Please describe your proposed solution.

Executive Summary:

The proposed solution is to launch an online marketing campaign to raise awareness about Project Catalyst Fund 11. This campaign will utilize various digital platforms such as Twitter, Youtube, Reddit, Telegram, Discord and LinkedIn to reach a wider audience outside of the Catalyst community. The campaign will highlight the benefits and opportunities provided by Project Catalyst, emphasizing the potential for individuals and organizations to contribute to the development of Cardano and the blockchain industry.

Through engaging content and success stories, the campaign will showcase the value of participating in Project Catalyst and encourage active involvement. It will aim to attract talented individuals, developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who can bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the ecosystem.

Campaign Strategy:

The campaign strategy involves creating two 30-second videos: one introducing Project Catalyst Fund 11 and the other showcasing a success story. The videos will be shared across various digital platforms.

A: Benefits of the Video Content:

• Visual Impact: Videos have a higher engagement rate and can convey information more effectively than text-based content. They grab attention, evoke emotions, and leave a lasting impression, increasing the likelihood of viewers engaging with the campaign.
• Storytelling: Videos allow for storytelling, making it easier to connect with the audience on an emotional level. By sharing success stories, viewers can see the tangible impact of Project Catalyst, inspiring them to participate and contribute their ideas.
• Shareability: Videos are highly shareable, particularly on platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. Encouraging viewers to share the videos with their networks expands the campaign's reach organically, reaching new audiences and potential participants.
• Multichannel Approach: Sharing the videos across multiple platforms maximizes visibility and engagement. Each platform has its unique user base and characteristics, allowing the campaign to connect with diverse audiences and target specific demographics.

B: Campaign Planning:

• Video Creation: Creation of two visually impactful 30-second videos - one providing an overview of Project Catalyst Fund 11 and its benefits, and the other highlighting a compelling success story from a previous funding round.
• Platform Selection: Utilizing the mentioned digital platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Telegram, and others, to reach a wider audience outside of the Cardano community.
• Distribution: Sharing of the videos on the selected platforms, adapting the format and style to suit each platform's requirements. Use native tweets on Twitter, upload to an official YouTube channel, post on relevant subreddits, and share in Telegram groups.
• Engagement and Sharing: Encourage engagement by including strong calls-to-action in the videos, inviting viewers to learn more and get involved with Project Catalyst Fund 11.
• Hashtags and Mentions: Utilizing relevant hashtags and mentions on platforms like Twitter to increase discoverability and engage with the Cardano community, influencers, and industry experts.
• Optimization: Optimizing the video titles, descriptions, and tags on YouTube to improve search visibility. Craft engaging titles and descriptions for Reddit posts to encourage discussion and interaction.
• Community Interaction: Actively engage with viewers' comments, respond to questions, and participate in conversations across all platforms to foster community involvement and address inquiries.
• Collaboration: Collaboration with influencers, industry blogs, and publications to feature the videos or create dedicated articles around them, expanding the campaign's reach and credibility.
• Performance Monitoring: Continuously monitoring engagement metrics, feedback, and analytics on each platform to assess the campaign's effectiveness. Adjust the distribution strategy and content approach based on audience response and platform dynamics.

C: Storyline of the two videos:

Video 1: Introducing Project Catalyst Fund 11 (30 seconds):

• Beginning with a captivating hook to grab attention within the first few seconds.
• Clearly explaining the purpose and objectives of Project Catalyst Fund 11.
• Highlighting the benefits and opportunities for individuals and organizations to participate.
• Showcasing a few compelling projects or ideas that have been supported by previous fund rounds.
• Including a strong call-to-action, inviting viewers to learn more and get involved

Video 2: Project Catalyst Success Story (30 seconds):

• Selecting a successful project from a previous fund round with a compelling story.
• Beginning by briefly introducing the project and its goals.
• Presenting the challenges faced by the project creator and how Project Catalyst support helped overcome them.
• Demonstrating the positive impact or achievements resulting from the project.
• Featuring testimonials or quotes from the project creator, highlighting their gratitude for Project Catalyst.
• Including a call-to-action, inviting viewers to explore more success stories and participate in Fund 11.

D: Distribution Strategy:

Twitter (using Catalyst Swarm Twitter Channel with more than 1800 Followers)

• Sharing the videos as native tweets, pinning them to the top of the profile for maximum visibility.
• Utilizing relevant hashtags, such as #Cardano, #Blockchain, and #ProjectCatalyst, to increase discoverability.
• Engaging with the Cardano community by mentioning them in the tweet and requesting retweets to amplify the reach. Previous Campaigns got supported by IOG and the Cardano Foundation
• Using paid ads to increase reach

YouTube:

• Uploading the videos to Catalyst Swarm YouTube channel.
• Optimizing video titles, descriptions, and tags to increase search visibility.
• Sharing the videos in relevant Cardano and blockchain-related communities and engaging with viewers' comments.
• Using paid ads to increase reach

Reddit:

• Posting the videos on the Cardano subreddit and relevant Project Catalyst-related threads.
• Crafting engaging titles and descriptions that encourage discussion and interaction.
• Responding to comments and actively participating in conversations to foster engagement.

