Next Trend LAB: Empowering Cardano through Top Social Media Influencers

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Abdulrahman Abdulbasit Adigun

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will engage top African influencers to promote Cardano, sparking interest in blockchain adoption across the continent.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependency

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All contents will be available on our social platform and can be used for Cardano promotional purposes at any time by anyone.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Despite substantial investments totaling $79 million through Project Catalyst, the Cardano Blockchain struggles to achieve mass adoption, facing barriers to effectively reaching and engaging a broader audience. While funding over 1600 innovative ideas, the ecosystem grapples with the challenge of translating technical brilliance into widespread user adoption and community building. Despite generous investments in developer pools, essential aspects of user acquisition and community engagement receive comparatively less attention, hindering the realization of Cardano's full potential.

The Cardano ecosystem's stagnation in community growth is evident, with the global community plateauing at approximately 69,000 members since its inception in 2018, as reported from the project catalyst's official website. Emerging layer 2 solutions like Taiko, on the other hand, have rapidly garnered over 1.3 million members since their launch in 2022, underscoring the need for a strategic approach to marketing and community development within the Cardano ecosystem. As promising projects within the ecosystem struggle to gain traction and engage users, it becomes clear that a robust strategy to enhance visibility and foster community growth is imperative for Cardano's sustained success.

Despite the proliferation of innovative ideas funded through Project Catalyst, the Cardano Blockchain faces a critical challenge in converting these investments into tangible outcomes, such as increased user adoption and community engagement. While tools like the Smart Contract Audit Token offer valuable insights, their impact remains limited without a vibrant user base to utilize and benefit from them. With Next Trend LAB's proposal to leverage social media influencers, particularly on TikTok, there's an opportunity to address these challenges and propel Cardano towards its vision of widespread adoption and decentralized governance.

SOLUTION

We propose leveraging the power of social media influencers, specifically targeting the top influencers in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco. These influencers will help bridge the gap between Cardano and African communities, increasing awareness and fostering interest in blockchain technology. We have targeted top influencers from the mentioned countries according to their interest and participation in the crypto market, as reported in 2023 by CoinGecko. Targeting Africa is an experiment to test the effectiveness of the approach before expanding to engage top influencers across the world.

Our solution focuses on engaging top TikTok influencers in Africa due to the platform's immense popularity among the youth demographic. With TikTok being one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in Africa, especially among the younger generation, it presents a unique opportunity to reach a vast audience of potential Cardano users. By collaborating with TikTok influencers, we can tap into their influence and creativity to create content that resonates with the youth, educating them about the potential of Cardano and blockchain technology in a format that they enjoy and understand.

Moreover, TikTok's algorithm prioritizes content that is engaging and authentic, making it an ideal platform for grassroots-level community building. Through compelling content created by influencers, live programs, and events, we can effectively capture the attention of the youth audience and ignite their interest in Cardano. By leveraging TikTok's interactive features and viral nature, we can encourage active participation and dialogue within the Next Trend LAB community, fostering a sense of belonging and ownership among youth users.

Furthermore, focusing on TikTok influencers allows us to establish a strong presence in the digital space where young Africans spend a significant amount of their time. By directing youth engagement efforts towards TikTok, we can seamlessly integrate them into the broader Cardano community across all social media platforms. This strategic approach not only drives immediate interest and adoption but also lays the foundation for long-term engagement and growth within the Cardano ecosystem.

IMPACT

To demonstrate our impact, Next Trend LAB will create its TikTok account with zero engagement and followers. We will measure our impact by tracking the growth of our TikTok following on a monthly basis. Additionally, we will direct our followers to join Next Trend LAB Discord servers, Project Catalyst servers, and Telegram, as well as follow us on all other social media platforms where Cardano has a presence. This approach will allow us to gauge not only the growth of our TikTok audience but also their engagement and integration into the broader Cardano community.

UNIQUE VALUE PROPORTION

What sets our solution apart is its focus on leveraging TikTok influencers to target young individuals in Africa, a demographic highly active on the platform. This approach uniquely addresses the issue of low awareness of the Cardano blockchain among potential users. By capturing the attention of these individuals, we create a marketplace for funded projects on the Cardano blockchain to promote their products and services. This surge in engagement and usage benefits these projects directly by expanding their user base and increasing adoption rates. Ultimately, this initiative is crucial for Cardano as it fosters broader awareness and utilization of the blockchain, aligning with its goal of achieving mass adoption and establishing a thriving ecosystem.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Our project will have a significant positive impact on the wider Cardano community by expanding awareness, engagement, and adoption of the blockchain, particularly among young individuals in Africa.

