Team: Marketing
Operations Cycle: 5
Period: November 1, 2021 - January 31, 2022
Amount Requested: 222,563.89 USDC
Destination: api3m.eth
Scope
Cycle 5 is about driving Airnode adoption. When Cycle 4 began we hadn’t announced any API providers. Now we have more than 150 API providers committed to serving APIs with Airnode, many of which are already integrated. Now the fun can begin.
As developers are beginning to build with Airnode, we’ll have an opportunity to showcase the power of first-party oracles on a very public stage at first Bitcoin Bankathon, featuring Banco Hipotecario de El Salvador, API3, Open Bank Project, Sovryn, and Qredo. As the first big Bitcoin-focused hackathon in El Salvador since the law that went into effect on September 7th recognizing Bitcoin as legal tender, this event aims to build open banking solutions on Bitcoin and increase financial inclusion. And that’s just November.
Our marketing efforts in Cycle 5 intend to build and support the API3 developer community, increase brand awareness with our target users, and educate the public on why Airnode, the first-party oracle, is the future of Web3 connectivity.
With Cycle 5 we begin moving toward a more granular approach to marketing proposals. The API3 Marketing team will be responsible for core tasks such as marketing vision, management, leadership, alignment, and basic operations. But specific efforts will be be broken out into separate, more granular marketing project proposals. These project proposals will enable more decision making participation by the DAO and will help ensure that efforts keep focused and are accountable for specific deliverables. An example of this more granular approach is the University Group Governance proposal put forth by BlockVenture which is being managed and supported by the API3 Marketing team but is separate from this proposal.
Budget
Amount (USDC) | |
---|---|
Grants | 138,300.00 |
Estimated Expenses | 164,000.00 |
Previous Cycle | -79,736.11 |
Total | 222,563.89 |
Grants & Expenses
Cycle 4 was more conservative that we expected. In support of API3’s commitment to build Airnode right rather than rush it out the door, we chose to hold off on anticipated expenses and instead carry a sizable budget over into Cycle 5.
Cycle 4 was a blessing as it allowed us to learn and optimize the team composition so that we can operate leaner and make room to create new roles that will help drive Airnode adoption in Cycle 5.
As a result of these factors, the marketing grant requested for Cycle 5 is reduced from Cycle 4.
Monthly Grants
Member | Roles | Hours/Week | Monthly (USDC) |
---|---|---|---|
Ryan | Marketing Manager | 40+ | 4,375 |
Ben | Growth Lead / Partnerships | 40+ | 6,800 |
Ugur | Social Lead / Events | 40+ | 3,750 |
Marcus | Community Lead / Germany | 40+ | 5,000 |
Midhav | Market Intelligence / Community | 40+ | 3,200 |
Auvi | IT / Community | 40+ | 3,200 |
Brian | Developer Relations | 20+ | 4,375 |
Manu | Social / Communications | 10+ | 2,000 |
Typto+ | China / Community | 20+ | 4,500 |
Andres+ | LatAm & Spanish / Community | 20+ | 3,200 |
Kyros | Vietnam / Community | 20+ | 3,200 |
BlockVenture | University | 15+ | 2,500 |
Monthly Total | 46,100 | ||
Cycle Total | 138,300 |
Estimated Expenses
Purpose | Amount (USDC) |
---|---|
Advertising & Promotion | 20,000 |
Public Relations | 45,000 |
Content | 30,000 |
Events | 45,000 |
SWAG | 12,000 |
Administrative* | 10,000 |
Transaction Fees | 2,000 |
Total | 164,000 |
* A portion of Administrative intended to hire an administrative assistant for the marketing team.
Roles & Responsibilities
Ryan - Marketing Manager
Deliverables
- Accountable for overall marketing team performance
- Develop and execute marketing strategy
- Brand and content development and guidance
- Identify gaps and inefficiencies in team composition and adjust as needed
- Support all marketing team members
- Marketing team administration and finance
- Marketing team monthly and cycle reporting
Ben - Growth Lead / Partnerships
In order to increase utilization of the Web3 infrastructure we are building, API3 must be understood and adopted by stakeholders in the ecosystem. Ben’s focus is to engage, partner with, and leverage on & off-chain communities as a dynamic flywheel between marketing & commercial efforts.
Growth / Partnerships Deliverables
- Facilitate the growth of the developer community
- Develop an overarching strategy to market the API catalogue to software development communities, delivering an appropriate communications platform & creative identity attuned to the developer target audience.
- Commence, organize & implement purposeful hackathons, where possible led by API3, working closely with the now established hackathon team, building on Cycle 4’s momentum.
- Support the building of functional developer tooling.
- Develop and support strategic partnerships
- Engage organizations with audiences aligned to the software engineering community and deliver frameworks for a long term, mutually beneficial, partnerships.
- Establish working relationships with current partners and execute on marketing activities, coordinating creative, digital & PR resources accordingly.
- Embed the API3 catalogue into platforms where appropriate.
- Promote API3 Alliance members to Web3
- Develop a partner marketing program and execute by working closely with API Partners to raise their profile in conjunction with product launches.
- Work to establish a content engine to support these activities.
- Explore & execute on ad-hoc opportunities for API Partner engagement for example participating in hackathons or innovation workshops.
- Manage API Partner focused updates.
- Growth marketing
- Optimize inbound funnels liaising with operations to store & measure appropriately.
- Continue to develop the API3 brand presence on relevant publications.
- Support on the execution of digital products throughout the API3 ecosystem.
- Support the efforts of developer advocacy.
- Coordinate suppliers to support this activity.
- Facilitate community participation with the DAO via co-ordinating the submission of proposals to the DAO
- Exploring & supporting opportunities for external submissions to the DAO.
