14 Weeks to Build Something That Doesn’t Suck

The Ask: Concept and create a side-hustle entrepreneurial project in 14 weeks

My team shared a love of animals and conservation, and as such we immediately gravitated towards creating a side hustle related to these ideas
We then went about doing research to figure out how to bring something unique with a real benefit to this crowded landscape

Methodology

Social Listening

Monitored online discussions on conservation, wildlife, and animals to identify key differences and overlaps between environmental enthusiasts and the general public’s opinions.

Literature Reviews

Reviewed studies on conservation, nonprofit funding, and public engagement with specific animals over time to uncover trends and factors influencing support.

Interviews

Conducted in depth interviews to explore motivations behind charitable giving, emotional connections to wildlife, and perspectives of conservation efforts

The Problem: The general public is focused on panda conservation at the cost of countless other endangered animals

Panda conservation alone totaled $255 million in 2023
This is despite the panda crisis of the 90s long having passed, with pandas now reaching their population peaks of the 50s and no longer being classified as endangered
Pandas receive disproportionate attention from the public, siphoning crucial aid from species in real danger

Insight: An underdog story can cut through almost any noise

Our way into this market, this insight, specifically came from a rabbit hole of research I fell into about American culture
Americans see themselves as underdogs, it’s part of the culture. From sports to politics to pop culture, Americans love to celebrate defiance of expectations and emotionally resonate with these stories.
These stories inspire action, as unlike fear based messaging (which can overwhelm), stories of perseverance tend to motivate people to get involved, donate, and advocate

The Strategy: Give a voice to nature’s underdogs

In a market that relies so heavily on fear or sadness, this positions us as something more uplifting and exciting that American culture can resonate with
Positions the audience as the saviors to play into their selfish desires to be viewed as heroes as well as help contribute to an underdog story

Creative Idea: Nature’s Underdogs

Merch line of underdog animals meant to represent multiple biomes and areas around the world
Designs are meant to harken back to sports mascots of the 1950s in order to appeal to the connection between underdog stories and sports
100% of profits were donated to charity

Stickers

First up we have our 3 mascots, the hawksbill sea turtle, the pangolin, and the african penguin mocked up as stickers. These stickers were designed and manufactured specifically to be placed on stickers and water bottles, but of course would work great anywhere the heart desired them to be.
Logo apparel

Next up is the logo apparel. This design was meant to be our most minimalistic offering, and was available on both t-shirts and sweatshirts, and was available in the most colors of anything we sold.
Mascot apparel

Last up was our biggest source of profit for our donations, the mascot apparel. Each of our 3 mascots was featured on their own t-shirt and sweatshirt in just a few colors. These designs proved to be popular and spurred on a competition to see which animal ended up being the most popular