We will measure this impact quantitatively by tracking metrics such as the increase in followers on Next Trend LAB's TikTok account, as well as qualitatively by assessing the level of interest and engagement generated among the audience.

We aim to achieve the following in measurable terms in the next three months of our partnership with influencers on either the contents we post or the live programs we do.

Organic content views per day = 5000 views

Organic content likes per day = 2000 likes

Organic content shares per day = 500 shares

Live program Stream = 1000 streams per events

Next Trend LAB Organic follower in the next three months of Partnership on our TikTok page = 10,000 followers

The success of our solution will bring value to the Cardano community by creating a vibrant ecosystem of users and developers who are actively involved and engaged with the blockchain. Increased awareness and adoption will attract more projects to build on Cardano, enhancing its overall ecosystem and utility, because we will focus more on workshops to align our audience's creative ideas with the Cardano blockchain's potential.

To measure impact, we will track the growth of our TikTok followers and engagement metrics over time, alongside qualitative feedback from the community regarding their awareness and understanding of Cardano. We will also monitor the conversion rate of followers directed to join Next Trend LAB Discord servers, Project Catalyst servers, Telegram, and other social media platforms related to Cardano.

We will share our outputs and opportunities through regular progress reports, including metrics on follower growth and engagement, as well as testimonials and feedback from the community. Additionally, we will collaborate with Cardano community leaders and influencers to amplify our message and reach a broader audience. This will ensure that the benefits of our project are widely communicated and accessible to all stakeholders within the Cardano community.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Next Trend LAB is a collaborative initiative focused on researching, discussing, and implementing innovative solutions in various fields, including economics, governance, education, and technology, with a particular emphasis on blockchain and artificial intelligence. Comprised of a diverse team of 39 members, Next Trend LAB aims to empower individuals and communities by exploring new pathways to address existing challenges and drive positive change.

In the context of our proposal, Next Trend LAB plays a crucial role in identifying market gaps and developing solutions to enhance the Cardano ecosystem's awareness and adoption. Through extensive research and analysis, we identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies and new approaches, such as the pay-per-objective model for social media marketing that we also proposed on Project Catalyst. Our team's collective expertise and experience, particularly in digital marketing and community development, enable us to propose and implement innovative strategies to propel Cardano towards its vision of widespread adoption and decentralized governance.

While Next Trend LAB is an existing initiative, our proposal represents a focused effort to apply our research and expertise specifically to address the challenges faced by the Cardano ecosystem. By leveraging our collective knowledge and resources, we aim to create impactful solutions that benefit the broader community and contribute to the sustainable growth and success of Cardano.

As a new brand to Project Catalyst we have written two medium post to explain the two proposal we submitted, we plan to write more medium post to talk more about Cardano Blockchain and its potential. The first one is on this proposal and the second one is for our other proposal.

The feasibility of our solution is validated by the expertise of our main applicant, Abdulrahman Abdulbasit Adigun, who possesses a deep understanding of the TikTok algorithm for organic brand growth.

With plans to create a PR team of 20 individuals from the Next Trend community to generate engaging content about Cardano's potential, facilitated by top influencers in targeted African countries, our approach is poised for success. Additionally, our team includes an established content creator, called Trylips, with 1.8 million followers on TikTok, 712k followers on Facebook, 112k followers on Instagram, and 225k subscribers on Youtube, totaling a significant number of about 3 million followers across all social media platforms, ensuring effective engagement with influencers and audiences. With these resources and strategies in place, our solution is 99.9% feasible, This implies that at least 2 of our educational contents about cardano potential created by Trylips or from our PR team will be posted on Trylips main social pages per months. With this, the contents will have the potential to reach over 2 million people.

Furthermore, to ensure community participation and engagement, we will conduct a monthly content creation contest for about 5 months, for which we budgeted 10K ADA. After a series of live events to educate our audience about Cardano's potential, participants will be encouraged to create creative short video content depicting the blockchain's potential. This contest will incentivize audience involvement, as participants can bring or refer friends and relatives to vote for their entries. Through these initiatives, we aim to foster a vibrant and engaged community passionate about Cardano's growth and success.

