Barketing Brilliance: How Dogs Built A 10M+ Pack On Telegram

What Happened

The story with the drone show in Dubai wasn’t just about DOGS. When we launched our airdrop last year it was one of the largest Web-3 on-boarding stories in history and we see ourselves as just one of the many teams of builders propelling Telegram and TON even further into the mainstream.Dubai has one of the highest rates of crypto adoption, yet not many people know about TON nor are they actively exploring its ecosystem. The drone show was yet another way for us to put Telegram and TON on the map, with $DOGS telling the story and leading the way for the mass adoption of blockchain technology via TON.

It is split between larger partnerships with charities, which deeply support the causes our community really cares about, and smaller local initiatives where token holders themselves or small local organisations can use the funding to do good in their town or village. From day one, our goal has been to support those in real need. We listen to our community and have open channels for them to suggest initiatives. Recently, we funded multiple animal shelters and provided thousands of children with food and necessities in the world’s most deprived regions – all as a direct result of feedback shared from our community.

Market Context

Q1. We all know that DOGS exploded on Telegram. What were the first three growth tactics you deployed that turned a small group into a 10 million-strong community?

Our community is integral to everything we do — We listen, adapt, and grow together with our pack. Every big move starts with the community at the center.

Why It Matters

Our mascot isn’t just a meme – he’s the ambassador of the DOGS mission: animal welfare and community-driven impact through blockchain. He is always by our users’ side, a companion in chats, channels and, sometimes, the real world.

We leaned into stickers as a cultural language. On Telegram, they’re more than memes – they’re a social currency. Our mascot became a fun signal that spread the brand organically within Telegram chats and channels.

Q5. Moving on, you’ve also driven measurable real-world impact through charity donations. How do you integrate philanthropy into a meme-community roadmap without it feeling performative?

Details

Second, during the early days of DOGS, Telegram was going through a growth phase, frequently releasing brand new, game-changing functionality. Our aim was to integrate every new feature that Telegram offered into our app. For example, we were among the first in the ecosystem to encourage our users to post Telegram stories about DOGS – helping to spread the word as widely as possible. Being early adopters gave us a major edge when it came to achieving virality.

Third, to get away from the extractive reputation associated with many new memecoins, we leaned heavily into the charity narrative, using our token to make pledges to donate to animal welfare and children in need. These early donations helped us to make a difference while building trust and bringing early adopters to our side.

Q2. Telegram has its own culture and mechanics. Which Telegram features (bots, polls, stickers, channels, chats) have been most important for DOGS’ onboarding, and why?

2024 was the breakout year for Telegram-native projects. DOGS set itself apart by combining compelling storytelling with a strong cultural identity and the founding team’s “underpromise and overdeliver” mentality.

The DOGS bot is where it all began. A simple app with a user-friendly design, easy to complete tasks and the true Telegram OG vibe (for example, we incorporated a Telegram account age checker, we gave bonuses for channel boosts and we gave perks for users with Telegram Premium). At the start of our story, the mini app was at the heart of our growth.

Telegram Channels – with both posts and Telegram stories – became our foundation for storytelling and updates, while games and stickers featuring our mascot turned into viral entry points for users to engage with DOGS.

Q3. Viral stunts like the TOKEN2049 drone show grabbed headlines. Walk me through the strategy, how did you balance spectacle with brand authenticity?

For us, spectacle only matters when it’s rooted in DOGS’ DNA: playful, community-first, and aligned with the latest trends in technology and culture. The Dubai drone show wasn’t just lights in the sky – it was a moment that made both Web3 and Web2 audiences take note.

That’s a core part of our strategy – we want to be visible through bold, creative stunts that go beyond crypto and leave a lasting cultural impression.

Q4. Stunts can feel hollow if they don’t deliver substance. How do you decide whether a big activation (like a drone show) is worth the budget and effort?

We focus on three simple areas:

Does it spark genuine pack pride inside the community? We ran a crowdfunding campaign first and the overwhelming response told us the community wanted to see a big campaign during TOKEN2049 in Dubai.

Is this something that non-natives would want to see while also extending our cultural footprint within Web3? Will it be a story people would want to share for days?

Can the activation be amplified natively on Telegram?

If the answer is “yes” across all three, we go big.

Charity is not a side project for DOGS. It’s a core part of our brand and long-term strategy. The meme itself even began with Pavel Durov sketching a picture of a dog for a charity auction. We take charity work very seriously and have a separate budget allocated purely to this activity.

The budget that was allocated to charity donations was decided by the community via an open vote inside our miniapp. The budget was then locked and now it can only be used for these agreed purposes.