BRINGING A brand
TO LIFE with Cotton Fest ‘22
How do you launch a financial services brand, champion the artists and entrepreneurs driving Africa’s Creator Economy, and commemorate a lost cultural icon all in one of the country’s most-loved music festivals?
This was our go-to-market challenge.
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BETTR.APP
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JANUARY – APRIL 2022
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– Creative Strategy x Production Lead
– Partner and Talent Manager
– Investor Relations
the ask
To conceptualise and execute a hero campaign that would meaningfully position Bettr.App as the first true financial services champion of the youth-driven Creator Economy alongside major brands such as Spotify, Puma, Red Bull Jaegermeister, Flying Fish, and Cotton Fest itself.
THE CONTEXT
Off the back of Bettr's evolved vision to be Africa’s first open banking platform for the Creator Economy, collaborating with Cotton Fest – one of the continent’s fastest-growing and most-loved festivals – was more than fitting.
Bettr.App is building #ANewCultureOfMoney: one that backs self-starters, nurtures passions into paid work, and fuels the way the next generation makes, banks, and builds wealth. Cotton Fest is an established multi-channel platform dedicated to empowering the up-and-coming artist and creative entrepreneur to “make it” on their own terms, but not to go it alone.
That spirit of creative community became an imperative after the unexpected loss of Cotton Fest founder and visionary, Riky Rick, in February 2022. We at Bettr made the decision to commit ourselves unequivocally to playing our role in championing the youth, as Riky had.
THE STRATEGY
be the “platform” that champions creatives and meet community where they are.
THE PROCESS
We devised strict values-based parameters to bring the Bettr brand to life and demonstrate our commitment to platforming creativity.
Rule #1: It’s not about us. Cotton Fest is about the creative community coming together.
So, no logo-washing. No product-pushing.Rule #2: Design considerately. Create the most comfortable, enjoyable, and stress-minimising experience possible.
Rule #3: Nurture relationships with the creative community. Be led by them and improve all business processes.
THE WORK
VISA PARTNERSHIP
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BETTR STAGE
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THE BETTRVERSE
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TWITTER SPACES
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CREATOR INTERVIEWS
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VISA PARTNERSHIP – BETTR STAGE – THE BETTRVERSE – TWITTER SPACES – CREATOR INTERVIEWS –
We got VISA on board
We invited Visa to put their global weight behind a shared vision to make commerce easier for the young, African creative. They said yes.
Image by Neo Baepi
We created The Bettrverse
Here is where we brought the goals home of creating a memorable, comfortable and shareable experience.
Bean bags / limited merch / vintage arcade games / a money-shower circa 1980s game-shows / a university-themed photo booth: all these elements came together to create a space that was ultimately taken over by creators and fans as they made their own content, lined up for a photo or interview, or rested their festival-weary feet.
Image by Jarryd Kleinhans
We brought the digital brand to life on the official bettr stage.
Alongside the Main and Jaegermeister stages, the Bettr Stage was dedicated to emerging and alternative acts – aligned to Bettr’s ethos of backing the up-and-comer.
To reinforce the idea of becoming the platform IRL, we designed the stage to bring the Bettr website and brand-launch music video to life. through dark backgrounds, neon colours, clean lines, iridescent lighting, and a club-like feel.
Image by Neo Baepi
We got talking with Creator interviews x Twitter SpaceS
Together with multitalented creatives, Robot Boii, Candice Modiselle, and Reggie Mohlabi as hosts, we spoke to young people as we could about their creative journeys, ideas, and aspirations
Building up to the festival, Bettr’s Head of PR and media entrepreneur, Gugu Sithole-Tyali, led The Road to Cotton Fest Twitter Spaces series with the festival organisers, creative entrepreneurs and members of the Bettr community just starting out.
The goals: to give the community the stage, to listen, and to champion.
Image by Neo Baepi
Content production by Human Studio
Stage design by Bad Weather
Stage and Activation management by Beanstalk
Activation design by Klara van Wyngaarden
Creative co-direction by Rasheed Ferguson