Telegram:

• Sharing the videos in the official Project Catalyst Telegram group.
• Pinning the videos or creating a dedicated channel to ensure visibility.
• Encouraging members to share the videos with their own networks and discuss their thoughts and ideas.
• Other platforms:
• We customize the videos for each platform's format and specifications.
• We share them on platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Discord, leveraging relevant communities and groups.

By implementing this campaign strategy, the aim is to raise awareness about Project Catalyst Fund 11, attract talented individuals and organizations, foster meaningful participation, and showcase the development potential of Cardano and the blockchain industry.

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

The category ‘Catalyst Open’ aims to fund projects which could grow the ADA economy.

Despite a very active Community around Cardano, Project Catalyst is still very unknown. Raising awareness about Catalyst through an online marketing campaign will increase meaningful participation and attract new entrepreneurs from the community and from outside the Cardano ecosystem.

Therefore, our proposal will benefit the Cardano ecosystem in several ways:

• Increased Awareness: The campaign will expand awareness about Project Catalyst beyond the existing Cardano community. By reaching a wider audience, more individuals and organizations will become aware of the opportunities for participation and contribution. This can lead to an influx of fresh ideas, diverse perspectives, and new talent joining the ecosystem.
• Meaningful Participation: The campaign aims to attract talented individuals, developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who can actively engage with Project Catalyst. By highlighting the benefits and opportunities offered by Fund 11, the campaign encourages meaningful participation, driving more high-quality proposals and projects that can contribute to the growth and development of Cardano.
• Community Engagement: The campaign will foster community engagement and interaction through various digital platforms. This will support an active community around Project Catalyst and Cardano. Strong community engagement is crucial for the long-term success and sustainability of the Cardano ecosystem.
• Ecosystem Growth: By raising awareness and attracting talented individuals and organizations, the campaign contributes to the overall growth of the Cardano ecosystem. With more high-quality projects being funded and developed through Project Catalyst, Cardano can evolve into a thriving blockchain platform with a wide range of applications, services, and innovations.
• Reputation and Adoption: A successful marketing campaign that effectively highlights the value and achievements of Project Catalyst Fund 11 can enhance the reputation of Cardano within the broader blockchain and crypto community. Increased awareness, meaningful participation, and a track record of successful projects can attract more attention, partnerships, and adoption of Cardano, further bolstering its position in the industry.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

To measure the success of the project, we consider the following key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics:

Reach and Awareness:

• Number of views and engagements on the campaign videos across platforms.
• Social media metrics: Number of followers, likes, shares, and comments on posts related to Project Catalyst Fund 11.
• Website analytics: Traffic, unique visitors, and time spent on pages related to Project Catalyst.

Participation and Engagement:

• Number of new participants who submit proposals to Fund 11.
• Engagement metrics: Increase number of community members in Ideascale, increase total number of voters (registered wallets and registered ADA)

Social Media and Online Presence:

• Increase in the number of followers and engagement metrics on social media platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Telegram, etc.).

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

Our approach is to operate as transparently as possible, so that the community has the maximum possible insight into the project on the one hand and can also participate in the project on the other. As we will use already established community social media channels (mainly Catalyst Swarm) to share and distribute the campaign content, the community can track and see in real-time our activities. Furthermore, we will provide different sources for the documentation through our website. We will create a sub page on our website to give the community easy access to all relevant content, links and reports that we will publish. All community members are also welcome to freely use the created content on their own channels. We also share the campaign metrics (performance and campaign setting in social media ads) with the community, to increase the success of further campaigns executed by other community projects.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

We have already implemented marketing campaigns for Fund 6, 7 and 8 with the support of IOG and the Cardano Foundation.

Examples of previous Project Catalyst campaigns:

• Fund 6 Reel:

<https://vimeo.com/653433854>- Fund 7 Reel:

<https://vimeo.com/587825954>- Fund 7 Reel: <https://twitter.com/DominikTilman/status/1463156145053437963>

• Fund 7 Reel: <https://twitter.com/DominikTilman/status/1461402596439212043>
• Fund 8 Reel: <https://twitter.com/CatalystSwarm/status/1496137830183100416>
• Fund 8 Idea Fest Reel: <https://twitter.com/CatalystSwarm/status/1504134924814725126>

Our capabilities to deliver this campaign successfully:

