From Memes to Global Cultural IP: Analyzing the Success Path of Cat Memecoin MEW

The "animal spirits" theory proposed by Keynes, the father of macroeconomics, suggests that markets are driven by investor confidence and expectations. In the field of crypto assets, MEME is undoubtedly the category with the highest "animal spirits" indicator, greatly influenced by community sentiment. Interestingly, animal-themed MEMEs are the most influential and have the highest market capitalization among all MEMEs, perhaps because small animals around us can best evoke collective resonance.

Recently, with Bitcoin breaking the $100,000 milestone, the altcoin craze has officially begun. In this wave, a series of animal-themed memetic cultural symbols such as dogs, frogs, and cats have emerged as one of the most noteworthy sectors. Among them, the cat-themed memecoin project cat in a dogs world (MEW) has particularly stood out.

MEW launched on the Solana blockchain this March, standing out in the crowded Solana ecosystem of memecoins with its unique cat-themed narrative. In just six months, MEW has entered the "unicorn" club of cryptocurrencies (with a market value exceeding $1 billion) and ranks among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, making its path to success worthy of in-depth exploration.

Market value exceeds 1 billion USD, price hits new highs repeatedly.

MEW was listed on a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange in September this year, supporting two trading pairs: BTC and USDT. Although its price saw a brief increase at that time, it failed to break through the historical high reached in March.

On October 21, the exchange announced the launch of the MEW/KWR trading pair, making MEW the third memecoin on the platform to support the fiat currency Korean Won. Following the announcement, MEW quickly gained double-digit increases and reached a peak of $0.01, with trading volume briefly surpassing Bitcoin, ranking first in trading volume on the platform.

MEW has been actively promoting its listing on several major cryptocurrency exchanges. On October 24, another cryptocurrency exchange announced the launch of two trading pairs for MEW, MEW/USD and MEW/EUR, injecting a strong boost into the continuously rising MEW. That evening, the market capitalization of MEW surged past $1 billion, setting a new record.

In addition, the MEW contract is also a noteworthy indicator. Besides the fact that major global cryptocurrency exchanges have launched the MEW contract, some decentralized derivative trading platforms are also actively promoting support for MEW. On October 22, MEW perpetual futures were launched on Kwenta and Synthetix (the second layer chain on Base), and the decentralized on-chain perpetual contract platform Drift Protocol has also added support for MEW perpetual futures.

Data shows that since the beginning of October, the daily average open interest of the exchange's MEW contracts has remained in the range of $100 million (reaching a peak of $215 million at one point). Generally speaking, an increase in open interest for cryptocurrency contracts indicates that more traders are opening positions, and an increase in open interest when prices rise often means that market participants have increased confidence in the project.

The Unique Meme Spirit and Cultural Mission of MEW

MEW has successfully entered the first tier of memecoins. As a newcomer born this year, how has MEW attracted widespread attention and support from community users in such a short time? This is a question worth pondering for other MEME or crypto projects.

From a fundamental perspective, MEW is not just a carnival of digital assets, but represents a new cultural phenomenon and business model. It connects cat lovers around the world through blockchain technology, jointly building a decentralized, open, and inclusive virtual world and a new digital cultural ecosystem.

What surprises people most about MEW is that it subverts the impression of cats being cute by adopting a symbolic "appearance" that rebels against tradition and pursues innovation. This image forms a strong contrast with dog-themed Memecoin projects like the adorable DOGE and cartoonish SHIB, symbolizing a challenge to traditional authority and protection for marginalized groups, deeply attracting users who seek individuality and freedom.

Based on this disruptive image, MEW conveys a threefold cultural connotation:

1. Rebellion and Chivalry Spirit (the image of a cat fighting against a dog)
2. Humanistic care (focusing on the needs and fairness of a broader user group)
3. Unity and Progress (Creating a friendly and supportive community atmosphere)

In Internet culture, cats often represent independence, mystery, and aloofness, forming a sharp contrast with the loyalty and docility of traditional dogs. This contrast not only attracts attention but also gives cats a unique cultural symbol. By opposing the images of cats and dogs, MEW challenges the inherent meanings of traditional cultural symbols, reflecting a pursuit of innovation and breakthrough.

MEW is not just a simple rebellion; it embodies a chivalrous spirit that fights for the broader community's interests. This spirit resonates perfectly with subcultural users of the internet age. They pursue personalized expression and question traditional culture. MEW cleverly caters to this trend by combining the image of cats with the decentralized concept of cryptocurrency, symbolizing a challenge to the traditional financial system while expressing a desire for a fairer and more open financial system.

From Meme to Global Cultural IP

MEW has evolved from a simple Meme into a cultural IP phenomenon with a complete story and spiritual core, which is a very interesting transformation.

Unlike the various popular pets, emoticons, and conceptual Memes today, MEW has its own complete story and spiritual core, moving towards real cultural accumulation. It has detached from the market sentiment games caused by early social dissemination and price fluctuations. Its distinct image and spiritual core, along with exposure through various channels, have allowed the community's consensus to solidify.

