Rapid-Response Strategy at a B2B Marketing Hackathon

Competing against 40+ marketers in an 8-hour "Hackathon for Good," I co-developed a comprehensive B2B marketing funnel for a non-profit tech organization. Our strategy (focused on strategic partnerships and a multi-stage LinkedIn funnel) secured 2nd Place overall and was praised for its realistic approach to budget and scalability.

The Challenge:

In a live competition, I was placed on a team tasked with creating a $100k marketing plan to increase brand awareness and donor conversion.

• The Constraint: 5 hours to research, strategize, and produce a video pitch.

• The Goal: Drive high-value donations while solving for the high cost of traditional fundraising events.

The Strategic Pivot:

• Budget Optimization: Recognizing that $100k is insufficient for both global advertising and high-end gala events, I steered our team toward a Partnership Marketing model. We proposed a collaboration with a major consumer brand to leverage their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) budget, allowing the non-profit to preserve their $100k for high-impact digital spend.

• Full-Funnel Architecture: I architected a three-phase LinkedIn strategy:

  • Awareness: Targeted educational ads paired with earned media PR.

  • Engagement: Lead-gen forms to capture potential high-net-worth donors.

  • Conversion: Retargeting users with direct-to-donation landing pages.

• Creative Execution: I utilized generative AI video creation software to translate our complex funnel into a 60-second high-energy pitch for the judging panel within the allotted timeframe for the competition.

The Result:

• Silver Medalist: Out of 8 competing teams, our strategy was awarded 2nd Place by a panel of B2B industry experts.

• Stakeholder Approval: The strategy was specifically lauded for its "real-world" feasibility regarding the partnership model and the structured approach to the LinkedIn algorithm.