Ugur - Social Lead / Events
Social Media Lead
In Cycle 4 we increased Twitter activity from Cycle 3 and achieved positive results.
In Cycle 5 we intend to further increase activity on Twitter and LinkedIn. Example activities include:
- Create posts/threads that highlight cornerstones of API3
- Like/share selected content from community members
- Seek out and participate in relevant discussions such as APIs, oracles, DAOs, and open banking
We expect to a) create more content that the community can share and get circulating across multiple channels and b) create more engagement overall.
Social Media Deliverables
- Further increase tracked metrics on Twitter and LinkedIn to the extent possible while focusing on quality over quantity by dedicating more time to social media.
- Utilize social media to drive visitors to API3-owned platforms such as our website, discord, and forum to feed and grow the API3 community.
- Formalize use of social media monitoring tools such as Awario, Orbit, and TweetDeck to efficiently identify opportunities.
- Provide meaningful monthly reports on social media performance.
Event Planning
ETHDenver is one of the biggest Web3 conferences in North America and is hosting a hackathon with heavy expected participation, thus exposure to developers and projects. We intend to have a significant presence at ETHDenver. Despite the event itself being after the cycle (February 2022), preparation must be done during Cycle 5.
We’re also planning on being present at Solana Breakpoint in Lisbon, as well as participate in Virtual Events like the European Blockchain Convention and APIdays.
Events Deliverables
- Significant presence at ETHDenver
- Attendance at other planned conferences
Marcus - Community Lead / Germany
Community Lead
In Cycle 4 we designated the API3 Discord and Forum as the primary channels for community engagement. The Forum was new in Cycle 4 and was being bootstrapped. The Discord saw a signifiant increase in new members and message activity.
In Cycle 5 we intend to further increase activity on these platforms. As the objective of Cycle 5 is to build the API3 developer community, a priority will be given to activities that increase Web3 developer engagement.
Community Deliverables
- Further increase membership and activity on the API3 Discord and Forum
- Run regular community initiatives and bounties to increase community engagement
- Build relationships with complimentary Web3 development communities
- Plan the production and distribution of API3 merchandise
- Organize community calls and interactive community events
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
- Contribute community content to monthly marketing reports
German Language
German Language Deliverables
- Translate and produce API3 content to German language
- Publish content through German media platforms
Midhav - Market Intelligence / Community Support
Market Intelligence
The Web3 oracle space is relatively new but it would be naive to assume we are without competition. Even when API3 is clearly the better technical solution it is crucial to be aware of and keep a pulse on competitors, market opportunities, and perceived value.
In Cycle 5 we will have a dedicated market intelligence role dedicated to providing Web3 oracle market intelligence and competitor research.
Market Intelligence Deliverables
- Identify key API3 competitors. Research and monitor their market position, differentiators, technical achievements, and perceived value.
- Identify market opportunities were API3 has an advantage and is well positioned to win.
- Recommend strategies and actions that will put API3 in a better position to compete and take advantage of opportunities.
- Publish bi-weekly market intelligence reports for the API3 team, DAO, and community to stay up to date on API3’s market.
Community Support
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
Auvi - IT / Community Support
IT Administration
As the marketing team has advanced we have come to rely on a growing number of IT systems and services. We have a reached a point where we need to dedicate someone to administrating them.
IT Administration Deliverables
- Marketing system administration
- Marketing data collection and reporting
- API3 Alliance new member announcements
Community Support
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
Brian - Developer Relations / Community Support
Developer Relations
Web3 developers are a key target user profile for API3 and are the focus of this cycle. In Cycle 5 we are adding a dedicated developer relations role to manage developer engagement and support activities.
Developer Relations Deliverables
- Lead Web3 developer relations and evangelism
- Manage developer activities such as hackathons and developer education
- Maintain active communication between marketing team and core technical team
- Contribute developer content to monthly marketing reports
Community Support
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
Manu - Social / Growth
Responsibilities
- Support the social media lead in executing the social media plan
- Evangelize and amplify API3 on social media
- Establish and facilitate influencer relationships
- Support and assist the growth lead via networking and outreach
- Establish and facilitate strategic marketing partnerships
- Advise on growth marketing efforts
- Drive API3 adoption in the NFT space
Typto+ - China / Community
- Chinese PR and events
- Chinese language community and content
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
- Contribute developer content to monthly marketing reports
Andres+ - LatAm & Spanish / Community
- LatAm & Spanish PR and events
- LatAm & Spanish language community and content
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
- Contribute developer content to monthly marketing reports
Kyros - Vietnam / Community
- Vietnamese PR and events
- Vietnamese language community and content
- Provide responsive, constructive moderation and support on API3 Discord, Forum, Reddit, and Telegram.
- Contribute developer content to monthly marketing reports
BlockVenture - University Relations
- Create and execute university engagement and programs
- Handle incoming university program leads
Cycle 4 Report
See the Cycle 4 report for more detail on the previous cycle.
Administrative
Marketing Wallet
The destination for funds is api3m.eth, a 2/4 multisig wallet managed by Ryan Boder, Ugur Mersin, Manuel Alzuru, and Erich Dylus.
General Signatory
The status of Ryan Boder as an authorized signatory of the API3 Foundation is hereby revoked.
API3 Alliance Marketing Agreement Signatories
Midhav Ravindran, Ben Carvill, and Marcus Grabmuller are designated as authorized signatories on behalf of the API3 Foundation for API3 Alliance Member Marketing Agreements until revoked by subsequent DAO Resolution, if and only if the API Provider meets the following conditions:
- The API Provider’s web API is in production or is expected to be within 6 months.
- The API Provider’s web API has a reasonable Web3 use case.
- The API Provider has an online brand/presence of reasonable quality.