Case Study: Marketing Strategy for Metallika's Mineral Asset Tokenization

Metallika is a new mineral asset tokenization system, aiming to enable transparency and access in the previously centralized mineral and mining industry via blockchain. Aiming to make mineral access accessible to the masses, Metallika would appeal to institutional investors interested in commodities like lithium, cobalt and graphite, the primary raw materials for technology applications such as battery development and electric cars. By implementing blockchain-based fractional ownership, Metallika is paving the way for a more transparent and sustainable mining investment paradigm.

Metallika closed a $52 million private investment round in 2023, entirely funded by institutional investors. The campaign was in compliance with U.S. SEC rules and lacked any type of public offering or solicitation. All marketing campaigns were educational and aimed to position Metallika as a mineral tokenization industry expert. ICO Service engineered a legal and meticulously designed marketing plan that suited institutional investors and matched Metallika's ESG, transparency, and security strategy.

We set out to establish Metallika as a leader in mineral asset tokenization by only offering to accredited and institutional investors, fully compliant with SEC's requirements for private offerings. That meant that we had to commit to these purposes:

• Educate Qualified Investors

  As mineral asset tokenization is still a complicated and incipient practice, we concentrated on educational materials only for accredited investors, and we absolutely didn't solicit any retail investors.

• Build Trust and Establish Credibility

  With a new market, trust is critical. We communicated Metallika's security, transparency and sustainability policies in a way that appealed to institutionalized audiences.

• Differentiate Metallika

  Metallika's ESG compliance and proprietary tokenomics model was presented in a SEC-compliant manner that emphasizes transparency and ethical business practices.

• Secure Private Investment

  By sourcing qualified investors and reserving marketing for compliant channels, we wanted to complete Metallika's private round with committed long-term institutional partners.

Tokenizing mineral assets is revolutionary and is subject to evolving regulations. Working with American investors required strict compliance with SEC private offering rules, particularly Rule 506(b) of Regulation D, which prohibits general solicitation and restricts offerings to accredited investors.

Key challenges included:

• Ensuring Investor Awareness and Compliance

  Since mineral tokenization was a new concept, we wanted to make sure that nothing in our education contained marketing or calls to action that might be misconstrued as solicitation.

• Communicating Complexity with Precision

  We tried to create educational, clear and engaging content for sophisticated investors without violating the rules.

• Exclusivity and Compliance

  Reaching only accredited investors meant creating individual distribution channels and strict access controls to ensure content was only available to pre-qualified parties.

To remain in compliance with the SEC, ICO Service developed an inward-focused, tightly regulated, private marketing approach aimed at solidifying Metallika's reputation as an authority on mineral tokenization and adsorption into accredited, institutional audiences only.

Education Content Platform for Authorized Investors

Our messaging was structured around content that taught investors about mineral asset tokenization, Metallika's ESG values and best practices. Everything was content-free and available only to approved investors.

• Investor-Driven White Papers and Reports: We wrote in-depth white papers and industry reports explaining mineral tokenization, Metallika' technology, and ESG best practices. Such articles were distributed only to accredited investors.

• Visuals for Knowledgeable Audiences: We created targeted infographics and videos that addressed mineral asset tokenization in the context of regulatory frameworks and ESG standards. These documents were restricted so they could be read by pre-screened investors.

• Learning Website Parts with Access Controls: We created a "Institutional Resources" area on Metallika's website, password protected where only accredited investors could access in-depth content including case studies, technical reports, and compliance documents.

Webinars and Private Presentations

We did this by holding a number of private, invitation-only webinars and presentations in order to comply with SEC rules and reach interested institutional investors. Each session was highly personalized, offering direct communication with no explicit request.

• Exclusive Investor Webinars: The sessions were restricted to registered investors, and provided a thorough overview of Metallika's tokenization framework, regulatory requirements, and roadmap.

• One-on-One Briefings and Q&A Sessions: To provide investors with additional information, we conducted private meetings and Q&A sessions with Metallika leadership. These were strictly educational discussions, which gave investors room to really explore specific topics without violating regulations.

• Presentations at Private Industry Conferences: Metallika's founders attended private, accredited investor events where they spoke on the mineral tokenisation model and held one-on-one conversations with potential institutional investors.

Controlled Community Engagement

We stayed conservative with our community outreach, restricting it to exclusive, invitation-only forums and internal communication channels accessible only to pre-qualified investors.

Targeted Advertising for Qualified Audiences

We went for an incredibly narrow digital advertising approach, only featuring accredited investor platforms and legal language that focused on education. Every piece of marketing was intended to educate rather than to sell.

• Ads for Institutional Audiences: It placed ads only on sites used by qualified investors. These adverts emphasized Metallika's ESG practices, transparency and technological excellence.

• Retargeting for Pre-Qualified Visitors: When site visitors confirmed accreditation, we used retargeting ads to bring them back with news and content on-board, keeping all content in line with industry standards.

The campaign was successful in raising awareness, gaining trust, and connecting with an all-qualified audience, while staying within SEC guidelines. Metallika successfully completed their $52 million private placement with institutional and institutional investors to establish itself as the industry leader in mineral asset tokenization.

Targeted Investor Engagement

The "single player" model ensured all education was specifically targeted at educated, trustworthy investors.

Selective Community Growth

Private channels were open only to pre-qualified investors, allowing for a valuable conversation that was compliant and relevant to Metallika's goals.

Credibility and Compliance-Driven Coverage

Media coverage and industry reports further established Metallika's standing, publications being distributed only to the right institutional audiences.

• ICO Service's ICO Services marketing campaign for Metallika was a shining example of legitimate, legal communications with approved investors. In an extremely structured fashion with an emphasis on education, transparency and exclusivity, we could create valuable interest in Metallika's tokenization model without going through regulatory red tape. By following SEC requirements for private offerings and only engaging with qualified investors, we established trust and credibility for Metallika within the institutional investor community.

This case study highlights the critical role of compliance in tokenization marketing when navigating disruptive financial structures in legal environments. Not only did we meet financial targets, but we provided a roadmap for legal investor engagement in the rapidly evolving world of asset tokenization.