Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar’s Tequila brand launches NFT loyalty program

Santo Spirits, the tequila company co-founded by Grammy Award-winning musician Sammy Hagar and celebrity TV chef Guy Fieri, is the latest brand to jump into Web3 to create a customer loyalty program built around NFTs.

The Santo Spirits Club – which is built on the Near Protocol – launches today with fans awarded a mysterious NFT upon registration. The first 1,000 customers will also receive an extra mystery NFT for being among the first to join.

NFT’s tool will be revealed at the launch of Santo Spirits’ new Añejo tequila in the coming weeks. The tokens will be divided across three tiers – general, limited and rare – with a variety of perks across the tiers, including access to a virtual tequila tasting hosted by Fieri or Hagar, autographed guitars and other “VIP experiences.”

The proximity-based loyalty program was developed with Web3 infrastructure startup Trident3. According to Trident3 CEO Steve Goldstein, “the advantage of a loyalty program like this is that there is always an opportunity for fans to access levels of greater utility.”

Unlike some NFT drops, Santo Spirits Club is set up to be an ongoing project with rewards for continued engagement. Goldstein went on to tell Decrypt that in the future users will be able to earn a higher level of NFT after doing things like buying select bottles of Santo Spirits tequila.

He added that Web3 would be used as an “overlay” to existing business activities, with Santo Spirit’s loyalty program able to “offer access that regular people can’t get” in an effort to reward super customers.

“Using a Web3 loyalty program is really the best way to foster that one-to-one connection and offer fans unique benefits,” said Goldstein.

Santo Spirits was launched in 2019 by long-time friends Hagar and Fieri, with all their tequilas considered additive-free and meticulously crafted using reputable methods. However, CEO Dan Butkus said using traditional methods to create the product doesn’t mean it has to be limited to past methods of reaching and engaging consumers.

“We don’t think loyalty opportunities need to run parallel to how we make our tequila,” Butkus said Decrypt, adding that the company is eager to embrace the new. “We want to promote engagement outside of industry norms, and the Santo Spirits Club is a unique way to do that.”

In a press release, Hagar said he is “excited that we will reach a new audience through this partnership and introduce them to Santo so they can enjoy tequila as it was meant to be experienced.”

Santo Spirits, along with Hagar and Fieri themselves, already has a number of “casual” communities across various social media platforms, Butkus said, hosting large events like physical signings along with more intimate experiences.

“There is certainly a culture and a community of Santo Spirits consumers,” he added, and the NFT loyalty program is designed to allow them to bring the different factions together. “We want to continue to build the culture around the brand,” Butkus explained.

“We are excited about this opportunity because we are always looking for new ways to engage with either existing or new customers,” he continued. “Community spirit around a start-up brand is so important, especially in this market – because it’s so competitive.”

Trident3’s Goldstein believes brand-led loyalty programs using Web3 technology are key to getting more people on board with blockchain. “We don’t think it’s going to come through Monkeys or Monkeys. We think it’s going to happen through consumer brands, he said.

“Web3 cuts out the middleman and really allows that one-to-one connection between brand and consumer to thrive. Leveraging this relationship will only enable these businesses to thrive,” he explained. “Opportunities for both parties will continue to develop together with technology.”