Build the Lore.
Build the Company.

We didn’t just build a brand. We built a (good) cult.

MARA’s initial goal was to scale faster than its competitors, all of whom were constantly battling for scarce resources (capital, equipment, partnerships, talent, etc.) Our management team understood that one of the few ways we could differentiate and procure priority access to these scarce resources was our brand. Therefore, our primary objective was to establish MARA as the most professional and innovative company in its industry.

We used every tool, distribution channel, and creative solution we could to build a brand that was credible, investible, and venerated. We placed our CEO, a great orator, on every panel and in front of every relevant journalist and podcaster who would listen. We secured the highest value sponsorship at our industry’s flagship conference; held large fundraisers for developers; and created original merchandise like Orange Pills that were celebrated and copied at events for years. We published several technical research reports, including a series about using data centers to reduce carbon emissions by sequestering methane from landfills; produced content that gave investors a real sense of our operations and objectives; and advocated for bipartisan support of digital assets and energy transformation. We mythologized our origin story with self-produced documentaries; gave out challenge coins for achieving major operational milestones; and created branded assets that made employees feel proud to be part of the team. Ultimately, our work gave MARA brand power that allowed the company to raise capital at competitive rates, recruit great talent, and scale faster than its competitors in its first few years of operations.

Over time, MARA shifted its strategy from being the largest publicly traded Bitcoin miner to becoming a digital energy company with a global footprint. As a result, we became responsible for maintaining MARA’s brand equity and internal alignment as we evolved the focus of our narrative from crypto to compute. We gradually reframed energy companies from “suppliers of power” to potential clients who could benefit from our technologies and prospective partners who shared our values on human flourishing. We continued supporting our partners in the Bitcoin space, but progressively spent more time discussing energy infrastructure, policy, and advancements. Eventually, we rebranded and created an entirely new visual and verbal identity that grounded the company in its industrial data center roots, but that resonated better with our new primary audience. That rebrand remains in place today.