Caffeine

A social live-streaming platform on a mission to redefine how people watch and interact with emerging sports and competitive communities. When I joined Caffeine, the platform averaged 300K monthly users and worked with a handful of key content partners. I drove content & brand marketing, a brand refresh, and new product features as the platform grew to host 61 million monthly users and 200 sports partners across 17 categories including Battle Rap, Football, Combat, Dance, and more.

CASE STUDIES ↓

01. Content & Brand Marketing

02. Caffeine Brand Refresh

03. New Product Feature Launch

CASE STUDY 01

Content & Brand Marketing

Upon joining Caffeine in 2021, the platform depended on a handful of flagship partners to generate continuous content, attract new registered users, and showcase the live, interactive features of our product. It was critical for our company to earn the trust of these partners and users while simulteanously delivering on a high standard of marketing assets to establish a strong user base.

MY ROLE

Develop brand and lifecycle marketing strategies tailored to our key partners and their niche content.

KEY SKILLS

Brand Strategy Development, Concept Ideation and Execution, Cross-functional Collaboration, Strategic Project Management, Creative Direction, Cultural Insight, Campaign Creation

60+ unique brands for partner shows. Each brand consists of thumbnails, digital marketing assets, print materials, display ads, show and video graphics.

Challenges

  • Representing each content partner with authenticity, honoring their histories before our partnership, and earning the trust and support of their devoted fan bases.

  • Due to our partners' limited experience in providing functional, high-quality assets suitable for our platform and lifecycle marketing platforms, Brand Studio often had to be resourceful and intentional in the creation of assets.

Results

  • By fostering a culture of trust and respect with our key content partners and empowering them to lead in developing their own effective content branding.

  • We were able to create templates and design systems for the marketing work. That allowed us to promote our content more quickly, allowing the Brand Studio team was able to shift focus to Caffeine's own brand development.

  • Drove platform growth and audience expansion from 300K in 2021 to 45M by 2022.

CASE STUDY 02

Caffeine Brand Refresh

In 2022, Caffeine restructured its content strategy, moving from creating bespoke assets for a limited number of content partners to collaborating with over 100 content partners. As a result, Brand Studio undertook the task of developing and implementing a new brand standard, enabling Caffeine to market a broader array of content and enhance its appeal to a larger audience.

MY ROLE

Design and systematize new creative formats and storytelling techniques to showcase the breadth of Caffeine’s content offerings. Own the creation of the new app icon.

KEY SKILLS

Brand Strategy Development, Concept Ideation and Execution, Cross-functional Collaboration, Strategic Project Management, Creative Direction, Brand Management

Updated App Icon

Original App Icon

Challenges

  • Maintaining a high standard for brand and marketing material across a larger volume of content partners, potentially affecting brand perception and user experience.

  • Ensuring that our diverse content aligns with our platform's brand values and messaging became more complex with a more diverse partner base.

  • Shifting focus from content branding to prioritizing Caffeine’s own branding to enhance the platform’s visual appeal and overall perception.

Results

  • Distinguished Caffeine from competitors in the live-streaming space, positioning it as the new home of the sports and youth competitive communities.

  • Facilitated partnerships with over 200 major sports entities, attracting more sports entities to pursue broadcasting on the platform.

CASE STUDY 03

In 2023, Caffeine introduced new product features aimed at helping creators monetize their content. This initiative included the launch of Unlocks, a pay-per-view model that allowed both creators and Caffeine to earn money.

Unlocks Feature Launch

MY ROLE

Develop impactful marketing materials for the launch of Unlocks, showcasing its value propositions and boosting user engagement.

KEY SKILLS

Brand Strategy Development, Concept Ideation and Execution, Cross-functional Collaboration, Strategic Project Management, Creative Direction, Product Marketing

Challenges

  • Users accustomed to a free platform may resist paying for content, potentially affecting adoption rates and user retention during a critical time for the startup’s business model.

  • Facilitating user onboarding through a new payment system and providing clarity on their current stage within the purchasing flow.

  • Clarifying distinctions between free and paid content, and ensuring that paid content meets user expectations for value and quality.

Results

  • Sold 32K+ in user Unlocks in 2023, generating $825K in gross profits for Caffeine and its content partners.

  • Attracted creators who seek monetization opportunities enhancing the platform's content diversity and overall appeal.

  • Established the foundation for future monetization features which scaled to subscriptions and advertising.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Brand Strategy and Creative Direction by Justin Medoruma, Swasti Mittal Design by Matt Sliwon, Greycen Ferguson, Swasti Mittal Illustration & Iconography by Swasti Mittal Animation by Matt Sliwon Video & Photography by Lauren Harris