Please describe your proposed solution.

Our solution tackles a significant roadblock within Cardano: a substantial shortage of branding and marketing capacity amongst project developers. Though we have many remarkable projects, most get overlooked or undervalued due to ineffective branding and marketing. This doesn't only stunt individual project growth, but also diminishes Cardano's overall reach, reputation and impact. We will be selecting projects to support from those awarded funding in the Open Source Dev Ecosystem category. This focused approach will ensure the projects we choose align closely with the goals of building out the Cardano ecosystem.

Our proposal stands out because we're offering a comprehensive, practical, and community-focused solution. We plan to take the reins and build, from scratch, branding and marketing campaigns for three chosen Cardano projects. This will offer immediate aid to these projects, but also set tangible examples for the wider community. We'll be keeping a detailed diary of our journey through blog posts and video content, providing valuable takeaways.

Alongside this, we're designing open-source marketing guidebooks, reference materials, and templates that are custom-made to meet the needs of Cardano projects. These resources will be at the disposal of all Cardano developers and projects, providing them with the knowledge and toolkit to confidently brand and market their own projects.

Project Selection Criteria and Process

The following criteria will be utilized to select 3 Cardano-based open source dev projects that have the most potential to benefit from branding and marketing support:

• Stage of Development - Projects will be evaluated on having a working product or nearing the launch of an MVP. Focusing on projects with functional products will allow us to develop authentic branding and marketing.
• Team Commitment - The project teams must demonstrate excitement about collaborating with us on branding and marketing initiatives. They should be open to new ideas while having capability to execute.
• Technical Robustness - The underlying technology and solution for chosen projects should be vetted for quality and depth. This ensures the branding adequately reflects the value delivered.
• Differentiated Use Cases - Projects will be selected to represent distinct segments and use cases, to fully showcase branding and marketing capabilities.
• Growth Potential - Projects with strong potential growth trajectories if effectively marketed will be preferred, as our work can have greater impact on both the project and Cardano ecosystem.
• Geographic Diversity - Projects from different global regions will be considered to provide diversity of perspective.

After narrowing down the qualifying projects based on the above criteria, the final selection will be made based on in-depth discussions with project teams. Three projects that show the most enthusiasm and willingness to collaborate will be selected.

The outcome of this process will be three open source Cardano projects that have significant room for growth through improved branding and marketing. Our hands-on work with these projects will ultimately produce replicable templates and knowledge to share across the Cardano ecosystem.

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

Our marketing toolkit directly addresses the challenge by tackling the shortfall of marketing and branding expertise within the Cardano ecosystem. By selecting three Cardano projects and developing customized branding and marketing strategies for them, we will illustrate the transformative power of effective branding and strategic marketing. The real-world application and transparent documentation of our work will serve as a blueprint for other projects within the ecosystem.

In addition, the creation of open-source marketing guidebooks, reference materials, and templates will have a long-term, scalable impact on Cardano. These resources will lower the barrier to entry for effective branding and marketing, allowing more projects to communicate their value propositions clearly and reach their target audiences effectively.

Quantifiable benefits:

1. Direct Impact on Selected Projects: Through our campaings, we anticipate a significant increase in visibility and user engagement for the selected projects. For example, we might aim for a 50% increase in social media followers or website traffic within 1 month of implementing our strategies.
2. Indirect Impact through Open-source Resources: By making our resources freely available, we hope to help numerous other projects within the Cardano ecosystem. If even 10% of Cardano projects use our resources and improve their branding and marketing, that could mean dozens or even hundreds of projects becoming more successful.
3. Strengthening the Cardano Community: Through improved visibility and user engagement for individual projects, we can attract more users, developers, and investors to the Cardano ecosystem as a whole.

Our proposal is focused on equipping the Cardano community with the tools and knowledge to grow stronger and more vibrant. This is an investment in the marketing and branding capabilities of Cardano projects that will pay dividends for the entire ecosystem.

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

Our project's success measurements will be blend of hard data and personal feedback. Here's how we plan to gauge our impact:

1. Direct Impact Indicators: We're going to closely monitor key metrics for the three Cardano projects we're collaborating with. This includes things like website visits, social media followers, engagement rates, and new user signups. If we can see a surge of 30-50% in these numbers within half a year of implementing our strategies, we'll know we're on the right track.
2. Use of Resources: We'll be keeping an eye on how often our open-source resources are downloaded and used. High usage rates would suggest that a good chunk of Cardano projects are finding our resources valuable.
3. Feedback from the Community: We intend to gather opinions from the Cardano community actively. This could involve surveys, direct interviews, or even monitoring comments on social media platforms. Positive sentiment from the community would be a clear sign of our work resonating with them.
4. Ecosystem-Wide Impact: Our long-term goal is to boost the overall quality of branding and marketing within the Cardano community. While this might be a bit more challenging to measure directly, some indicators could include a rise in the overall user base, an increase in successful Cardano projects, and a broader visibility of Cardano within the crypto space.

