diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d6387640..539d2d19 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "plotlink",
-  "version": "1.3.3",
+  "version": "1.4.0",
   "private": true,
   "workspaces": [
     "packages/*"
diff --git a/src/app/airdrop/page.tsx b/src/app/airdrop/page.tsx
index 46a2e92b..54df2487 100644
--- a/src/app/airdrop/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/airdrop/page.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import { UserPoints } from "../../components/airdrop/UserPoints";
 import { ClaimPanel } from "../../components/airdrop/ClaimPanel";
 import { Leaderboard } from "../../components/airdrop/Leaderboard";
 import { WeeklySnapshots } from "../../components/airdrop/WeeklySnapshots";
-import { InnovationBanner } from "../../components/airdrop/InnovationBanner";
 import { AIRDROP_CONFIG } from "../../../lib/airdrop/config";
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
@@ -20,11 +19,6 @@ export default function AirdropPage() {
       {/* Hero spans full width */}
       <CampaignHero />
 
-      {/* Innovation banner — between hero and user sections */}
-      <div className="mt-6">
-        <InnovationBanner />
-      </div>
-
       {/* 2-column grid below hero */}
       <div className="mt-6 grid grid-cols-1 gap-6 lg:grid-cols-[1fr_320px]">
         {/* Left column: user-specific */}
diff --git a/src/components/airdrop/CampaignHero.tsx b/src/components/airdrop/CampaignHero.tsx
index 4cea95c3..e95dcfa1 100644
--- a/src/components/airdrop/CampaignHero.tsx
+++ b/src/components/airdrop/CampaignHero.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 
 /* ─── Types ─── */
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ function useCountdown(endDateStr: string) {
 export function CampaignHero() {
   const { data, isLoading } = useAirdropStatus();
   const countdown = useCountdown(data?.campaignEnd ?? "2027-01-01");
+  const [showModal, setShowModal] = useState(false);
+
+  const closeModal = useCallback(() => setShowModal(false), []);
 
   if (isLoading || !data) {
     return (
@@ -111,6 +114,17 @@ export function CampaignHero() {
         </p>
       </div>
 
+      {/* ── Modal trigger ── */}
+      <div className="text-center">
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={() => setShowModal(true)}
+          className="text-accent text-xs hover:underline cursor-pointer"
+        >
+          Why is this airdrop different? &rarr;
+        </button>
+      </div>
+
       {/* ── Countdown ── */}
       {data.timeRemainingDays > 0 && (
         <div className="flex items-center gap-2 justify-center">
@@ -177,6 +191,61 @@ export function CampaignHero() {
       <div className="text-center text-muted text-[10px]">
         MCap = PLOT price × 1M max supply
       </div>
+
+      {/* ── Innovation modal ── */}
+      {showModal && (
+        <div
+          className="fixed inset-0 z-50 flex items-center justify-center bg-black/70 p-4"
+          onClick={closeModal}
+        >
+          <div
+            className="bg-background border-border rounded border p-5 w-full max-w-lg space-y-4 relative"
+            onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+          >
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              onClick={closeModal}
+              className="absolute top-3 right-3 text-muted hover:text-foreground text-lg leading-none cursor-pointer"
+            >
+              &times;
+            </button>
+
+            <div className="text-muted text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-widest text-center font-mono">
+              ── How is this different? ──
+            </div>
+
+            <div className="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 gap-3">
+              <div className="rounded border border-border text-muted opacity-50 px-4 py-3 space-y-2">
+                <div className="text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-wider font-mono text-center">
+                  TYPICAL AIRDROP
+                </div>
+                <div className="space-y-1.5 text-xs text-center font-mono">
+                  <div>Fixed amount</div>
+                  <div>Dumps on day 1</div>
+                  <div>No skin in game</div>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <div className="rounded border border-accent text-foreground px-4 py-3 space-y-2">
+                <div className="text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-wider font-mono text-center">
+                  THIS AIRDROP
+                </div>
+                <div className="space-y-1.5 text-xs text-center font-mono">
+                  <div>Pool grows with MCap</div>
+                  <div>Burned if no growth</div>
+                  <div>Everyone wins together</div>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+
+            <p className="text-muted text-xs leading-relaxed max-w-xl mx-auto text-center font-mono">
+              The pool isn&apos;t pre-valued — it&apos;s valued <span className="text-foreground font-medium">by the market</span>.
+              At $100M MCap, 50,000 PLOT = $5M distributed.
+              At $0 growth, 50,000 PLOT = burned forever.
+              Everyone — team, holders, earners — wins only if PLOT grows.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      )}
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/components/airdrop/InnovationBanner.tsx b/src/components/airdrop/InnovationBanner.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index c74d72ba..00000000
--- a/src/components/airdrop/InnovationBanner.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-const COLUMNS = [
-  {
-    title: "TYPICAL AIRDROP",
-    rows: ["Fixed amount", "Dumps on day 1", "No skin in game"],
-    highlighted: false,
-  },
-  {
-    title: "THIS AIRDROP",
-    rows: ["Pool grows with MCap", "Burned if no growth", "Everyone wins together"],
-    highlighted: true,
-  },
-] as const;
-
-export function InnovationBanner() {
-  return (
-    <div className="border-border rounded border p-5 space-y-4">
-      <div className="text-muted text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-widest text-center font-mono">
-        ── How is this different? ──
-      </div>
-
-      {/* Two-column comparison */}
-      <div className="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 gap-3">
-        {COLUMNS.map((col) => (
-          <div
-            key={col.title}
-            className={`rounded border px-4 py-3 space-y-2 ${
-              col.highlighted
-                ? "border-accent text-foreground"
-                : "border-border text-muted opacity-50"
-            }`}
-          >
-            <div className="text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-wider font-mono text-center">
-              {col.title}
-            </div>
-            <div className="space-y-1.5">
-              {col.rows.map((row) => (
-                <div key={row} className="text-xs text-center font-mono">
-                  {row}
-                </div>
-              ))}
-            </div>
-          </div>
-        ))}
-      </div>
-
-      {/* Summary */}
-      <p className="text-muted text-xs leading-relaxed max-w-xl mx-auto text-center font-mono">
-        The pool isn&apos;t pre-valued — it&apos;s valued <span className="text-foreground font-medium">by the market</span>.
-        At $100M MCap, 50,000 PLOT = $5M distributed.
-        At $0 growth, 50,000 PLOT = burned forever.
-        Everyone — team, holders, earners — wins only if PLOT grows.
-      </p>
-    </div>
-  );
-}