Background
Stellar is a leading open-source blockchain for global payments and asset issuance. To fuel ecosystem growth, the team launched a worldwide, developer-focused hackathon and needed to reach real builders, not just curious onlookers. The question: could crypto-specific targeting beat established web2 channels on efficiency and quality?
Campaign
HypeLab ran a multi-week performance campaign across crypto-native inventory, using wallet-aware targeting to reach verified on-chain developers and active builders. Placements spanned dApps, technical blogs, and high-intent web3 environments, with creative tailored to shipping-minded audiences. We iterated on country mixes and messaging while ML models refined segments toward dev cohorts most likely to register and participate.
Results
The campaign delivered 12M+ impressions, 27k+ clicks, and 0.20%+ CTR, while maintaining a highly efficient $1.79 CPM. On outcomes, Stellar saw 2× more participant signups than Google Ads at the same spend, 2× better than Meta, and 4× better than X and LinkedIn, making HypeLab one of Stellar's most effective paid acquisition levers for developer growth.
Why it matters
Crypto-native reach plus wallet-based precision finds real builders at the right moment. By meeting developers where they actually work and read, Stellar turned ad spend into meaningful participation and ecosystem velocity - efficiently and authentically.
About Hypelab:
HypeLab is the top web3-focused advertising network helping hundreds of clients like Metamask, Circle, Uniswap, and more acquire real web3 users at scale. We have the largest quality inventory in the crypto industry and offer advanced targeting to reach your target audience. We empower web3 brands, protocols, dApps, and ecosystems the tools to scale sustainably and intelligently.