The stories you love the most, top 10 countdown of 2025. Welcome back to Web3 CMO Stories. My name is Joeri Billast and I'm your podcast host. Last year, something interesting happened. I recorded a simple solo episode, a top 10 countdown of the stories you loved the most during the year. Ironically, that episode itself became the most listened to solo episode I've ever published. Not because it was polished, not because it was promotional, but because it revealed something real. People really like countdowns at the end of the year. This episode showed us what actually resonated, what people chose to spend time with, what stories traveled further than others. So this year I decided to do it again. This episode is a countdown of the most listened to Web3 CMO Stories podcast episodes published in 2025. The ranking is based purely on downloads. This is not about what I personally think was the best episode, it's not about who I like the most. It's definitely not about who has the biggest name. This is about what you listened to, what you shared, and what seemed to matter in a year where Web3, AI and marketing all continued to collide. One important note before we start this list reflects reach and momentum, not depth alone. Some episodes travel far because entire communities show up. Others grow slowly over time and compound quietly. Both are valuable. But today we are exploring the signal hidden in the numbers. Let's start a countdown. ten Why one billion users are the untapped gold mine This is episode twenty six in season five with Komal Amin, also known as Coco from Goat Gaming. This episode was all about distribution, not ads, not funnels, distribution embedded directly into behavior. Coco shared how Goad Gaming is building AI-powered Web3 games inside Telegram, a platform with more than a billion users. What made this conversation powerful was how practical it was. Telegram is not treated as a marketing channel here, it is a product environment. We talked about peer-to-peer messaging as a growth engine, about referral loops that feel native instead of forced, about how good gaming onboarded millions of users by designing for how people already communicate. Then there was the AI layer, AI characters acting as community managers, AI personalities running social games, content cycles shrinking from weeks to less than twenty four hours. This episode resonated because it showed what happens when speed, AI and distribution align. Not theory, a working system. nine Navigating Web3 Investments and Strategic Partnerships Episode fifty four from season four with Hatem El Sayed, COO of Advanced Blockchain AG. At number nine we move into the investment and partnership layer of Web3. This conversation with Hatam El Sayet offered a rare insight into how serious Web3 investment decisions are actually made. Not from a hype perspective, but from governance, teams and long-term alignment. Hatam shared his journey from ambassador to COO, which already tells you something about how trust is built over time in this industry. We talked about what investors really look for when evaluating projects, how partnerships are formed, why community feedback matters even at institutional levels. This episode stood out because it slowed things down. It reminded us that behind every token, protocol or ecosystem there are people making decisions under uncertainty, and that relationships not decks are what carry weight over time. Why smart CMOs aim for zero complaints? Episode sixteen from season five with Professor Philip Kotler, also known as the father of modern marketing. He is the person that invented the four piece price product place promotion. And when we were recording this podcast episode, Professor Kotler he was already ninety-three years old or around that age. So this is a real special episode. Professor Kotler joined the podcast to challenge how we think about customer complaints. One insight framed the entire conversation. Poorly handled complaints can suppress company revenue by up to 20%. Instead of seeing complaints as noise or risk, Professor Kotler reframed them as a strategic signal. He argued that CMOs should actively surface complaints. He reviewed them weekly, diagnosed root causes across people, product and process. We even explored the idea of a chief problem officer. Not as a gimmick but as a way to institutionalize learning. This episode resonated because it was timeless. No tools, no trends. Just a reminder that trust is built by how you respond when things go wrong. Professor Kotler also endorsed my book, The Future CMO, which made his conversation feel full circle, not as a marketing moment but as a confirmation that these fundamentals still matter. seven How Eternity achieved unicorn status and what followed. Episode fifty three of season four was with Nikola Stojanov, CEO and co-founder of Eternity. We revisit one of the early unicorn stories in blockchain in this episode. Nikola shared the journey of eternity from rapid growth to the realities that follow once the hype fades. This was not a victory lap. We talked about the challenges of scaling a blockchain, the pressures of expectations and the importance of community feedback when building infrastructure. Nikola also introduced the concept of hyperchains and encouraged builders to experiment by spinning up their own. These episodes continue to attract listeners because it offers perspective. It reminds us that success in Web3 is rarely linear, and that what comes after growth often matters more than growth itself. Coming in at number six Building Trust in Web3 Episode thirty three of season five with Catherine Daly, CMO at Space and Time. This conversation with Catherine was all about trust without slogans and shortcuts. Space and Time operates in one of the most technically complex corners of Web3. Proven data infrastructure. Instead of hiding behind complexity, Catherine explained how clarity becomes a strategic advantage. We talked about audience segmentation, telling different routes to different audiences without distorting the message. And about why honesty scales better than hype. One line stood out. The simple solution is really just to tell the truth. This episode resonated because it grounded trust in behavior, not branding. Delivery, reliability, follow