The front line of CRAFAN] Some projects have achieved over 100 million yen!　Secrets to Success, Reasons for Disappointing Results

What are some “tips for success” that a newbie to crowdfunding should know?

Crowdfunding (hereafter referred to as “crowdfunding”) is amazing right now. It is being used for a variety of purposes, including support and fundraising, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has even created a “Crowdfunding Utilization Grant” to subsidize a portion of the administrative fees, helping to boost business expansion.

Some projects have achieved 100% or over 1000% of their goals and have raised tens of millions of yen in support, while others have had disappointing results. …… What exactly is the difference?

Why can’t we call a project a “failure” even if the target amount is not reached?

Even if the project does not reach 100%, there are cases where the return is more than the amount of support, and we believe that support is not the only attraction of CRAFAN,” says Mr. Kato.

Haruna Kato of CAMPFIRE Inc. Haruna Kato of CAMPFIRE Inc. is a well-known producer in the entertainment field who has been involved in all stages from planning to implementation, and in the past has been involved in projects worth over 100 million yen.

The company started as a purchase-type crowdfunding in Japan in 2011. At first, some people looked at it quizzically, but by continuing the business without changing its style, the number of users gradually increased, and the COVID-19 crisis caused the number to explode.

The company’s user base quickly expanded to include general companies, private stores, NPOs, schools, government agencies, and local governments. Later, the company also established itself as a disaster support function aimed at restoration from the natural disasters that visited the country frequently.

Currently, the company leads the industry with a 48% share of the market, with a cumulative total of 90,000 projects and a cumulative support amount of over 88 billion yen (as of June 17, 2012). More than 1,000 projects are created every month.

Certainly, some projects have achieved more than 100% of their goal, but many others have not.

However, in the first place, there are two types of crowdfunding: the “all-in” method (where the donor receives the funds raised even if the target amount is not reached) and the “all-or-nothing” method (where the donor receives the funds if the target amount is reached), and 90% of the projects are the all-in method.

Therefore, it cannot be said that “failure to raise the target amount = failure (failure to achieve the goal).

Furthermore, a recent trend is to set a minimum amount as a goal and then set a next goal once the goal is achieved. Overall, it has become easier to achieve 100%.

In addition, by focusing on PR during the project period, there is the possibility of generating “by-products” other than support funds. Furthermore, since the project page will remain up even after the project period, it can also function as an LP (written page) that consolidates information.

One influencer’s live-streaming during a project caught the attention of a publishing company and resulted in the publication of his book.

In other cases, even if the project did not reach its goal, the media coverage of the project resulted in a positive response after the project was completed.

Based on these past cases, “just because a project does not reach 100% of its goal does not mean that it has failed.

You’ll know in a week if you’ll reach your goal…the key is “preparation”.

With the popularity of small-start goal setting, there are still some disappointing projects with disappointing causes.

When you’re doing a crafan, it’s important to have a good cause.

You need to clearly state who you are, what you are doing the Kurafan project for, what the money will be used for, and your passion for the project.

But this is the bare minimum. What is more important is how to get others to get involved and cooperate.

The way support spreads through Kurafan is that one-third to one-half of the support comes from related parties and acquaintances, and from there it spreads by word of mouth to acquaintances of acquaintances of acquaintances. Except for the fact that the originator of the project is well-known, it is unlikely that a third party who sees the project page for the first time will support the project.

The data shows that if you reach 1/3 of your goal within a week, you’re likely to reach it,” he said. If we stumble here, we almost never reach our goal.”

If this is your first time, before launching a Kurahant, you should first ask around for help. Also, he says, create a return on investment that makes people want to support the project. The key to making this happen smoothly is preparation. It is no exaggeration to say that 90% of success depends on preparation, and conversely, “If you are not well prepared, you will end up with disappointing results,” according to Mr. Kato’s analysis.

CAMPFIRE Academy” where even crafan beginners can learn the know-how

Even though preparation is said to be important, it is true that many first-time owners are at a loss. There are many things to do, such as creating a manuscript, taking photos, return contents, and notifications on social networking sites.

However, there is a remedy for those who are unsure. That is the “CAMPFIRE Academy.

When launching a project, you can start by referring to past success stories, but we also recommend referring to the “CAMPFIRE Academy,” a site that compiles statistical data and know-how that our Marketing Department has independently analyzed.

The site provides a wide range of information, including the basics of CRAFAN, how to create and spread projects, and detailed success points.

Other options include relying on a full-time advisor or consulting with a chat on the site. Recently, the company has also begun using AI to help improve the completeness of project pages.

This year, we started focusing on seminars, and thankfully, many people are attending. In a year, about 4,000 people attend. We also include interviews with owners of successful projects, so we hope you will find them useful.

Doala,” and “Hot Springs Shark.” …… Projects that caught our attention were

Finally, we asked him to introduce some of the unique projects he has been working on recently.

■”In the entertainment team I belong to, the game area is particularly active, often raising tens to hundreds of millions of yen in support. I think it is easy for fans to cooperate with us because they feel like it is an official thrust of the project. Recently, I was impressed by the Chunichi Dragons’ project to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Doala.

The anniversary is an easy time to do a crafan. The Next Goal also added the gift of Doala’s favorite food, bread. This case was also expected to increase fan engagement.

■”In the ‘Onsen Shark Production Project’ to make a shark movie with special effects in a hot spring resort, we created returns that involved supporters in the movie making process and raised a lot of support money.

The unique and easy-to-support returns, such as “for every 1,000 yen of support, one more shark will appear on screen,” were well received. Thanks to the increase in production costs, which far exceeded the target amount, not only the film’s content has changed, but also the number of theaters showing the film has increased.

■”A good example in the social good area was the “Breast Milk Bank” project. It also raised the profile of the mother’s milk bank itself.

Extremely low birthweight infants born weighing less than 1,500 grams have immature digestive organs and can only drink breast milk, but some mothers cannot breastfeed their babies for some reason. The project was launched to save such parents and their children.

After the project started, the doctor in charge of the project tweeted daily on X (formerly Twitter) about the Kurafan project.

Not only was I impressed by his dedication to public relations, but also because he chose the all-or-nothing method, there were many voices of support for the project within the company.

However, I also realized that hard work pays off. Although we had set a large target amount, we gradually increased the number of supporters by steadily promoting the project. I think that the fact that we were serious about the project was conveyed to our supporters.

Each Kurahant project has its own story. I feel that the deeper the story that reflects the owner’s thoughts and actions, the more supporters will increase and the support money will follow.

For those who are considering launching a CRAFAN project in the future, I would like them to make a conscious effort to make it a project with no regrets, rather than just achieving the target amount.

Click here for the CAMPFIRE Academy website