How We Made All of Riga Play Playmobil

German artist Oliver Schaffer uses thousands of PLAYMOBIL figures to create his unique exhibitions. In 2009, he exhibited part of his collection at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, located in the western wing of the world-famous Louvre. Today, Oliver Schaffer is a successful exhibition artist and PLAYMOBIL brand ambassador, possessing more than 300,000 figures and over 1,000,000 parts. This is the world's largest public PLAYMOBIL collection, which has delighted more than 5 million visitors across 52 exhibitions. In 2022, Oliver Schaffer decided to bring this exhibition to the capital of Latvia, and we handled its online promotion.

Our Client: «PLAYMOBIL Supervaroņi» exhibition by artist Oliver Schaffer at the «Vernisāža» exhibition hall in Riga, Latvia

Platforms Used: facebook.com/izstade.playmobil, instagram.com/playmobilsupervaroni, Google Maps exhibition account, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp.

Project Period: Spring-Summer 2022.

Goal: Transforming online interactions into offline visits to the «PLAYMOBIL Supervaroņi» exhibition in Riga.

What We Did: To raise awareness, we informed the target audience about the ongoing «PLAYMOBIL Supervaroņi» exhibition through key social platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. For promotion and communication, we used three types of messengers: Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp. We also opened a Google Maps account for the exhibition for people who are not on social media but search for exhibitions via Google.

Based on these tools, our team developed and implemented a multi-channel (complex) promotion strategy to maximize reach and conversion of the target audience into real exhibition visitors through social networks, Google Search, and messengers.

At the very beginning, we launched a Facebook Business Page, designed the cover, created the description, and configured all settings for the successful integration of Facebook and Instagram in Russian and Latvian. We set up everything to enable communication with potential visitors via Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp Business. It looked like this for visitors:

For people who rarely visit social networks or don't use them at all, we optimized a Google Maps account for search in Google, filling it with content and photos. Here is what it looked like in the first week:

TikTok was launched a bit later and used to attract the target audience through vertical videos and stories, although in 2022 this channel was still gaining popularity in Latvia. Here is how it looked in the initial weeks:

Setting up channels was just the start. To generate interest, we created engaging and interactive content. For example, we told the story of the artist Oliver Schaffer and published photos from the exhibition. You can take a look here:

To attract the audience and increase attendance, we used various social media formats. Every week, we published video content about a specific diorama. For adults, we showed complex dioramas like the Port or Medieval Riga, and for children, we showcased the Underwater Kingdom.

During our work, we showcased almost all types of dioramas in video format to interest both children and parents. Here are some of them:

Every piece of content was adapted for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Stories. This helped us segment the audience and transform online engagement into offline visits through targeted campaigns and personalized invitations.

What exactly did we do?

1. Created and promoted events on the Facebook Business Page.

2. Ran targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram for different audience segments (parents, art enthusiasts, etc.). For instance, one campaign resulted in 28 responses at a cost of €0.48 each.

3. We tested various ad formats. Page promotion cost €0.96 per follower, but event promotion was much more efficient, bringing the cost down to €0.15 per person after optimization.

   We gained over 330 followers on Facebook and 390 on Instagram within just a few months, mostly through organic and optimized event ads.

4. Carousel ads and vertical videos for brand awareness achieved engagement at a cost of only €0.01 per person.

5. For the children's play area, we used messenger marketing. WhatsApp Business proved surprisingly effective, providing direct communication with the organizer.

6. We also promoted the birthday party room. After testing, the most effective format brought leads at €0.26 each.

Beyond attracting "cold" audiences, we used retargeting on Facebook and Instagram to re-engage people who had already seen our ads or followed the page. This drove repeat visits to the play area and shop.

On Instagram, user-generated content played a huge role. Young mothers shared Stories with tags, which worked better than any written review. The sight of happy children was the best recommendation.

Results of Our Work:

Here are the efficiency screenshots from the first month:

Google Maps also proved to be an indispensable channel for local business:

In just one month, the Google Maps account generated 29 website visits, 13 direction requests, and 2 direct calls.

Did we succeed in transforming online interactions into offline visits?

Yes. The comprehensive promotion strategy across social networks, messengers, and Google Maps made all of Riga play with PLAYMOBIL.

This case demonstrates how effective SMM, messenger marketing, and local SEO in Google Maps can successfully promote offline events.

This case study was prepared by Stanislava, our lead specialist. She has 30 years of experience in digital marketing, 16+ years in SMM, and is an expert in SEO and business development. She is the founder of the full-cycle marketing agency — webSEOMarket.