid promotions, marking a significant blow to the era of celebrity-endorsed Altcoin projects.

3. Squid Game Token: A Play-to-Earn Rug Pull

Capitalizing on the massive success of the Netflix hit series "Squid Game," anonymous developers launched the $SQUID Token, a Play-to-Earn Altcoin that promised investors the opportunity to participate in a real-life "Squid Game" experience. The project's slick website, viral marketing, and mainstream media coverage helped it quickly gain attention, and within days it had attracted millions in investment. As the hype reached a fever pitch, the token price skyrocketed from a few cents to over $2,800, and early investors thought they had struck gold.

But there was one problem - no one could sell their tokens. The project was a classic rug pull scam, with the developers locking the sell transactions and preventing investors from cashing out. When enough hype had pushed the price to absurd levels, the founders extracted the liquidity and disappeared, leaving behind a worthless token. Within minutes, the $SQUID price plummeted to nearly zero, once again proving that Altcoin hype does not equate to legitimacy.

Final Thoughts

Altcoin marketing in 2025 is a high-risk, high-reward gamble.

AI and viral shilling can drive massive success - but scams, misinformation, and regulatory crackdowns remain constant threats.

Whether the industry matures or collapses, one thing is certain: Altcoins will never fail to entertain.