Built a UCLA go-to-market strategy for campus launch and early user acquisition
Built and presented a UCLA-specific go-to-market plan covering competitor benchmarking, audience segmentation, positioning, launch tactics, budget planning, and KPI definition for campus entry.
A campus-first GTM strategy for a proximity-based social app
Kardder is a location-based social networking app that helps people connect with others nearby and discover local events. It uses proximity features like Bluetooth device recognition, a local event timeline, a map of events, and a 'down-to-meet' toggle that helps users signal intent and boundaries. The business goal was to grow adoption on a college campus, starting with UCLA. I built and presented a UCLA launch strategy that used competitor analysis, audience segmentation, positioning, and campus activation planning to identify UCLA as Kardder’s highest-priority launch market.
Students didn't understand what Kardder was and the product story didn't land fast enough
Students had many options for social apps, and Kardder lacked steady social proof and consistent top-of-funnel visibility, which limited installs and on-campus adoption. Kardder had an early UCLA user base, but the product story did not land fast enough for students. Competitor pages communicated their 'why' more clearly than Kardder's did, and that gap showed up in downloads and social followings. Separately, the team wanted to avoid the 'this is a dating app' misconception and instead lead with real-time social connection and missed connections.
"Clarify what Kardder is, dispel the dating-app misconception, and build a measurable UCLA launch plan that turns campus moments into installs and account creation. "
What I built
Launch strategy (UCLA-specific)
Target market + personas
Positioning statement and messaging frame
Channel tactics + flowcharts
Budget breakdown (event + creator spend)
Measurement plan (installs, accounts created, awareness survey)
One primary campus segment with a sharp activation focus
We targeted full-time UCLA undergrads who want friends and events, with extra focus on first-years and transfer students who have fewer built-in connections.
What we're tracking and what success looks like
Metrics were structured to connect daily campaign actions to the north star acquisition outcome.
Kardder's edge is real but students needed a faster reason to try it
Competitor analysis and product data revealed where growth was stalling and what Kardder could actually win on campus. Outreach had already shown strong conversion potential, with about 1,500 users generated from 56 hours of field marketing, so the opportunity was less about proving campus demand and more about building a repeatable launch playbook.
Growth would stall if people did not quickly understand what Kardder is for and why it fits campus life. The plan fixed this by pairing clear positioning with repeated, in-person triggers to install and try the app at the exact moment students want to meet people and find plans.
Kardder's edge is real-time, proximity-based connection 'nearby means nearby' (GPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth proximity)
The market is crowded, so campus activation needs strong incentives and visible social proof
Kardder shared product activity signals: 94,922 sessions and 122,581 chat messages. The main risk was not engagement it was getting more of the right UCLA students to try it
Kardder's Instagram had 3,545 followers and a 0.40% engagement rate. Apps that highlight their main value in one line tend to win on followers and downloads
Win on trust and campus activation, not spend
Rather than chasing paid acquisition or broad awareness campaigns, the strategy focused on the moments Kardder was most likely to win, high-intent campus contexts where students already wanted to meet people, make plans, and act in real time.
Make real-life proximity obvious within the first 5 seconds
Use events as the primary acquisition hook
Build trust early through privacy and boundary cues
Capture demand during high-traffic campus moments
If Kardder is activated during high-traffic campus moments, installs and account creation will rise because student intent is already high in those environments.
If Kardder’s social presence becomes more consistent and trust-building, follower confidence and download intent will increase through repeated social proof.
Why campus activations and not ads or influencers alone
Three options were on the table. The sequencing mattered: the plan goal was campus adoption, and Kardder's advantage is proximity in the physical world.
Campus activations plus partnerships because the plan goal was campus adoption, and the product's advantage is proximity in the physical world. I prioritized tactics that forced a clean 'value exchange': install + follow in return for access, prizes, or a fun moment. That matched the goals of awareness, acquisition, and social growth.
What was in and what was saved for later
Discovery: baseline metrics + message testing
Build: tracking plan + event ops checklist
Launch: campus activations + partnerships
Measure: installs, accounts created, awareness survey
A strategy document, budget, and two operating tools built to ship
Wrote the plan as a single source of truth (strategy, tactics, flowcharts). Turned goals into a measurement plan tied to what to track and how.
Ops tools, rollout sequence, and risk mitigation
The handoff was designed so a small team could execute confidently with clear scripts, flowcharts, and a phase-by-phase rollout.
Launch at a high-traffic UCLA moment with a booth and prize wheel to drive installs
Stack partnerships (org events + Greek life) to create repeated install triggers
Run Instagram giveaways alongside activations to compound awareness
Simple scripts for booth staff and partners how to pitch in one sentence. Two operating tools built: an event flowchart mapping dependencies (outreach, reserving, supplies, flyering) and a media flowchart mapping what to draft, post, and repost around each event.
Week 0 booth activation (Meet the Hill) — anchor install moment with prize incentive
Weeks 2–6: event partnerships and org collabs stacked for repeated exposure
Ongoing: creator content + Instagram giveaways to sustain social proof between events
Privacy concerns: lead with boundaries and clarity on how proximity works. Reinforce 'not a dating app' framing in all booth pitches, creator briefs, and social copy.
Delivered a UCLA launch strategy, budget model, and measurement framework
Delivered a UCLA launch plan the founders could use to test campus adoption through activations, partnerships, and measurable acquisition goals. Modeled campus acquisition potential from prior field outreach, which suggested roughly 1,500 users at about 27 users per hour and reinforced UCLA as the highest-priority launch market.
If users can't explain the product in one sentence, growth stalls
This project reinforced a simple PM rule: if users cannot explain the product in one sentence, growth stalls. That is why I anchored the plan on clear positioning real-time social networking, truly nearby connections, and student co-creation. If I ran the next iteration, I would add tighter funnel instrumentation per event (QR scans to installs, installs to account creation) and run message A/B tests for the 'not a dating app' framing versus 'missed connections' framing. That would let the team shift budget toward the highest-converting channel faster. I would also add lightweight retention loops tied to events (follow, RSVP, invite a friend) so installs turn into repeat use.
The best GTM plans don't just generate installs they create the exact moment users understand why they needed the product.
More Case Studies
Let's connect and create together
I'm always open to conversations, collaborations, and interesting opportunities about product and growth.