1. Unique Original IP Storyline: The original IP storyline of MEW is very unique, telling the story of a cat that, in a dog-dominated world, uses wisdom and courage to challenge traditional notions, showcasing the journey of a kitten from being rescued to growing into a hero, and establishing its own cat community. MEW represents a rebellious spirit, unwilling to be defined by the mainstream, bold in exploring new possibilities, while also emphasizing the importance of community, providing a platform for free expression and mutual support through the establishment of the MEW community.

The complete storyline provides infinite possibilities for the extension of MEW's IP and injects rich cultural connotations into MEW, transcending mere digital assets and becoming a cultural symbol. Whether it is derivative animations, games, or peripheral products, the story can unfold around this narrative. MEW's growth story is filled with inspiration and hope, resonating emotionally with users, and this emotional connection is an important cornerstone of user loyalty.

In fact, MEW's unique rebellious cat image has gradually developed into a community core, giving rise to a large number of memes, emoticons, and other linguistic symbols within the crypto community. These symbols are widely disseminated among community members, forming a unique cultural context, and have propelled MEW from a meme network phenomenon into a long-lasting IP.

2. Powerful original IP advantage: Compared with traditional memecoin projects, MEW's design is entirely original, which is undoubtedly one of its biggest advantages. Originality is the basis of intellectual property protection, providing legal assurance for MEW's IP commercialization and branding, eliminating concerns about copyright disputes, and laying a solid foundation for MEW's journey from Web3 to global cultural IP in Web2.

The original design gives MEW a unique visual style and image memory point, allowing it to stand out among many memes, and injects soul into MEW, enabling it to carry deeper cultural connotations and values. Moreover, as an original IP, MEW can more easily collaborate with various brands and leverage the internet's reach to achieve a leap from Web3 to Web2, expanding brand influence and providing a broader space for future development.

3. Excellent Design Level: MEW excels in design, and its collaboration with well-known animation studios adds a beautiful touch. Design is the core engine of MEW, and the creation of IP relies on the MEW team's continuous high-quality design delivery capabilities. The warmth and dedication of the MEW project team can be seen in high-quality stickers, animated short films, and the official website showcase. Furthermore, the excellent design level also broadens MEW's brand communication channels, as high-quality animated works can intuitively showcase MEW's brand image, quickly reach more audiences, expand brand influence, and enhance users' recognition and affection for the brand, vividly telling the story of MEW.

In summary, MEW is based on a complete storyline and independent original IP, bringing a rare and deep narrative in the crypto market. This meme concept based on cultural accumulation is unique in the current crypto market, and the IP value of MEW naturally rises. As the value of the IP continues to increase, it will undoubtedly attract more users to participate, which in turn will bring about a positive development for the project itself, further expanding potential external revenue and ultimately achieving a positive growth cycle.

The MEW case provides us with a great example, proving the importance of not being limited to the Memecoin concept and actively expanding the global cultural IP value.

Market Strategy and the Leadership of "Cat Track" Culture

MEW adopted a fair launch at its inception and locked 90% of the LP on Solana. On March 27, MEW airdropped 5% of the tokens to certain token holders. On April 1, MEW conducted a second airdrop, giving each user wallet who pre-ordered the second Solana Mobile smartphone 37,600 MEW (worth about $200 at the time). The MEW project team has carried out multiple airdrop activities for different user groups at different times, reflecting the concept of equitable distribution. This approach creates a balanced and sustainable growth model for the MEW token and better establishes a strong and active community around the MEW token, helping MEW carve out a niche in the highly competitive cryptocurrency market.

It is worth mentioning that MEW's choice to launch on multiple mainstream exchanges is a very clever market strategy.

From the trading volume share of major exchanges, it can be seen that MEW's spot trading has not shown an overly centralized trend. Even among some top cryptocurrency exchanges, the trading volume share has not exceeded 30%. This reduces the reliance on a single exchange, so even if a certain exchange encounters problems, it will not have a significant impact on MEW's overall trading. Moreover, the "competition" among multiple exchanges can provide deeper trading depth for MEW, improve liquidity, and benefit users for smoother transactions. The relatively balanced trading volume also indicates that MEW's user base is quite widespread, with no single exchange holding an absolute advantage, which is conducive to maintaining market competition and protecting user interests.

In addition to the exchanges mentioned above, MEW has also been listed on other exchanges and has received endorsements, greatly enhancing MEW's credibility. After strict reviews by these compliant exchanges, the project quality and crypto legitimacy of MEW have been recognized by authoritative bodies. Through cooperation with multiple exchanges, MEW can reach investors globally, expand its market share, and subsequently provide deeper trading depth and improve liquidity. The user groups of different exchanges have distinct characteristics, which will also bring more types of investors to MEW.

MEW plays a leading role in the "cat track" culture. The current Meme market is showing decentralization, with many projects struggling to form a synergy, leading to phenomena of "low positive externality" and "vacuum periods" in the market. MEW has broken through the traditional dog-themed Meme-dominated market with its unique "cat" image, opening up a new blue ocean for the Meme market and successfully breaking the