Mindshare vs Market Share

Sami Waittinen, CMO of Trust Wallet, breaks down the age‑old marketing tension between being talked about (mindshare) and actually winning users (market share).

Drawing on four years at Binance and Trust Wallet, he argues that mindshare is the essential gateway—but only if a product, a growth engine, and a capable team lock together in a “product‑mindshare fit.”

Sami offers a four‑pillar checklist (Brand, Growth, Product, Team), shows why market‑share tactics are always rented (airdrops, KOLs, paid ads) while mindshare can be owned.

Real‑world examples range from Apple and Tesla to Hyperliquid and Solana, plus a candid look at how Trust Wallet rode TON “tap‑to‑earn” momentum while avoiding the Solana FOMO until the product was ready.

Sami closes by challenging founders to ask which bucket they’re really optimizing today—and whether their product is an ally or an enemy in that quest. ​

Episode Timeline

• 00:00 Why every crypto marketer juggles two goals: visibility & active users

• 02:30 Defining mindshare (brand perception) vs. market share (user traction)

• 04:45 Web2 analogies: Apple, Tesla, ChatGPT—and crypto parallels

• 06:55 Hyperliquid case study: renting market share to capture mindshare

• 09:45 The four pillars: Brand ▸ Growth ▸ Product ▸ Team

• 12:00 “Product‑Mindshare Fit” vs. “Product‑Market‑Share Fit” frameworks

• 14:30 Trust Wallet’s TON tap‑to‑earn playbook—and why they skipped Solana FOMO

• 16:20 Mindshare can be owned; market share is always rented

• 17:05 Challenge to listeners: Which bucket are you prioritizing now? ​

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