We believe these are realistic measures as they take both immediate impacts (direct work with three projects and resource utilization) and longer-term effects (community feedback and overall ecosystem impact) into account.

Longer term, we believe our project will contribute to an overall branding and marketing quality uplift across Cardano projects. This should lead to a larger user base and ultimately improve growth and reputation for the Cardano ecosystem.

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

We're looking forward to sharing our project outcomes; we've mapped out a strategy to ensure our insights reach as many folks as possible in the Cardano community.

1. 'Real-Time' Shares: We believe in transparency and learning through the process. So, we'll be publishing blogs and video updates throughout our project timeline. This way, anyone interested can follow along and learn with us, whether they're directly involved or not.
2. Open-Source Resources: Our guidebooks, templates, and other resources will be available to everyone, free of charge. They'll be uploaded to a public repository, ensuring easy access for all Cardano projects.
3. Community Engagement: We're not just going to sit back and wait for people to find our resources. We'll actively promote them on social media, in Cardano community groups, and at relevant blockchain and marketing events. We'll also seek to collaborate with Cardano influencers to help spread the word.
4. Follow-up: We'll maintain a dialogue with the community long after the project wraps up. By tracking the usage of our resources and collecting feedback, we can continually refine and update our offerings to ensure they stay relevant and valuable.

As for future research and development, the insights from this project will be priceless. We'll have a better understanding of what works and what doesn't when it comes to branding and marketing - in the Cardano ecosystem and beyond. That'll shape our future efforts, whether creating more advanced resources, running similar campaigns for other projects, or even devising training programs to further empower the community. Our journey doesn't end here; we'll be just getting going!!

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

Our team members have held senior roles in world-class marketing and advertising agencies (ex-CEO McCann, ex-Creative Director Ogilvy, etc) and been responsible for managing substantial budgets, often to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Financial oversight is not taken lightly.

To manage funds for this project, we will maintain a transparent accounting process. We'll be implementing regular audits and share the reports with the community as part of our open source documentation. This way, you won't just see where the funds are going, but also how they are fueling the progress of the projects

We're not just here to deliver a project; we're here to set an example for how projects should be managed within the Cardano ecosystem.

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

Our project is focused on concrete, achievable objectives, and we're enthusiastic about the potential impact on the Cardano ecosystem.

1. Elevate Selected Projects: The first target is to significantly enhance the presence of the three chosen Cardano projects via bespoke branding and marketing campaigns. Why is this viable? Our team has successfully done this for many brands across diverse industries. We anticipate a 50% increase in essential engagement metrics, like website traffic, social media interactions, and new user registrations within 2 months after launching the campaign.
2. Generate and Distribute Open-Source Resources: Our second aim is to develop open-source marketing guides, reference materials, and templates specifically tailored for Cardano projects. We believe this is achievable based on our team's wealth of experience in crafting such resources. Success here will be measured by the uptake and application of these resources within the Cardano community.
3. Enhance Branding and Marketing Standards in Cardano: This third goal, while more subjective, is critical. We want to see improved branding and marketing efforts across the Cardano ecosystem. Our confidence in this comes from the transformation we've witnessed in other industries when equipped with the right resources. Though harder to quantify, positive community feedback and noticeable improvements in marketing quality will serve as indicators of success.
4. Expand the Cardano Community: Finally, we aim to catalyze growth within the Cardano community itself. Given the potential of well-marketed projects to attract users and developers, we're confident that our efforts can contribute to community expansion.

As for execution strategy, we have marketing experts on board who have led and delivered successful campaigns in the past. We'll utilize tried-and-true strategies, modifying them to suit each project. By closely monitoring the performance and adapting in real-time, we're confident our project goals are not only viable but likely to exceed expectations.

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.

Milestone 1: Gearing Up (2 months)

• Tasks: Establishing our operational frameworks, setting up communication channels such as blogs and vlogs, and rolling out our inaugural open call. Assessing submissions and picking our first project based on potential and fit.
• Indicators of Success: A well-equipped project management setup, a comprehensive strategy for the first open call, effectively launched communication channels, and the selection of the first project.