• Track Record: The fact that our team has already conducted successful campaigns for multiple fund rounds demonstrates our ability to plan, execute, and deliver results. Our past accomplishments showcase your competence in raising awareness, engaging the community, and facilitating meaningful participation.
• Community Insights: As active community members of Project Catalyst since Fund 3, our team has a deep understanding of the Community. This firsthand experience and knowledge allows us to create campaigns that resonate with the community and effectively communicate the value and opportunities provided by Project Catalyst Fund 11.
• Marketing Expertise: Our online marketing experts ensure that the campaign will leverage best practices and latest strategies to maximize reach and engagement. Our expertise in digital marketing, content creation and campaign management will contribute to delivering a well-executed and impactful campaign.
• Collaboration and Feedback: Our team's involvement as community members allows for open collaboration and feedback loops. We can actively engage with the community, seek input, and incorporate their suggestions into the campaign.

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goals for the project can be summarized as follows:

• Raise Awareness: The primary goal is to increase awareness about Project Catalyst Fund 11 among a wider audience, extending beyond the existing Cardano community. The aim is to educate and inform individuals and organizations about the opportunities and benefits offered by Project Catalyst and encourage their active participation.
• Foster Meaningful Participation: Another key goal is to attract talented individuals, developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to actively engage with Project Catalyst Fund 11. By showcasing the potential for meaningful participation, the campaign seeks to inspire and motivate community members to contribute their ideas, projects, and expertise to the development of Cardano.
• Drive Ecosystem Growth: Ultimately, the project aims to contribute to the growth and development of the Cardano ecosystem. By attracting talented individuals, improving proposal quality, and fostering a strong community, the campaign aims to expand the reach and adoption of Cardano in the blockchain industry.

To validate the feasibility of our approach, we consider the following steps:

• Research and Analysis: We analyze our target audience: the broader blockchain industry and the existing Cardano community to understand their needs, preferences, and motivations to ensure our approach aligns with their expectations.
• Past Campaign Performance: We evaluate the performance and outcomes of our previous campaigns for funds 6, 7, and 8 by assessing key metrics such as reach and engagement to improve the effectiveness of this proposed campaign.
• Community Feedback: The feedback received from the community and participants support us to identify areas for improvement.
• Industry Benchmarks: We compare your approach with successful marketing campaigns conducted by similar projects or platforms in the blockchain industry.
• Pilot and Testing: As always we will conduct a testing phase of the campaign on a smaller scale before fully implementing it. This allows us to assess its feasibility, identify any challenges or bottlenecks, and make necessary adjustments before scaling up.

Furthermore, we will constantly monitor the engagement, feedback, and analytics on each platform to assess the campaign's effectiveness. We will adjust the distribution and ad strategy based on the performance and audience response to maximize impact and raise awareness about Project Catalyst Fund 11.

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Summary of the project plan:

The goal is to launch this Fund 11 online marketing campaign with the date that Project Catalyst opens the submission phase for Fund 11, so we will begin creating content and preparing the campaign on all of the mentioned social media platforms right after the Fund 10 results are released. The campaign will run until the end of the submission phase of Fund 11. After that, we will immediately submit the close out report with a detailed campaign and performance review.

Milestone 1 (Weeks 1 and 2):

Content Creation:

• Creation of two 30-second videos.
• Creation of visuals and graphics to support the campaign.

Social Media Channel Preparation:

• Definition of the target audience and develop a strategy for each platform.
• Development of the content strategy for each platform.
• Planning of Ad Spendings per platform.

Milestone 2 (Weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6):

Campaign Launch and Execution:

• Share the videos on each platform according to the content strategy explained above.
• Monitor campaign performance and engagement metrics on each platform to assess effectiveness.

Community Interaction:

• Regularly engage with the community by replying to comments, answering questions, and facilitating discussion
• Collaborate with influencers, community leaders, and relevant stakeholders to amplify the campaign's reach.

Final Push:

• As the submission phase for Fund 11 approaches, intensify the promotion and encourage potential participants to submit their proposals.
• Highlight upcoming deadlines, provide guidance on proposal creation, and offer support to participants as needed.

Close Out and Performance Review:

• Compile campaign performance data, including engagement metrics, reach, and participation numbers.
• Prepare and submit a detailed close out report, summarizing the campaign's activities, outcomes, and key learnings.

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

<u>Milestone 1 </u>

Deliverables:

• Two 30-second videos: One introducing Project Catalyst Fund 11 and the other showcasing a success story.
• Visually appealing visuals and graphics to support the campaign.
• Developed content calendar with a variety of posts, including promotional, educational, success stories, and community engagement.

Outputs:

• Completed videos in the specified format and duration.
• Graphics and visuals ready for use in social media posts and other promotional materials.

Intended Outcomes:

• Engaging and informative videos that effectively introduce Fund 11 and highlight a success story.
• Eye-catching visuals that enhance the overall appeal and professionalism of the campaign.
• Prepared content assets for the subsequent execution of the campaign.

