Project Overview & Objectives

Scallop partnered with world-renowned mountaineer Kenton Cool to plant the Scallop flag on the summit of Mount Everest, a bold, high-visibility brand stunt under the banner #DeFiTheOdds. The goal:

• Create a widely memorable brand moment in Web3 / fintech

• Signal ambition, resilience, and brand credibility

• Generate press, social buzz, media coverage

• Rally community pride and increase awareness of Scallop’s mission to bridge DeFi + traditional finance

My Role & Leadership

• Conceived the campaign strategy: the brand narrative arc, tie-in to Scallop’s core value (“defying odds,” “reaching new peaks”)

• Negotiated & coordinated with Kenton Cool’s team / expedition to secure brand placement and timing

• Guided creative direction, visuals, copy, media collateral, teaser campaigns

• Managed PR & media outreach, pitched stories, coordinated press releases to Nasdaq, global fintech / crypto outlets

• Oversaw social amplification: content calendar, influencer seeding, community push

• Measured engagement, coverage spread, and sentiment throughout and after execution

Metrics & Outcomes (What Happened)

• Press & media coverage:
  The campaign was covered in Nasdaq press release format.
  Multiple crypto / fintech media outlets picked it up (Newsfile, Yahoo Finance) Yahoo Finance

• Brand visibility & signaling:
  The imagery of a fintech brand’s flag on Everest became a symbolic assertion of ambition — it stood out in a crowded market.

• Social / community buzz:
  The campaign generated strong engagement across crypto communities (X/Twitter, Telegram, etc). It got more than 1M Impressions, 50% followers growth on twitter and 20% brand uplift.

• Brand narrative reinforcement:
  It positioned Scallop as a bold, daring brand, willing to go beyond product and make statements.

• Long-term credibility impact:
  This kind of stunt enhances brand equity, contributing to better media relationships, trust with users, and differentiation in the crowded DeFi space.

Key Learnings & Playbook Insights

• Stunts only work if they tie deeply to core brand story, this was not Everest for Everest’s sake, but Everest as a metaphor for defying financial odds.

• Coordination with external stakeholders (adventurers, expedition teams) demands extra buffer, legal clarity, and logistical planning

• Seeding media ahead of time is critical, build anticipation, teasers, and drip communications

• Visuals matter, a compelling image (flag at summit) becomes the viral anchor

• Track both vanity (impressions, press pick-ups) and brand lift sentiment (how people talk about your mission after the campaign)