The Challenge: Danish Red Cross wanted to promote to the media the concept of a blockchain-based currency as a potential alternative to direct cash transfers for humanitarian aid. They were launching a pilot programme in Kenya involving multiple partners, followed by a second phase of scale-up across other Kenyan communities.
Our approach:
- During the initial planning process, Marchmont identified the different target audiences and segmented messages for different media outlets accordingly, from the humanitarian and development fields to specialist technology and finance outlets.
- To achieve cut-through, the messaging prioritised both the potential benefits of the alternative currency for building resilience among vulnerable communities (to resonate with development and humanitarian donors) and also its agility and efficiency during emergencies or shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic (to appeal to the wider news agenda).
Outcomes: In total, the pilot received almost 70 pieces of coverage across global and specialist media, including articles from the Reuters newswire, Forbes, National Post, AllAfrica, Asia Blockchain Review, This is Money, the Fintech Times, and Coin Telegraph, as well as thought leadership in City AM and Business Fights Poverty, and a field report from Voice of America.