As 2021 comes to a close, business professionals are entering a state of reflection. What did they learn this year? What were their biggest wins? And what challenges and opportunities did the year bring? Individual wins aside, the global business landscape changed significantly in 2021. And from the outside, it was like watching the entire world enter into a conglomerate merger. What do we mean by that? Keep reading to find out!
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Ready, Set, Merge
Over the last couple of years, society has come together for several reasons — altruism and capitalism being two. We suspect 2022 will be the same, even down to unrelated industries working together. That’s why we say 2021 was like watching the world decide to execute a conglomerate merger, which is when companies within different sectors merge.
Every day, throughout the whole year, we have seen unrelated businesses come together. Crypto and art already have a stable relationship and platforms like nft eyes are a confirmation of that. These new relationships have been announced in several ways, including social media and traditional press releases. The main areas we saw merge in 2021 include cryptocurrency and sports, the party/event planner sector and the gaming industry, and music and blockchain technology.
Crypto And Sports
In June 2021, Formula 1 surprised fans by announcing Crypto.com as the inaugural global partner of its Sprint series. A few months later, Formula 1 team Mercedes disclosed that it had signed a multi-season-long partnership with crypto firm FTX. According to SportsPro Media, as a result of the deal, you will be able to see FTX’s branding on Mercedes cars and the uniforms of its drivers, including Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Welcome to the Team, @FTX_Official 👊
An exciting new partnership with the leading crypto exchange, for the remainder of 2021 and beyond 👏 pic.twitter.com/ON6GOHA1VQ
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 23, 2021
Crypto’s involvement is also ramping up in soccer. Multiple teams in the Premier League have crypto exchanges as their sleeve sponsors. That includes Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton.
Party/Event Planning And Gaming
What happens when you combine two industries that both have billion-dollar market values but nothing to do with each other? You get the neon-soaked, night-club-themed bingo party Bada Bingo, that’s what! Bada Bingo is an event that started in 2021 in the United Kingdom. It combines bingo with all of the things that make a great party: confetti guns, strobe lights, prizes, dancing, charismatic hosts, and music.
Selling out dozens of shows across the UK in its short lifetime, it’s the perfect example of how two unrelated industries (aka party/event planning and gaming) can merge and see immediate benefits, including more diversification and an expanded consumer base. In any industry, these are the primary advantages of a conglomerate merger, in addition to increased efficiency.
Music and Blockchain
Lastly, we saw in 2021 how music and blockchain technology, specifically NFTs, have merged. For instance, American rock band Kings of Leon sold their album as a non-fungible token (NFT) earlier this year. However, we’re also seeing this relationship bloom in new ways. For instance, according to CoinTelegraph, several NFT music platforms will launch in 2022. In fact, we’re already aware of one called Audius, a blockchain-based platform backed by artists like The Chainsmokers, Katy Perry, and Jason Derulo.
There’s a lot up in the air about what 2022 will look like. However, if it’s anything like this year, we will see more unrelated businesses merge. Our money is on eSports and fashion. What about you?