through. Things that rarely trend but always compound. At number five we move into how Secrets Fold simplified security with images. This was the first episode of season five with Gerard Cervello, Jordi Pigali from Secrets Fold. This episode explored a radically simple idea protect digital assets using images instead of passwords. Gerard and Jordi walked us through visual cryptography, practical use cases and how this approach reduces friction without sacrificing safety. What made this conversation powerful was its humanity. Security was not framed as fear but as empowerment. We talked about trust, transparency and expert validation. About designing for real users, not just technical purity. This episode resonated because security remains one of the biggest barriers to Web3 adoption. And simplicity went on right is a competitive advantage. What made this conversation particularly interesting for me is that it didn't end when the recording stopped. We stayed in touch, kept exploring ideas, and SecretSfault offered me a six-month contract to work with them as a fractional CMO to get their marketing fundamentals right. That only happens when there is real alignment around trust and long-term thinking. At number 4, we meet the CEO of a Web3 Consulting Company, the biggest one in India, probably one of the biggest blockchain firms in Asia and the world. Episode 34 of season 5 was with Vikram R Singh, founder and CEO of Antier. Vikram shared how Antyr grew into a global blockchain consultancy with more than 700 team members while surviving multiple market cycles. What stood out was not scale alone, it was clarity, blockchain as trust, AI as intelligence, two forces that work better together than apart. FICRAM spoke about storytelling and partnerships and why people do not adopt technology, but they adopt stories that reflect their needs. This episode resonated because it balanced vision with discipline and reminded founders and marketers alike that visibility during downturns often determines who wins the next cycle. What I didn't know at the time is that this conversation would be the start of a new collaboration. After the episode, Vikram and I kept talking, comparing notes, and that eventually evolved in a growth partnership. Not because of a pitch, but because the thinking was aligned. At number three we entered the world of real world payments. From ace to movement how RYO brings real world payments to Web3. Episode 43 of season 5 was with Lani Dizon, president and co-founder of RYO Digital. Lani shared how RYO is turning Web3 from hype into habit. Payments that settle, wallets that feel familiar, compliance that does not kill usability. We talked about grain settlement pilots. We take stablecoin RYO Pay. We talked about a life wallet. We talked about AI companions like RYOchan guiding us safely through Web3. This episode travelled far because it showed Web3 working, not in theory, but in logistics, trade and everyday transactions. At number two we zoom out. The founder and chairman of RYO, Anthony Diaz, joined us in episode 15 of season five. He framed mass adoption through one simple question Can your grandmother use it? If not, adoption remains niche. Hence the title of this podcast episode If Grandma Can Use It, Anyone Can. We talked about wallets, ATMs, AI driven risk analysis and why Japan is the ideal testing ground for consumer crypto. What made this episode resonate was its restraint. No jargon. No evangelism, just a focus on utility, trust and familiarity. Crypto not as an ideology, but as infrastructure. And that wasn't a transactional decision. I only work with sponsors when their mission fits the story this podcast is telling. Real world adoption, simplicity, trust. This ecosystem fits that narrative. And now number one. It's the most listened to episode since the last countdown. This was a walk and talk in Sintra, where I live, with Oleg, the founder of Sweatcoin and Sweat Economy. We talked about bringing the next billion users into Web3 while rewarding something people already do every day. Walking. Instead of lowering barriers, they remove them. We explored tokenomics, activity based taking and a future where users can literally pay fees with their feet. This episode resonated because it captured the shift. From infrastructure to consumer crypto, from complexity to experience, and from speculation to participation. We recorded this episode while walking through Sintra here in Portugal, and that was not accidental. Sintra has become a place where I slow down conversations and think about what is next. It's also where I host the Future CMO retreat in April 2026 as a part of the Sintra Synergies Retreats. A small group deep conversations around AI and marketing. And we have a special guest, Mark Schaeffer, a very well known marketing futurist who has written a lot of books. If this resonates, if you want to meet Mark, if you want to have conversations with like-minded people, and if you want some time away from your usual desk, there are still a few places available you find more info on Sintrasynergies.com or you can of course always send me a message. Now looking at this top ten, I see a pattern emerging. Stories with strong communities get a lot of reach. Real world adoption beats abstraction every time. Founders who rarely do podcasts get more downloads than names who do them every week. Scarcity matters. Founders who share with their community create momentum. Their people want to know what they're thinking, and when the conversation is engaging, they listen. Thanks for listening to this top ten countdown. You'll find all episodes mentioned today in the show notes on my blog. If you think that this episode is useful for people around you who are interested in marketing AI, Web3, and your trends, be sure to share this episode with them. If you're not yet following the show, this is a really good moment to hit the subscribe button because I will have more amazing guests next year with names like Gary Vee and Chris Do. If you have a moment, give me a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I would be really grateful because this is really helpful for me and motivating to keep recording these podcast episodes. I wish you happy holidays and looking forward to see you back next year. Take care.