As a brand dedicated to promoting and empowering the Cardano blockchain, Next Trend LAB plans to introduce a utility token. Holders of this token will gain access to our products and services, further enhancing engagement with the Cardano ecosystem. Additionally, the token will serve as a reward for community members who delegate their ADA to our stake pool. A portion of the stake pool rewards will be reinvested in this proposal initiatives, ensuring sustainable growth beyond Project Catalyst funding. This long-term approach guarantees continued support for the Cardano community and reinforces our commitment to its success.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

2 MONTHS

Establishment of Online Presence: Create an official website for Next Trend LAB, set up the community space on Discord and Telegram, and create social media pages.

Acceptance criteria: launch of a functional website with essential information about Next Trend LAB, successful setup and customization of community spaces on Discord and Telegram, and creation of active social media pages on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Engage Top Influencers: secure partnerships with at least 3 top TikTok influencers with a minimum of 1 million followers in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.

Acceptance criteria: signed agreements with influencers and initial content creation.

1 MONTH

PR Team Onboarding: Recruit and onboard 20 PR teams across Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco. Each member of the team will be responsible for creating a minimum of 3 contents per month.

Acceptance criteria: successful recruitment and training of 20 PR teams, establishment of content creation guidelines, and commencement of regular content production as per the set targets to be posted on the Next Trend LAB TikTok page.

Content Creation and Distribution: Develop engaging content promoting Cardano's potential and distribute it across TikTok and other social media platforms.

Acceptance criteria: regular posting schedule established, content creation contest initiated.

Live Events for Blockchain Education: organize live events to educate the audience about the potential of blockchain and Cardano, leveraging the influence of influencers to host at least two events per month.

Acceptance criteria: scheduling and coordinating at least two events, developing engaging content, promoting events across platforms, ensuring smooth execution, collecting attendee feedback, archiving event recordings, and evaluating the impact on community engagement and interest in Cardano.

2 MONTHS

Monthly Content Creation Contest: launch and manage monthly content creation contests to encourage user participation and engagement.

Acceptance criteria: increased participation and positive feedback from the community.

Content Creation and Distribution: develop engaging content promoting Cardano's potential and distribute it across TikTok and other social media platforms.

Acceptance criteria: regular posting schedule established, content creation contest initiated.

Live Events for Blockchain Education: organize live events to educate the audience about the potential of blockchain and Cardano, leveraging the influence of influencers to host at least two events per month.

Acceptance criteria: scheduling and coordinating at least two events, developing engaging content, promoting events across platforms, ensuring smooth execution, collecting attendee feedback, archiving event recordings, and evaluating the impact on community engagement and interest in Cardano.

Monthly Content Creation Contest: launch and manage monthly content creation contests to encourage user participation and engagement.

Acceptance criteria: increased participation and positive feedback from the community.

Content Creation and Distribution: Develop engaging content promoting Cardano's potential and distribute it across TikTok and other social media platforms.

Acceptance criteria: regular posting schedule established, content creation contest initiated.

Live Events for Blockchain Education: organize live events to educate the audience about the potential of blockchain and Cardano, leveraging the influence of influencers to host at least two events per month.

Acceptance criteria: scheduling and coordinating at least two events, developing engaging content, promoting events across platforms, ensuring smooth execution, collecting attendee feedback, archiving event recordings, and evaluating the impact on community engagement and interest in Cardano.

Final Milestone: Create a comprehensive project close-out report detailing all successful milestones achieved throughout the project duration. Additionally, produce a project close-out video summarizing key achievements and highlighting the impact on the Cardano community.

Acceptance Criteria: detailed descriptions of achieved milestones, including dates, objectives, outcomes, and challenges faced. The report would analyze the overall impact of the project on promoting Cardano, with metrics such as increased community engagement and social media reach. The video would effectively summarize key highlights and success stories. Both the report and video would be published and accessible through official channels, with stakeholder feedback incorporated for completeness.

