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August 07, 2023
TV

A case study of TNT and Zefiryushki: How to turn marshmallows into a family dessert

Gazprom-Media Sales House collaborated with the TNT TV channel to execute a sponsorship campaign for the Zefiryushki marshmallow brand in the “Picnic Battle” show. Learn how TV sponsorship can increase product demand in the new case study.

Objectives

  • To improve brand awareness
  • To change the stereotypical perception of marshmallow consumption
  • To show the flexibility of the use cases for the product and educate the audience on innovative ways to cook marshmallows

Idea

In the spring of 2023, the second season of the culinary project “Picnic Battle” launched on TNT. The show features professional chefs competing in an outdoor cooking competition. The judges are restaurateur Dmitry Levitsky, program host Roman Yunusov, and guests of the project—ordinary viewers invited to take part in the filming of the project.
The program’s viewers are parents with children and friends who go to the countryside for a barbecue and can repeat what they saw on the air on their own. This is the type of audience that has proven to be the most relevant for the brand.

Solution

The brand’s products were presented in the most relevant content environment. Zefiryushki seamlessly integrated into the feature programs “Bachelorette Party” and “Married Couples with Children.” It ensured high nativeness for the advertising placement and 100% brand safety for the brand.
While the chefs cooked the main dishes, restaurateur Dmitry Levitsky talked about marshmallows and showed new ways of making desserts with this product. The tasters were guests on the show and gave positive reviews on air, creating additional goodwill for the brand’s products among TV viewers.

Results

The advertiser was inspired by the “Picnic Battle” content, and it was their first time using TV sponsorship as an advertising tool. Working with product perception is no ordinary task, but the teams managed to come up with a winning formula. Due to the diversity of the show’s themes, the brand’s marshmallows transformed and became part of the show’s menus and the hosts’ recipes.
The number of views of episodes featuring the brand exceeded 1 million, and OTS amounted to approximately 4 million contacts1. The product in its new role impressed TV viewers,[1]which was reflected in purchase rates. According to the advertiser, the sales of its products on marketplaces increased exponentially.
When preparing a campaign, we always take into account the target audience and brand values. The content of “Picnic Battle” on TNT was in line with the Zefiryushki brand in all respects. We knew that marshmallows would fit in the context of the program as natively as possible, and we inspired the advertiser with our ideas. TV sponsorship was a new experience for the brand, but we already want to repeat it. Not only did we boost knowledge, but we also generated an additional buying impetus.
Sladkaya Skazka Group is the first marshmallow manufacturer in Russia. At some point, Zefiryushki became the “symbol” of this new category. But as the popularity of Zefiryushki grows, so does the number of competitors. Our goal is to maintain consumer loyalty, continually stimulate interest in the brand by releasing new products and surprising buyers with new ways to cook marshmallows. The most popular desserts in the world are made from marshmallows roasted over the fire. Therefore, for communication with our consumers, we came up with a slogan for Zefiryushki BBQ XXL: “Barbecue is not only about meat!” The offer of the Marketing for Business agency to participate in the sponsorship integration in the TV show “Picnic Battle” on TNT was so consistent with our promotion concept that we agreed without any hesitation.
I can confidently describe this experience as successful. The combined efforts of three teams with lots of ideas—Marketing for Business agency, TNT TV channel, and Sladkaya Skazka—created an excellent collaboration of two products:[1]“Picnic Battle” and Zefiryushki, and we hope that this is only the first step on the way of our further successful cooperation!
Any food blogger can make food videos, but to make the integration into a TV project as effective as possible, several conditions should be met. The first is a high-reach channel: and here it is evident why we chose TNT. The second is a popular and relevant project. In this respect, Zefiryushki and “Picnic Battle” formed a perfect and unusual duo. The third is a charismatic host. No comments here: Dmitry Levitsky and Roma Yunusov are a dream team. The idea and format of the project allowed us not only to integrate the product organically—I dislike the word “natively”—as an integral part of any picnic, but also to show its potential use cases in an appropriate consumption situation involving diverse audiences.

1According to Mediascope, all 14–44, May–June 2023

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