When a representative of the international toy brand Mattel approached us to develop a new game for the Ukrainian market with the help of influencers, we were delighted. Mattel manufactures toys from world-famous brands: Barbie, Monster High, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price. When we learned that the new game is also the "namesake" of our company — AIR — we realized it must be fate.

Mattel's representative in Ukraine challenged us to surpass the success of our British colleagues who used influencer marketing to launch the game in the UK market last year.

The results of their advertising campaign with influencers in TikTok were:

Pictionary Air can be played by children 8+ years old and adults. But the core target audience for the game is young people from 16 to 24 years old.

The combination of a classic game with augmented reality makes it extremely relevant for Generation Z. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, one of the defining characteristics of Generation Z is the desire for self-expression. This fact alone has ensured the rapid growth of TikTok. For Generation Z, the typical view of consumers through the prism of socio-economic categories does not work, forcing brands to seek a creative approach to this category.

We started working on this project in early December and wanted to implement it by the New Year.

What else is there to do on long winter evenings during the New Year holidays but to have fun with family and friends with an interesting game.

The key message we wanted to convey was: "Pictionary Air is fun and modern."

AIR brands, along with the client, chose TikTok as the integration channel from the very beginning.

TikTok provides users and brands with quality and convenient tools for adding music and visual effects. Simple and dynamic content is valued here, versus the elegant presentation on Instagram, and provides a higher level of engagement compared to other platforms.

It was important for us that the bloggers shot a video that:

• would acquaint the audience with the product, the rules of the game, and show the game in action
• would interest and inspire the audience to buy the product
• would show positive and fun emotions during the game.

We regularly track blogger stats with our internal tools, but we also keep a close eye on TikTok trends and influencers who are just gaining popularity on the platform.

For this integration, we focused on new bloggers who are good at capturing creative and fun content. This allowed us to both meet our budget and create a truly sincere and positive ad campaign with amazing reach.

We doubled our planned goal. Total views for the project amounted to 2,518,018 (planned -1,690,000)

Now, let's go back to the beginning of our case study and remember our initial challenge: "To surpass the success of our British colleagues." Well, a battle is a battle.

Let’s see how we did.

Just between us, it seems we succeeded and with a reduced budget.

Our target audience welcomed this integration very warmly and with great interest. Young people noted that they like the game because it included tech, had an application, and a cool design. People actively asked for details on how to play and where to buy the game.

After carefully analyzing the target audience, choosing the right platform and influencers for integration, we hit the bullseye.

In a short period of time, with a limited budget, we managed to achieve amazing results. We received 2.52 million views in 2 weeks and won an unofficial battle with our British colleagues to bring the game to the Ukrainian market.

It’s clear that if the brand's target audience is Generation Z, you can successfully use TikTok to promote your product with the ability to reach 7 million young Ukrainians every month.

But remember, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Influencers who gained their popularity on TikTok will help you to play by the rules of that platform. Trust their advice, be flexible and don’t demand that they speak the learned text on camera. Instead, give free rein to creativity and fun, because TikTok is almost the only social network where simplicity and creativity are still valued.