Case Study: Pyramid Scheme™

Experiential Brand Design with AI Collaboration

Role: Creative Technologist
Focus: Experiential marketing, brand storytelling, app prototyping, live event strategy
Tools Used: Copilot, image generators, Rork (AI app builder)
Website: Pyramid Scheme Design Document

Project Overview

What if the Illuminati was running a thinly veiled crypto-MLM cult—poorly?
That was the seed of Pyramid Scheme™: a satirical, immersive bass music brand that blends conspiracy aesthetics, performance art, and digital interactivity into a surreal, dystopian experience.

The idea emerged after sharing my Helia concept with bass music producer Switchup! (Ezra Henderson). He loved the immersive approach but felt it didn’t quite fit his genre. That feedback revealed a creative gap—and an opportunity. I realized I could use the same AI-driven process to build something tailored to the chaotic, high-energy world of bass music. The result was Pyramid Scheme™: a brand that feels like a crypto scam, a cult, and a rave flyer all rolled into one.

What I Set Out to Do

  • Build a satirical, immersive brand for bass music fans

  • Create a marketing ecosystem that felt like a game, a conspiracy, and a movement

  • Use AI tools to rapidly prototype an app, generate visuals, and write in-world content

  • Design a live experience that blurred the line between fiction and reality

  • Explore how experiential branding could drive real-world event attendance

How I Used AI

AI was central to every phase of the project—from naming and copywriting to app development and visual prototyping. My workflow looked like this:

  • Ideation & Copywriting: I used Copilot to brainstorm names, write onboarding emails, and develop the surreal tone of voice that defines the brand.

  • Visual Prototyping: I generated moodboards and concept art using a mix of image generators—whatever I had credits for at the time. These helped me quickly lock in the stark, black-and-white aesthetic.

  • App Development: I used Copilot to write a prompt for an AI app builder called Rork. That prompt became the foundation for the DropChain™ app, a fake crypto dashboard that delivers nonsense metrics, fake missions, and real event alerts. The first version was 90% ready to ship—AI handled the heavy lifting.

  • Narrative Design: I created a world of “Vibe Agents,” “Nodes,” and “The Network,” all delivered through in-character emails, app content, and social media posts.

What I Built

  • DropChain™ App: A mobile app dashboard that mimics a crypto-MLM interface. It’s absurd, addictive, and fully in-world.

  • Vibe Agents™: Real-world brand ambassadors in black suits and sunglasses who onboard new users at events using tablets.

  • Email Welcome Series: A narrative-driven onboarding flow that guides users into the world of Pyramid Scheme™.

  • In-World Social Media: All public-facing content stays “in character,” creating a surreal, immersive tone.

  • The Engagement Loop:

    1. User meets a Vibe Agent or signs up online

    2. Receives onboarding emails

    3. Downloads the DropChain™ app

    4. Engages with fake missions and metrics

    5. Gets real event invites

    6. Attends events and re-enters the loop

Social Strategy

Rather than rely on traditional social media marketing, Pyramid Scheme™ uses AI-generated avatars and video content to maintain its in-world tone. These synthetic characters deliver cryptic messages, fake metrics, and surreal updates—blurring the line between influencer culture and propaganda. Because the brand is explicitly dystopian and satirical, the use of AI art and avatars becomes a feature, not a flaw—a reflection of the world it’s parodying.

Why It Matters

The moment Pyramid Scheme™ clicked into place was when I realized it could be experiential. Before that, it was just another music brand. But once I leaned into the absurdity—once I saw it as a performance, a game, and a social experiment—everything aligned.

This project wasn’t built for me to run long-term. It was designed to be handed off to Switchup!, the producer who inspired it, and operated by someone else. That meant building a brand system that was modular, self-sustaining, and easy to onboard into—a creative world that others could step into and expand.

The use of AI wasn’t just a production shortcut—it was a thematic choice. From the DropChain™ app to the AI avatars on social media, every element reinforces the brand’s surreal, conspiratorial tone. Pyramid Scheme™ isn’t just a brand—it’s a dystopian network you can dance your way into.