<u>Milestone 2 </u>

Deliverables:

• Launched campaign on all social media platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Telegram, etc.).
• Shared videos on relevant channels, following platform-specific best practices.
• Engaged with the community through replies, comments, and discussions.
• Monitored campaign performance and engagement metrics on each platform.
• Close out report summarizing the campaign's activities, outcomes, and key learnings.
• Comprehensive performance review, including engagement metrics, reach, and participation numbers.

Outputs:

• Active presence and consistent posting on social media platforms.
• Published posts and shared videos across channels.
• Community engagement in the form of comments, questions, and discussions.
• Tracking and analysis of campaign performance metrics.
• Detailed report outlining the campaign's timeline, strategies, and results.
• Key insights and recommendations for future campaign improvements.

Intended Outcomes:

• Increased awareness and visibility of Project Catalyst Fund 11 through the campaign's presence on multiple platforms.
• Enhanced engagement and interaction with the community, fostering a sense of involvement and collaboration.
• Built excitement and generated a sense of urgency among potential participants as the submission phase approached.
• Encouraged the sharing of experiences, testimonials, and success stories, showcasing the positive impact of Project Catalyst.
• Higher submission rates of quality proposal for Fund 11 as a result of intensified promotion and clear communication.
• Clear documentation of the campaign's achievements and performance.
• Valuable insights and recommendations for optimizing future campaigns.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Milestones based budget breakdown:

Milestones 1: Content Creation and Campaign Preparation

• Creation of two 30-second videos: 32 hours x 250 Ada/hour = 8,000
• Creation of visuals and graphics to support the campaign: 4 hours x 200 Ada/hour = 800
• Definition of the target audience and develop a campaign strategy for each platform: 4 hours x 150 Ada / hour = 600
• Development of the content for each platform: 4 hours x 150 Ada / hour = 600

<u>Total Milestone 1: 10,000 Ada</u>

Milestones 2: Campaign Execution and Community Interaction

• Campaign Management (execution and monitoring): 32 hours x 150 Ada/hour = 6,000
• Community Interaction (engagement and collaborations): 20 hours x 150 Ada/hour = 3,000
• Close Out and Performance Review: 4 hours x 200 Ada/hour = 800
• Ad spendings: 25,000

<u>Total Milestone 2: 34,800 Ada</u>

<u>Total request budget: 44,800 Ada</u>

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Core Team:

Dominik Tilman

Dominik is the lead on this project. He has been an active part of the Catalyst community since Fund 3. Among other things, he has been a co-founder of IdeaFest and the Catalyst Swarm Initiative. He has successfully funded and executed several proposals.

With his company Conu21 he mainly advises startups and actively helps in the founding phase to develop the right business model and to market the ideas sustainably.

Role: Project lead + campaign management

Relevant experience: 15+ years in marketing, 7+ years as entrepreneur and business consultant.

Link: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikstumpp/>

Thomas Zuchtriegel:

With his own innovation agency 'Metavers', he has already helped numerous companies make the crucial transition to the digital world of Web 3.0. Furthermore, Thomas is and has been successfully involved in a variety of startups and businesses over the last decade. Thomas has been an active part of the Catalyst community since the beginning, and he has successfully funded and executed several proposals.

Role: Video creation

Relevant experience: Conception, design and composting for more than 100 trailer for Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, etc.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaszuchtriegel/

Support Team:

Dominik Klopsch

Role: Community engagement

Experience: 4+ years community management in the blockchain/web3 industry.

Link: <https://de.linkedin.com/in/dominic-klopsch>

Sören Gerth

Role: Performance marketing

Experience: 6+ years of successful execution of online marketing campaigns.

Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sören-gerth-6b3b6552/

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

• Increased Awareness:

By investing in an online marketing campaign, the project aims to raise awareness about Project Catalyst Fund 11 beyond the existing Cardano community. This expanded awareness attracts new participants, fresh ideas, and diverse perspectives, which in turn contributes to the growth and development of the Cardano ecosystem.

• Meaningful Participation:

The campaign encourages meaningful participation by attracting talented individuals, developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to engage with Project Catalyst Fund 11. This active involvement leads to the submission of high-quality proposals and the development of impactful projects. The cost incurred in the campaign enables the ecosystem to leverage the talent and expertise of a broader community, unlocking innovative solutions and advancements.

• Long-Term Ecosystem Growth:

The value of the project extends beyond immediate outcomes. By raising awareness, attracting talent, improving proposal quality, and fostering community engagement, the campaign contributes to the long-term growth and success of the Cardano ecosystem. This growth potential creates opportunities for partnerships, collaborations, and the expansion of Cardano's use cases and adoption, thereby increasing the value and utility of the ecosystem.