Yokai Robotics is an independent robotics team I created alongside Dawson Pent in our later years of high school in order to independently compete in the VEX Robotics Competition. In addition to providing a means to compete, creating a new team provided the foundation of my passion for Digital Marketing.
YouTube Content
Objective:
With the COVID-19 pandemic in full-effect, there were limited avenues to market our team outside of digital mediums. Throughout the competition season, we uploaded numerous long-form robot reveal videos, match footage, and shorts of our robot over time.
With the reveal videos, we sought to improve our overall brand image and credibility by making quality videos showcasing impressive robot designs. To accomplish this, we planned to release one early reveal, one late reveal, and an end of season recap.
To view our YouTube content, please click here!
Results:
Though the number of views over time stayed fairly consistent throughout the season, spiking up upon video release before falling abruptly, more videos spiked towards higher view counts near the end of the season. This corresponds with our other social media efforts throughout the season as our reach had grown over time.
Social Media Engagement
Objective:
In order to best supplement our YouTube content, as well as to broaden our team’s overall reach, we created an Instagram account to post regular updates and advertisements. In addition to posting content, we also set out to measure what type of content performed the best, as well as any specific times that performed better than others.
Results:
Through the two years of regular posting, we grew the Instagram account to 1,076 followers, one of the largest VEX competition team accounts measured at the time. Additionally, we grew the average likes per post from an average of 30 to 140 by use of tags and better content. Through experimentation and tracking results, we discovered that still pictures of robots were the best performing posts, often reaching over 150 likes, while anything that either had an obscured or no robot at all performed the worst, averaging 90 likes.
Website Design
Objective:
In addition to beta-testing a database for the Coweta County Coroner’s Office, my time as Web Design Intern at the Central Educational Center (CEC) was spent developing a website for the CEC’s VEX Robotics organization. The website was developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Results:
In addition to serving as a source of information about the CEC TriBots robotics team, the website was developed to compete in the VEX Robotics Website Design Challenge. In the end, the website placed as a World Finalist in the year it was submitted.
ORCAH
Objective:
Organized and hosted livestreams for the Online Robotics Competition at Home (ORCAH) platform in the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted the livestream on YouTube Live using OBS for local stream hosting.
Results:
The ORCAH debut livestream ended with 275 viewers, with the following debut tournament improving to 277. Both livestreams had minimal technical issues throughout and were considered an overall success.
Branding
Objective:
With the COVID-19 pandemic in full effect, marketing our independent robotics team became impossible through traditional methods. As such, we adapted by sending free stickers to teams across the world, developing a unique brand showcased on the robot, and creating a unique background for remote tournaments.
Results:
The unique background and robot appearance succeeded in setting our team apart, as numerous competitors and spectators remarked on these aspects of our team. The stickers continue to be present three years after initial distribution, making appearances on the 2023 World Champion robot. The branding initiatives combined led to our team’s appearance on the 2020 VEX Community Recap video, featuring on a selective list of the most impactful teams in the overall community.
Jacob Zawacki - Portfolio 