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

Abdulrahman Abdulbasit Adigun - Project Lead

Abdulrahman Abdulbasit Adigun is the founder of Next Trend LAB, a visionary entrepreneur with a passion for blockchain and AI innovation. With over 7 years of experience in graphic and product design, Abdulrahman has led numerous successful projects in the tech industry. As a remote collaboration advocate, he champions the use of technology to bridge distances and foster global connections. His leadership skills, coupled with his expertise in design and technology, make him the ideal project lead for driving forward the Next Trend LAB initiative. LinkedIn Profile

Mubarak Oladimeji - Content Writer and Discord Moderator

Mubarak Oladimeji is a seasoned freelance content writer and experienced Discord moderator. With a knack for crafting engaging and informative content, Mubarak brings creativity and professionalism to every project he undertakes. His expertise in community moderation ensures smooth and constructive interactions within online communities. As a valuable member of the team, Mubarak plays a crucial role in content creation and community management for Next Trend LAB. His role extends to content management and distribution across our social media platforms. LinkedIn Profile

Alawode Usman - Graphic and Product Designer

Alawode Usman is a highly skilled graphic and product designer with over 8 years of experience in the industry. As a freelancer, he has worked on various projects, creating branded materials and promotional flyers to enhance brand visibility and engagement. Alawode's creative flair and attention to detail make him a valuable asset to the Next Trend LAB team, where he focuses on designing visually appealing and impactful assets to support brand promotion efforts. Instagram Profile

Trylips - Social Media Content Creator

Trylips is a successful social media content creator with a massive following of over 2 million across various platforms. Known for his engaging content and influencer connections, Trylips plays a pivotal role in facilitating partnerships and engagements with top influencers in Africa. His ability to leverage social media to drive awareness and engagement makes him an invaluable member of the Next Trend LAB team, where he focuses on expanding the project's reach and impact. TikTok Profile

We will utilize the paid version of Capcut for professional-grade video editing, ensuring high-quality content distribution across social media platforms. Additionally, we will contract a skilled website designer to create and maintain our official website.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Budget Breakdown:

Establishment of Online Presence:

• Website Development: 2,000 ADA
• Community Space Setup (Discord, Telegram): 500 ADA
• Social Media Page Creation (TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram): 500 ADA

Engage Top Influencers:

• Partnership Agreements: 45,000 ADA
• Initial content creation: 5,000 ADA

PR Team Onboarding:

• Recruitment and Training: 1,000 ADA
• Content Creation Guidelines: 20,000 ADA = 200 ADA per month for each PR team of 20 for 5 months.

Content Creation and Distribution:

• Content Creation Tools and Software: 1,000 ADA
• Content Distribution: 1,000 ADA

Live Events for Blockchain Education:

• Event Hosting Fees: 8,000 ADA = 2000 ADA per months for 4 months
• Content Creation for Events: 1,000 ADA = 250 ADA per months for 4 months

Monthly Content Creation Contest:

• Contest Management: 2,500 ADA = 500 ADA per month for 5 months
• Prize Allocation: 10,000 ADA = 2000 ADA per month for 5 months

Project Close-out Report and Video:

• Report Compilation: 1,500 ADA
• Video Production: 1,000 ADA

Total Budget: 100,000 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Our proposal for engaging top African influencers to drive brand awareness for Cardano blockchain represents a strategic and cost-effective approach to maximizing the impact of our budget. Through extensive market research, we have identified the average cost of partnering with macro influencers across five African countries, with followers ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000. The average cost for such partnerships ranges from $1200 to $2500 per post on their main page.

To ensure broad reach and sustained engagement, we have budgeted 50,000 ADA, equivalent to $17,500 at an average price of ADA to be $0.35 considering ADA price volatility, to partner with these influencers. This allocation allows us to collaborate with influencers in each of the five countries, with each influencer posting two pieces of content per month for a duration of five months on their main TikTok page. By leveraging our team's internal influencer, we will be able to secure a favorable rate of $350 – $650 per post, resulting in a total of $700 - $1300 for at least 2 posts per month for the influencer's contributions.

Comparing our proposed budget of $17,500 to the expected expenditure of $60,000 for influencer marketing over the same duration, our approach demonstrates a significant cost-saving of 29%. This substantial reduction in expenses while maintaining a robust influencer marketing strategy underscores the value and efficiency of our proposal. By optimizing our resources and leveraging internal expertise, we ensure that the Cardano treasury's investment yields maximum impact in driving awareness and adoption of the Cardano blockchain across Africa.

Our budget allocation for influencer marketing reflects a strategic and prudent approach, delivering exceptional value for money and demonstrating our commitment to maximizing the impact of every ADA invested by the Cardano community.

The same market research applied to the remaining 50K ADA allocated funds.

https://www.shopify.com/ng/blog/influencer-pricing