---
type: claim
domain: internet-finance
description: "Offering contributors payment in tokens at a discount during lockup campaigns creates coordinated demand"
confidence: experimental
source: "Dean's List DAO ThailandDAO proposal (futard.io, 2024-06-22)"
created: 2024-06-22
---

# Contributor payment in discounted tokens creates buy pressure when combined with token lockup campaigns

The Dean's List DAO proposal demonstrates a mechanism where contributors can opt to receive payment in $DEAN tokens at a 10% discount during a governance power campaign. The proposal states: "For the duration of the promotional campaign, DL DAO contributors can opt-in to receive payments in $DEAN tokens at a 10% discount."

This creates coordinated demand pressure by:
- Offering contributors a 10% discount on market price as compensation incentive
- Timing the discount period to coincide with the governance power leaderboard campaign
- Converting operational expenses into token buy pressure
- Incentivizing contributors to participate in the lockup mechanism for governance power

The mechanism combines payment conversion with the broader campaign where locking tokens increases governance power and leaderboard rankings. Contributors receiving discounted tokens have incentive to lock them for multipliers, further reducing circulating supply.

The proposal includes a specific implementation: "Introduce the option for DL DAO contributors to receive payments in $DEAN tokens at a 10% discount compared to the market price for three months."

## Evidence

From the proposal:
- "For the duration of the promotional campaign, DL DAO contributors can opt-in to receive payments in $DEAN tokens at a 10% discount"
- "Introduce the option for DL DAO contributors to receive payments in $DEAN tokens at a 10% discount compared to the market price for three months"
- Campaign includes governance power leaderboard with exclusive perks for top holders
- Token locking with multipliers increases governance power
- Proposal allocated 5-7 million $DEAN tokens for the initiative
- Proposal status: Failed (completed 2024-06-25)

## Limitations

This is a proposed mechanism that failed to pass. The actual effectiveness is unproven. The 10% discount may not be sufficient incentive if contributors prefer stable payment in other assets. The mechanism assumes contributors will lock tokens rather than immediately sell the discounted tokens for arbitrage profit. No data exists on contributor behavior or actual buy pressure generated.

---

Relevant Notes:
- [[governance-power-leaderboards-with-exclusive-perks-create-token-lockup-incentives-that-reduce-circulating-supply]]
- [[dynamic-performance-based-token-minting-replaces-fixed-emission-schedules-by-tying-new-token-creation-to-measurable-outcomes-creating-algorithmic-meritocracy-in-token-distribution]]

Topics:
- [[internet-finance/_map]]
