F*ch it: How We Launched a New Brand in Just Two Months

Disclaimer: Smoking is harmful to your health, and nicotine is addictive. This content is intended for adults aged 18 and over.

Introduction

Last year, a new brand — fich — entered the Ukrainian market. A sleek, lightweight pod system — a compact vaping device smaller than traditional e-cigarettes — designed to stand out in an already saturated market of alternative smoking products.

Here’s how we built brand awareness and helped fich gain popularity among its target audience.

About the Product

Fich is a next-generation Pod system positioned in the alternative nicotine segment. The brand set out to enter a highly competitive category dominated by global players and to stand out through design, quality, and affordability. Its goal was to attract users looking for a modern, compact, and less harmful alternative to traditional smoking.

Campaign Planning

The e-cigarette market in Ukraine is rapidly growing. Major players invest heavily in digital and maintain constant media pressure. For fich, the main competitors were other nicotine heating and liquid-based systems, while traditional tobacco brands acted as indirect competitors.

Antonina Zorina, Head of Innovation at fich:

“Alternative smoking is a global trend, and Ukraine is no exception. IQOS, GLO, and various e-cigarettes already had a presence here, but Pod systems were still a new category.

When JUUL — the US market leader — entered Ukraine, it confirmed that we were moving in the right direction. We refined our product, focused on design, quality, and affordability, and chose a bold, aggressive market entry strategy.”

To kick off the campaign, three creative concepts were developed in collaboration with Grape Agency. The campaign lasted two months — from mid-September to mid-November — targeting men and women aged 18–35.

Challenges and Strategy

Serhii Musin, Client Service Director at MixDigital:

“Our main goal was to reach the planned audience coverage. Since the product had just launched, it was crucial to reach as many potential consumers as possible. We focused on demographic and geographic targeting, strengthening presence in cities where distribution was already established.”

Advertising tobacco-related products is restricted by Google and Facebook, which significantly limits ad inventory. That’s why MixDigital built a broad digital strategy, using multiple alternative platforms and formats to ensure visibility.

Media Mix and Ad Formats

The restrictions on major platforms became a challenge — not a barrier.

Serhii Musin:

“With MixDigital’s proprietary TradeDesk platform, we had access to various SSP networks and a large pool of video and display inventory. It allowed us to achieve strong audience coverage despite the limitations.”

During the See stage, the focus was on in-stream video formats, using inventory from local sellers — Admixer, AdPartner, and Go2Net.

Given that the target audience is highly mobile, key ad formats included:

• Rewarded Video — in-app video ads;
• Fullscreen Display — full-screen mobile banners;
• Viber Post-Call Ads — ads shown after phone calls;
• Catfish Display — high-impact format with strong visibility.

This approach helped us reach over one-third of the target audience.

Campaign Results

The creative assets were provocative — and that’s exactly what made them work.

Serhii Musin:

“At first, we wondered if the bold tone might alienate users. But the videos quickly gained traction. Throughout the campaign, the view-through rate stayed high — around 70% — and the CTR held steady at 2.95%.”

The client also complemented the media activity with outdoor advertising and influencer collaborations.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Total reach: 7.6 million people, including 5.81 million via digital media.
• Over-delivery: +98% in October, +41% in November.
• Traffic: 80,000+ clicks to the website within two months.
• Website growth:
  • Pre-campaign — 3K monthly visitors;
  • September — 20K;
  • October — 43K;
  • November — 26K.
• Sales: +57% in November 2020 compared to May 2020.
• Post-campaign: stable traffic of ~2K weekly visitors, +20% user growth in four months.
• Distribution: after six months, fich was available in 5,500 retail outlets across six major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa.
• Market results: 2 in the T-Kiosk retail network, top-selling product on Rozetka — Ukraine’s leading online marketplace, and highly rated by category experts and influencers.

Conclusions

Antonina Zorina:

“The campaign performed flawlessly. We covered all relevant channels — exactly where our users were. People saw us, discussed us, even criticized us — but they couldn’t ignore us. And that’s success.”

Serhii Musin:

“We knew we had a strong product and a great idea. The market was competitive, but success came from the right mix — smart media strategy, memorable creative, and constant optimization. It’s rewarding to see the fich campaign become a finalist at the prestigious Effie Awards Ukraine.”

Highlights:

• Brand launched in just two months
• 7.6 M reach
• +57% sales growth
• 2.95% CTR
• Effie Awards Ukraine finalist