When a campaign doesn’t raise the amount you would expect, you start wondering what went wrong. You wonder what caused the project to fail; is it the product itself or the marketing strategy? If you are lucky, the marketing was responsible and you can go ahead to launch a new campaign with a different strategy.
This is the situation in which Vtex shoes found themselves when they came to us for help. Back in 2019, they launched a campaign on Indiegogo for their patented nanotech waterproof shoes. Using the help of another agency, their campaign raised only $80k. Even though they raised their funding goal, they had a feeling that their product could generate greater success.
Vtex wondered if their product had the potential to attract more backers, so they asked us to investigate. Our instinct told us it had the potential, but we still conducted thorough market research. With confirmation from our research, we started rethinking Vtex’s campaign from the ground up for a brand new campaign.
After knowing more about the shoes and trying them on ourselves, we realized that Vtex was much more than just a waterproof shoe. The nanotech fabric is also stainproof, windproof, sandproof, protects against cold, etc. We changed the strategy to underline the wonders of their nanotech which made the shoes so versatile with 12 features. We created a whole new campaign video and campaign page to showcase the versatility and robustness of the shoes.
As for any successful campaign, we launched an exciting pre-campaign during which we generated thousands of leads from potential backers. Without this crucial step, no launch can be successful as building a crowd is the most important part of crowdfunding. The pre-campaign phase is also a great opportunity to test different messages and visual elements to optimize the campaign. We tested a variety of Facebook ads which gave us an idea of the messages that attracted people to the Vtex shoes.
The key element that changed the faith of the Vtex campaign was probably the video. We came up with a creative concept and a lively script which resulted in a high quality, inspiring video that engaged the viewer. When you manage to captivate the viewer’s attention until the end, you have great chances to convert that viewer into a backer. This is why we spent much time and effort to come up with the best possible video that would convey enough information while being creative and intriguing enough to capture the viewer’s attention.
Once we were confident that the Vtex video would engage the viewers to back the campaign, we were ready to move on. We had gathered enough leads, built good Facebook audiences, and had an effective message. Everything was ready for the big launch.
Knowing that the first campaign flopped, we were nervous but determined to give Vtex the campaign they deserved, but the campaign turned out to be a great success. Following the success, we helped Vtex transition to Indiegogo InDemand which gave us the opportunity to stay in touch with the backers and built a valuable relationship with them. Thanks to this relationship, the backers helped us spread the word and inspired us to create new models.
Now the campaign has raised more than $1.3 million from over 6,000 backers. The feedback and support Vtex received from their backers inspired them to create a more advanced second-generation shoe, which also launched on Indiegogo and already raised more than $470,000. Had they given up after the first unsuccessful attempt, they wouldn't have realized the full potential of their brand. Without the valuable feedback from the backers, they likely wouldn’t have created the second-generation Vtex V20. A failed campaign doesn’t have to be the end of your project. Sometimes all you need is to surround yourself with the right team and get back to the drawing board.