The world’s biggest Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has entered a multi-year partnership with TikTok’s most famous creator, Khaby Lame, to spread awareness of Web3.
Web 3.0, also known as the third generation of the internet and driven by blockchain, is set to revolutionise technology and venture capital.
The company announced Thursday on Twitter, as a new global brand ambassador for Binance, the largest crypto exchange by trading volume, Lame will enlighten his audience about crypto and debunk myths surrounding the Web3 ecosystem.
“Khaby has become a cultural icon and one of the most entertaining creators globally. We love his charm and sense of humor, and think it will bring relevance and relatability as we scale Web3 adoption,” said James Rothwell, Binance’s global vice president of marketing, in a statement.
Best known for his silent #learnfromkhaby clips, Lame, a former factory worker in Italy, rapidly rose prominence during the pandemic, growing his following to over 143 million followers on TikTok and 78 million more on Instagram.
Lame reacts with non-verbal deadpan straight-facedness to complicated “life hack” videos and demonstrates a more straightforward, usually obvious, way to perform the task.
These videos typically end with his signature “Khaby Move,” where Lame shrugs and gestures with his hands as if to say “duh.”
During the partnership, Lame will continue to use his signature video style to create bite-size content clips that “tackle some of the misperceptions around Web3,” according to Binance. They also plan to collaborate on launching NFT collections to enhance engagement with his fans.
Lame has already posted his first wordless TikTok with Binance on Thursday afternoon. In the TikTok, Lame jumps to action from a couch and swirls into a Binance-branded superhero costume. A frustrated user types “WTF is Web3?????” into a web browser. Then Lame swipes the laptop, pulls up the Binance website, and uses his “Khaby move.” He winks at the camera as the video closes with the message “To be continued.”
The video has been played nearly 400,000 times, and its caption reads: “Having trouble starting your Web3journey? I want to introduce you @Binance Superhero! Tag your friends who need #Ibinanceman. Not trading advice. See website for riskwarnings.”
Earlier this year, Binance drafted celebrities like music artist J Balvin and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler to take part in its Super Bowl campaign warning users that superstars are not crypto experts and to “do your own research” before turning to any for financial advice.
Last week, Binance signed a multiyear NFT partnership with football star Christiano Ronaldo. They will create a series of NFT collections together to be sold on the Binance platform exclusively later this year.
Lame is a Senegalese Muslim got engaged to Zaira Nucci in October 2020. He lives in Milan as an expat although he has lived in Italy since he was an infant and does not hold Italian citizenship. He has stated, “Sincerely, I don’t need a piece of paper to define myself as Italian”.
However on June 24 2022, the Italian Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior Carlo Sibilia announced that Lame would be granted citizenship.