Mycelium
Brand Strategy | Marketing | UX/UI | Business Design
Location
Europe
Date
2023
Collaboration
Romina Correa
Maria Castro
Gretel Ortiz
From our team's professional and personal background, we identified a gap in the market and discovered the desires of digital nomads for community, nature, and personal growth experiences. We created Mycelium as a digital platform to connect the two. To validate our idea, we implemented a comprehensive testing phase, launching targeted advertising campaigns and gathering valuable feedback through surveys. The testing phase proved successful, demonstrating a strong interest and validating the viability of the concept. This project showd the importance of aligning our skills and interests with a meaningful business idea and validating it through testing to ensure its value.
We noticed the growing number of nomads in major cities and the resulting gentrification, which led us to explore the idea of channeling these nomads towards rural areas. Our goal was to help reactivate isolated rural communities while providing nomads with transformative experiences.
To ensure the viability of our idea, we conducted thorough research and interviews with nomads, both those living in urban areas and those residing in rural communities. Through these conversations, we discovered that many nomads sought a sense of community, connection with nature, and opportunities for personal growth. We also observed a gap in the market, with rural co-livings, communes, and ecovillages lacking proper visibility and online platforms to connect with like minded individuals.
Mycelium became a digital platform that would serve as a hub for digital nomads and rural communities. Our platform aimed to offer not only accommodation but also curated experiences and opportunities aligned with the values of both the nomads and the rural hosts.
To test the viability of our concept and understand our target audience better, we implemented a strategic testing phase. We launched a 7-day targeted advertising campaign in the Netherlands, tailored specifically to appeal to our ideal nomadic guests. These campaigns focused on the core themes of wellbeing, nature, and community, attracting nomads who were seeking these transformative experiences. We also sent out personalized emails to 100 hosts in 28 countries to see their level of interest in our platform.
In our landing page, we directed interested users to a survey where we gathered valuable feedback and insights. This testing phase was crucial in determining the level of interest, user preferences, and motivations. It allowed us to validate our concept, refine our business model, and make data-driven decisions to better meet the needs of our target audience.
The 7-day testing phase of the Mycelium project yielded highly encouraging results, with a total of 1028 web interests and 222 survey responses from potential guests. The impressions of the Meta and Google ads were above the benchmark, with a total CTR of 1.11% and 6.73% respectively. These numbers showed significant interest and engagement from the target audience, validating the viability of the Mycelium platform.
Furthermore, the test conducted for potential hosts resulted in 97 web interests and 25 survey responses, along with personal emails expressing interest. This indicated a strong willingness from ecovillages, rural co-livings, and communes to join the Mycelium community.
With these positive results, we calculated an investment of 270,000 euros for the development of Mycelium over the next three years. The investment would be divided into three phases: fueling growth, expansion, and constant growth.
The testing phase played a pivotal role in shaping Mycelium into a successful business idea. It provided valuable insights, feedback, and validation that guided the subsequent steps in developing and growing the platform. The positive response from the target audience demonstrated the demand for a platform that connects digital nomads with rural co-livings, promoting personal growth, community, and a connection to nature.
The project highlighted the vital role of the testing phase in successfully launching an initial prototype, validating the concept, and acquiring invaluable insights that shaped the business to meet the unique needs and desires of our users.