Milestone 2: Unveiling the First Success (3 months)

• Month 1: Engaging with the selected project's team, crafting a bespoke branding and marketing blueprint, seeking feedback and approval, and scheduling the campaign.
• Month 2-3: Running the marketing campaign for the first project, gathering data on performance, and measuring the campaign's success.
• Indicators of Success: Successfully executed marketing campaign for the first project, underpinned by the collection and analysis of performance metrics.

Milestone 3: Scaling up to Two Projects (3 months)

• Month 1: Releasing parallel open calls for the second and third projects, sifting through applications, and choosing the next two projects that align with our mission.
• Month 2: Collaborating with the chosen projects' teams, developing tailored branding and marketing roadmaps, collating feedback and getting approval, and programming the campaigns.
• Month 3: Launching the marketing initiatives for the second and third projects concurrently, collating performance data, and assessing the impact of the campaigns.
• Indicators of Success: Successful launch and completion of marketing campaigns for the second and third projects, underlined by the collection and analysis of performance indicators.

Milestone 4: Concluding with Comprehensive Documentation (2 month)

• Tasks: Aggregating experiences and insights from all three campaigns, generating open-source marketing guidebooks, reference documents, and templates.
• Indicators of Success: A well-documented and comprehensive suite of open-source marketing resources tailor-made for Cardano projects.

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

Milestone 1: Gearing Up (2 months)

• Tasks: Establish project management frameworks, set up communication channels such as blogs and vlogs, and roll out the inaugural open call. Assess submissions and pick the first project based on potential and fit.
• Deliverables: A project management setup, a comprehensive strategy for the first open call, operational communication channels, and a detailed report of the selection process for the first project.
• Intended Outcomes: Smooth project initiation and effective communication channels. Identification and selection of the first project that aligns with our mission and has the potential for maximum impact.
• Progress Measures: Successful setup of project infrastructure, launch of open call, number of submissions received, and successful selection of the first project.

Milestone 2: Unveiling the First Success (3 months)

• Month 1: Engage with the selected project's team, create a bespoke branding and marketing blueprint, seek feedback and approval, and schedule the campaign.
• Month 2-3: Run the marketing campaign for the first project, gather data on performance, and measure the campaign's success.
• Deliverables: A customized branding and marketing strategy for the first project, executed marketing campaign, and a detailed performance report.
• Intended Outcomes: Successful marketing campaign enhancing the visibility and impact of the first project, valuable insights for future campaigns.
• Progress Measures: Completion and approval of the marketing strategy, successful execution of the campaign, and qualitative and quantitative measures of the campaign's success.

Milestone 3: Scaling up to Two Projects (3 months)

• Month 1: Release parallel open calls for the second and third projects, sift through applications, and choose the next two projects.
• Month 2: Collaborate with the chosen projects' teams, develop tailored branding and marketing roadmaps, collate feedback and get approval, and program the campaigns.
• Month 3: Launch the marketing initiatives for the second and third projects concurrently, collate performance data, and assess the impact of the campaigns.
• Deliverables: Selection reports for the second and third projects, customized branding and marketing strategies for both projects, executed marketing campaigns, and detailed performance reports.
• Intended Outcomes: Successful marketing campaigns for the second and third projects, enhancing their visibility and impact, and gathering more insights for future initiatives.
• Progress Measures: Selection of the second and third projects, completion and approval of the marketing strategies, successful execution of the campaigns, and qualitative and quantitative measures of campaign success.

Milestone 4: Concluding with Comprehensive Documentation (2 months)

• Tasks: Aggregate experiences and insights from all three campaigns, generate open-source marketing guidebooks, reference documents, and templates.
• Deliverables: Comprehensive open-source marketing guidebooks, reference documents, and templates, along with the detailed documentation of campaign processes, strategies, and outcomes.
• Intended Outcomes: A suite of practical, open-source marketing resources specifically tailored for Cardano projects and a valuable record of insights and lessons from the campaigns.
• Progress Measures: Completion of open-source resources, amount and quality of documentation produced, and feedback from Cardano project developers who use these resources.

