How memes keep crypto buzzing in bear times

What if memes could drive engagement during a bear market? Shadie Berro, Bybit’s Global Social Media Lead, is proving that social media in the crypto space is more than just promotional, it’s cultural.

In an interview with The Crypto Radio, Berro shared how Bybit's creative strategies, community focus, and high-profile partnerships are shaping its position in the competitive crypto industry.

Berro's transition to crypto marketing was unexpected. “I wasn’t actually looking for the position,” he said. “I was working in a more marketing media-type environment before for some financial institutions and automotive. And then the opportunity kind of presented itself, but it was for a different position. And then they offered the social media position for me to kind of step into and take the helm from there.”

While Berro was new to crypto professionally, his interest in blockchain started much earlier. “I had heard of Bitcoin back in 2013 for the first time,” he said.

By 2017, he had downloaded his first wallet and started investing. “Ever since then, I've just been learning about new tokens, investing in more tokens, and it's been exciting.”

Memes: The language of crypto culture

Memes are central to engaging the crypto community. “It's unbelievable how the crypto community just interacts with memes on a daily basis,” he said.

Bybit leverages this trend with campaigns that blend humor and creativity. While others used rockets to symbolize Bitcoin reaching $100k, Bybit opted for a hot-air balloon. “We have to think a little bit differently,” Berro said.

“We also try to put blank canvases for our community to put their own memes on, all branded Bybit, and we see how quickly that gains traction.”

The results speak for themselves. “Some of our posts on X, they get four to eight million views just from the community interacting with them.”

Even during bear markets, where prices drop or growth slows, memes remain constant. “Of course, you see higher volume in bullish markets, but they never stop. It's just about the volume of it. You just get more traction on bullish markets. Even during the bear market, we're still able to see quite a big buzz on our social media pages.”

Building community

For Berro, Bybit’s success lies in its connection to the community. “I think one of the ways to engage with the community further is opening up more offices in different locations, so that we're closer to our community,” he said.

Bybit’s Amsterdam office has been particularly successful. “Everyone in the Dutch community has been going crazy about having the Bybit team there in the Netherlands,” Berro said. “They can come and interact with us and sit with us in the office and trade from there, the same that they can do here in Dubai and the same that they can do in Singapore.”

Advice for aspiring crypto marketers

Berro shared valuable insights for those looking to lead in the crypto space. “With the cryptocurrency industry, of course, you have to abide by the regulations of local markets as well,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of breaking down complex concepts for users. “When we do a 400% APR campaign…some people don't understand what that is, so we do have to break it down for them and then we have conversations with them in the comments.”

Berro also highlighted the need to stay agile: “We always have to adapt to different changes in the market or in the trends. I have an amazing team behind me… we're always scouring all the social media channels on a daily basis, trying to find what's trending today, what's going to trend tomorrow.”

Creativity meets community

From memes to motorsports, Berro's leadership exemplifies how Bybit is setting new standards in crypto marketing. By blending creativity, community engagement, and innovation, Bybit is redefining how brands connect in this dynamic industry.

As Berro put it: “We're only scratching the surface with the crypto industry at the moment. It's still very early, but there's so much more to come.”

 

Listen to the whole interview on The Crypto Radio's live player or in the Community podcast.