Mel – Pro Bono Passion Project

As women and mothers themselves they know that the mental load of being a mum is overwhelming, let alone also being a wife, a boss, a colleague and a friend. 65% of women do more than 5 hours of household work per week, compared to 38% of men. Nicolette and Ruth wanted to develop a digital PA app to help mums carry the mental load and give back to developing nations by helping to address gender inequality.

After living in South Africa, it was clear to Nicolette and Ruth that becoming a mum in the third world was not always a joyous occasion. A lack of education about contraception and widespread poverty means motherhood can be an unwanted experience that brings enormous challenges of finding food, basic healthcare and shelter for another person. Rotavirus is responsible for approximately 40% of all mortality in children in South Africa younger than 5 years. Part of Mel’s profits go towards sending mums in Africa timely text messages in their native language to remind them of upcoming vaccination and contraception appointments.

Mel is a profit for purpose business that aims to reduce the mental load of women in first and third world counties, catering to the needs, wants and necessities of women in these differing communities. If this initiative and business model can be proven in South Africa, it has the opportunity to expand its reach into other markets where there is a proven need – making a positive impact on these communities and changing the world for the better.

• Retain original brand name and develop scripting around the brand to communicate its unique selling point
• Establish a tone of voice and brand personality that resonates with a range of stakeholder profiles
• Develop a strategy to tie in the brand mission to the day to day users of the Mel application
• Clarify brand architecture to enable future endeavours