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

Milestone 1: Preparation (2 months)

• Project Management: ₳44,850
• Setting up project frameworks: ₳22,450
• Preparing call for submissions: ₳22,450
• Content Creation: ₳22,450
• Setting up blog and video blog frameworks: ₳11,250
• Initial promotional content: ₳11,250
• Documentation: ₳11,250
• Documentation of set-up process: ₳11,250
• Promotion & Community Engagement: ₳44,850
• Initial promotional campaigns: ₳44,850
• Reporting: ₳11,250
• Initial report to community: ₳11,250

Total: ₳134,650

Milestone 2: First Project (3 months)

• Project Management: ₳33,700
• Managing the selection process: ₳11,250
• Overseeing marketing strategy creation: ₳11,250
• Supervising campaign execution: ₳11,250
• Content Creation: ₳22,450
• Creating branding and marketing strategy: ₳22,450
• Execution: ₳44,850
• Implementing marketing campaign: ₳44,850
• Documentation: ₳11,250
• Documenting strategy and execution process: ₳11,250
• Reporting: ₳11,250
• Monthly reports to community: ₳11,250

Total: ₳123,500

Milestone 3: Second and Third Projects (3 months)

• Project Management: ₳44,850
• Managing the selection process for two projects: ₳22,450
• Overseeing marketing strategy creation for two projects: ₳11,250
• Supervising campaign execution for two projects: ₳11,250
• Content Creation: ₳33,700
• Creating branding and marketing strategy for two projects: ₳33,700
• Execution: ₳67,400
• Implementing marketing campaign for two projects: ₳67,400
• Documentation: ₳22,450
• Documenting strategy and execution process for two projects: ₳22,450
• Reporting: ₳22,450
• Monthly reports to community: ₳22,450

Total: ₳190,850

Milestone 4: Compilation (2 months)

• Project Management: ₳22,450
• Overseeing the compilation process: ₳22,450
• Content Creation: ₳22,450
• Creating final content: ₳22,450
• Documentation: ₳22,450
• Compiling all documentation, creating guidebooks, and setting up the repository: ₳22,450
• Reporting: ₳22,450
• Final report to community: ₳22,450

Total: ₳89,800

Grand Total: ₳538,800

Funding already committed from Monet Media: ₳150,000

Funding sought from Catalyst: ₳388,000

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

Ben Lightfoot is an advertising, branding and marketing executive with more than 25 years experience in creative and leadership roles with global agencies, including roles as Managing Director of Ogilvy, CEO of McCann and CEO of Group Publicis | Saatchi and Saatchi. Ben will lead the overall vision and execution of the project.

Dee Boshoff is South African a digital marketing expert and blockchain enthusiast who spent a decade studying, living and working in Asia with a leading digital marketing agency. Dee is also a senior editor with the Monet Society. Dee will lead project communications and documentation.

Dea Febriani is a seasoned HR executive earned a bachelors degree in Organisational Psychology via Fulbright Scholarship. Dea currently leads Indonesian based digital marketing agency Ka-Bloom as Managing Director. Dea will oversee project management and resourcing for the proposal.

Lia Ellyhan is a creative marketing and multi disciplinary designer with 10+ years of experience working with agency clients in highly technical roles. Lia will support the proposal overseeing design, development and production of creative marketing collateral and communications.

David Harris is a Canadian entrepreneur and investor. He spent 20 years in Asia as a founder, executive and investor with startups in event management, digital marketing, e-Commerce, media and blockchain industries. David will support the project leading strategy, planning and business development.

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

Quality brand and advertising agencies would charge substantially more than $200,000 for 3 branding and marketing campaigns. We are proposing to not just execute on marketing campaigns but also create a lasting impact on the Cardano ecosystem, empowering the community with knowledge, systems and tools for effective branding and marketing.

The cost breakdown was determined based on the years of experience in our team and industry standards. The project management, content creation, and marketing services are being delivered by professionals who have worked with prestigious agencies such as Ogilvy, Saatchi and Saatchi, McCann, and have managed budgets from shoestring 'mom and pop' shop campaigns to millions of dollars for MNC's. The rates quoted reflect a substantial discount to the expertise and the quality of work we aim to deliver.

Our project represents a much-needed resource for the Cardano ecosystem - a space where marketing expertise has been identified as a gap. By making this investment, Cardano will be equipping its community with the tools needed to compete in the wider market effectively. This will not only benefit the individual projects but also boost the overall visibility and reputation of the Cardano ecosystem.

Also, the project’s long-term impact and potential to attract more developers and projects to the Cardano ecosystem make this a worthy investment. The open-source resources we produce will continue to serve the community long after the project ends, offering ongoing value for the investment. Further, the successful marketing campaigns we execute will serve as practical examples, inspiring and guiding other projects in their marketing efforts.

Given these factors, we firmly believe that our project offers excellent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem.