Project Overview
BattlePACs is a technology platform that transforms how citizens engage in politics and civil discourse through social media and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The company is actively engaging high school and college students to participate in the political debate arena by offering their “BattlePACs Voice of America” scholarship.
This scholarship seeks to encourage students to amplify their voices and make their thoughts heard in the political debate space. Any high school senior, two or four-year undergraduate, or graduate student who is a US citizen or permanent resident may apply for this scholarship.
The Problem
BattlePACs wanted to increase their company’s profile by being featured in a number of top-tier publications in the political, financial, and social media markets. The goal of this was to raise awareness of their scholarship initiative and build a list of eligible participants.
BattlePACs was looking for brand awareness, credibility, authenticity, and profitability for their NFT project which aims to sell utility-based, politically-themed NFTs through the company’s exchange.
As a new project, Otter PR consulted and advised as to the direction and best avenues for BattlePACs to gain notoriety. We worked on delivering consistent messaging to reflect the pillars and concepts of the project.
The Strategy
The strategy Otter PR took to launch the brand into the media was through successful pitches and commentary opportunities that aligned with BattlePACs’s messaging. In addition, our team decided to launch the branding campaign immediately preceding the 2022 midterm election cycle.
Although the NFTs BattlePACs produced were not yet minted for sale at the time of onboarding, we promoted the project and founders within the political sphere, as well as their scholarship program. Multiple pitches were used each week that targeted specific areas of their potential business. This generated multiple opportunities presented from major publications for commentary pertaining to BattlePACs expertise.
Following these successful pitches, BattlePACs entered the broader political discourse and conversation around the US 2022 midterm elections, highlighting remarks about the elections and how people needed to be engaged to effect change. Likewise, mentions of their scholarship program allowed BattlePACs to capture a college audience through several radio appearances. This allowed the company to gain traction in the media and recognition for what they were trying to achieve.
Business Impact (results)
Following the implementation of our strategy, BattlePACs experienced enormous coverage in the media. The company saw applications for its scholarship increase exponentially, and its social media following grew considerably as a result.
In addition, the company and Albion College entered the most robust partnership to-date through the BattlePACs scholarship program. As a result of the partnership, Albion College will receive an initial grant of $1,000 for students who demonstrate a passion for engaging in political conversations and shaping the future direction of the country.
BattlePACs is also currently speaking with Ol’ Miss, Berkeley, UC Riverside, USC, and Howard University to implement similar partnerships in the future. Since the BattlePACs Voices of America Scholarship was announced on November 4th, 2022, over 1,000 scholarship applicants have applied.
