Hands-On Marketing in Addis Ababa

Engage community via information sessions at local tech hubs
Hang posters and hand out flyers with specifics on upcoming Catalyst rounds

We're doing this already (see pics)
Connections across business and developer communities in Addis Ababa
10 years experience in Ethiopia

We will run a targeted multi-platform marketing campaign, including in person information sessions, virtual meetings, posters, flyers, social media, and traditional media. The key will be face-to-face engagement with developers at IceAddis, IOHK, BlueMoon, Addis Ababa University, and other developer communities in Addis Ababa. We will host formal and informal education sessions to educate the community about Project Catalyst. We will demonstrate exactly how to get registered and submit proposals, as well as the community interaction tools on the Project Catalyst website and related Discord channels.

The Catalyst funding will show the community tangible proof of the positive outcomes possible from a good idea coupled with hard work and dedication.

You can see from the photos attached below, and the fact that I met my first teammate, Mearaf, at IceAddis, that I am already doing this, and it's working! However, we need more time to be able to reach more people and to show them how easy it is to get involved. I also want to expand beyond just IceAddis. There are several disparate developer communities in Ethiopia, and with a little funding we can reach all of them!

UPDATE April 19, 2021: Our early efforts are already paying off, and I have now expanded my team to include Nebiyou and Nathan, both of whom had never been to IceAddis previously. We are already building bridges and connecting the various tech niches in Addis Ababa!

Measures of success

• Number of proposals in F7 and F8 which list one our team members as the referrer or co-submitter
• Goal: 3 or more successful proposals across F7 and F8, directly inspired by our campaign
  After 3 months, we should see results from F6, and know if our early efforts were successful (based on the number of successful proposals directly inspired by our campaign)
  After 6 months, we will see the results from F7.
  After 9 months we will see the results from F8.
  After 12 months, we will integrate this marketing campaign into one of our successful partner projects.

Documentation Plan

• Share photos of our activities (passing out flyers, informal discussions) on social media
• Capture video of our formal presentations and share them on YouTube

Target Launch Date: April 29, 2021

• We are now planning our first event for April 29: Watch Party for the Cardano Africa event!
• Details are TBD, but this will likely be held at IceAddis, thanks to Mearaf's existing connections there
• The Cardano Africa show starts at 19:30 Addis Ababa time on Thursday, April 29

Note this proposal effort is kicking off before voting and funding will happen for F5, because we are committed to engaging the local community prior to F6, and we feel the Cardano Africa event is a perfect kick off for our efforts here in Ethiopia.

Budget (updated to reduce expense estimates)

• Social media ads: $750
• Printing posters and flyers: $400
• Traditional media: $300
• Meetup Pro: $120
• Part-time salaries: $3000