As I become more and more a part of the Steemit Community, I want to continue doing my part to help expand the reach and awareness of the Steemit platform. This may seem like a copy of an already existing good idea, but I think everyone has the opportunity and unique avenues to help spread the word and bring more diversity to this platform.
With that in mind, I am looking for the support of the steemit community to help increase awareness and bring more content from people in my neck of the woods. The Philippines.
The Philippines
The Republic of the Philippines, is located in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7000+ islands that are categorized primarily by three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The current population is around 102 million people according to the latest census estimates and makes up about 1.37% of the total population of the world. It is ranked #12 in the list of countries by population. This represents a potential broad population which we can market to.
Like most South East Asian countries, public advertisements such as billboards is a key form of marketing to increase and drive consumer awareness. Because of the number of people who commute in the Philippines and because of the amount of time spent in traffic, billboards are one of the top outlets where people learn about new businesses and events.
Why The Philippines
There are several reasons why I chose to start a marketing campaign in the Philippines and get the word out about Steemit. Not only do I think it would be good for the community, but also because I think it would be good for the country and the people who live here as well. We as citizens of the world will also benefit from the experiences, teachings, and insights that come from a person with a different perspective - and as a result, maybe even be able to help someone change their life for the better.
What I have learned from living here for the past 10 years of my life are
- There are so many talented people across the Philippines. So many musicians, writers, painters, performers, and other artists that remain unnoticed or undiscovered primarily because they don't have the connections, resources, or avenues to share their talents.
- There is a huge disparity among the economic equality of the local population. The Philippines was described as having the second fastest-growing economy in the world, however the benefits of this economic growth has not trickled down to the poorer segments of the population. This is mostly due to the way the system is setup, where one needs to have a degree in order to work in any good paying job. The cost of living as well is greater then one usually earns without a degree. Im hoping that Steemit can help change that, at least for some people. There are so many people that I have come across that have the talent, but don't have the means, the ability, or opportunity to work. The government as well only allows for each individual to work one job at a time, so for those with jobs, this could serve as a supplementary income.
- The Philippines has a beautiful culture, many beautiful places to visit, and a rich history which can be shared by someone more local then me. I have noticed that no matter how bad things are or how bad things get, people here are generally happy and always smiling and that is something definitely worth sharing with the rest of the world.
The Campaign
I recently reached out to Adflix Manila as well as some other local advertising agencies to get an idea on the cost and availability of various billboard locations. I also took it upon myself to scout out a few locations with available ad space where there was a good mixture of vehicle traffic and foot traffic.
The few locations that I have identified have all been quoted at Php 170,000 to Php 300,000 (Roughly $3500 - $6500 USD.) Im looking to start advertising at a location which I pass everyday driving to work. This location has both a lot of foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Below are a few pictures and specs for the location:
Located at STOPLIGHT + INTERSECTION
Price: PHP 170,000 / month
Impressions: Estimated at 1.2 Million a day (Data from All Market Manila)
Visibility: Northbound C5 Katipunan Ave.- Bonny Serrano Intersection
Dimensions: 60FT Height x 30FT Width
Illumination: 6 Led Lights- Illuminated from 6pm- 11pm
Location: 170 Katipunan Ave. Cor. Bonny Serrano, Blue Ridge, Quezon City (INSIDE DMF DRIFT Garage) Nearby Landmarks: (There are about 20 billboards in the area) Northbound- Camp Crame, Camp Aguinaldo, Northbound ATENEO, & UP Southbound- Going to Makati, Bonifacio Global City, C5 Road Blue Ridge, White Plains, SM Pasig, SM Marikina, Eastwood Compliant with New City Ordinance for 2014 (No. 2013-A)
This location, aside having a good mixture of foot traffic and vehicle traffic, is also not too cluttered with billboards allowing for maximum visibility. In addition to that, it is located at a stop light in an area which gets a lot of traffic.
Initial Ad Concept
I wanted to make the design catchy but at the same time simple and clear enough so that it wasn't cluttered. Below are some concepts that I came up with using the Steemit templates. I will continue to work on the design as I finalize the billboard reservation. Please let me know what you think.
Other Marketing Concepts
As of this writing, I also just received another recommendation from one of the advertising agencies I am coordinating with and they recommended also considering the following avenues to increase visibility
I look forward to seeing how much help I can gain from the Steemit community for this endeavor and am excited to share with you the proof of launch posts as implementation proceeds. Like others before me I hope to expand our user base and increase the number of contributing members to our community. This platform is one-of-a-kind and has a lot more potential to grow.
Please help me SHARE and UPVOTE and spread the word in the Philippines!!
did this ever get off the ground?
upvoting for the idea. im just concerned about sustainability and benefits. 170K a month is huge amount of money. why don't we do something like a community service instead, helping the poor using the same fund then ask for sponsorships for ads to promote Steemit.
Initially I planned to promote and get the word out locally. Mostly for those people who have stories and experiences to share and need an extra source of income. Because there are so many people locally who want to work and earn a regular salary but cannot because of certain limitations, this campaign is geared towards them and will at least help those who are capable to earn a living, or supplement their regular income.
The second campaign I want to do is what you mentioned and something I completely agree with. Arrange a community service fund that can either be donated to those in need or used to provide a charitable service to improve the lives of others. There is a very big population of homeless and poor that would benefit from this, however to start arranging something like this will take some time - which I plan to do in the coming months when I can get away from work. I have already partnered with a local t-shirt printing company to begin printing Steemit labeled t-shirts to hand out to less fortunate people i come across who need clothing and plan to expand on this with additional sponsorships and help from local businesses. More to come on that campaign.
My thought is to get more people involved in Steemit locally and then use that as a platform to do more good in the community. One step at a time. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!
I think this is a good idea.. @cloh76
Upvote for this. Maybe it will more valuable if you describe too about the plan of online campaign for steemit. Keep trying. Good job.
Thanks! This is just a Billboard campaign for now. I plan on doing an online social media campaign at a later time and will share the details in a separate post when i work out the details for that idea.
It deserves an upvote.
Thanks. Hopefully i can get enough funds to help bring more valuable content creators to Steemit
Filipino ka pala.... :D
wow i wish i could resteem this, u need to repost this! get incolved with my friend @tj4real in ghana i ave a project for him inolving cheap DIY billboards in developing nations because i have a feeling Radio TV and billboard ads in developing world are very cheap!