Nostra Communications Group cases
Cases- all cases 17
- strategy and implementation 9
- FMCG 4
- digital 8
- financial sector 4
- media planning and purchasing 4
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IREX «Еволюція в умовах війни. Шлях динозавра»
Video
Challenge
Insights and Strategic Idea
Results
At the beginning of 2022, “Sabrise,” one of Ukraine’s leading pest control manufacturers, faced significant challenges due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The company severed all ties with the aggressor state, including the popular “RAPTOR” brand, which had been a market leader in mosquito repellents. The overall market experienced a decline, especially the flying insecticide category, where “RAPTOR” held a 26% market share before the invasion.
The economic downturn, population migration, and the emergence of new low-cost competitors jeopardized the brand’s survival. The primary challenge was maintaining consumer loyalty to “RAPTOR” while simultaneously creating a new brand, “IREX,” without losing market share.
In 2022, the sales of the category fell by 51%, and the active audience decreased by 20-25%. It was essential to balance preserving the popularity of “RAPTOR” while transitioning to the new brand under the conditions of economic crisis.
IREX represents the “predator of the new generation with a steel character,” combining the familiar Raptor dinosaur with new characteristics reflecting modern values such as technological advancement and environmental consciousness. The target audience comprises young individuals aged 25-45 who actively use digital technologies and prefer focusing on important tasks rather than dealing with insects.
The brand employs video ads with the slogan “Eliminate mosquitoes, not plans,” showcasing IREX decisively defeating pests. The 2023 strategy focused on digital campaigns in social media, and in 2024, communication tools were optimized for greater effectiveness.
IREX embodies determination and innovation, actively engaging the youth in combating pests while maintaining ties with the previous brand.
2023: The launch of the new IREX brand exceeded planned market share (SOM) metrics by 60%. Communication campaigns reached 87% of the target audience, indicating the brand’s successful adaptation to new conditions.
2024: IREX solidified its position as a leader with a 42% SOM, and brand awareness increased from 0% to 30%, marking a significant achievement in just two seasons.
Let’s fight the crisis
Video
Challenge, description of the situation and goals
Insights and strategic idea
Results
During the crisis, PUMB sought to support small business owners by simplifying banking operations and attracting new customers. The bank became the first in Ukraine to offer 100% remote account opening for businesses — with online document verification, without visiting branches and without additional contacts with managers. This was important because entrepreneurs needed simple and quick solutions for conducting business in conditions of uncertainty.
The campaign, with a focus on reach and conversion, included the launch of a YouTube video aimed at raising awareness of the new service and encouraging deeper views of the main video. To measure effectiveness, the YouTube Brand Lift study was conducted, which evaluated the memorability of advertisements. During the campaign, there were regular optimizations and testing of placement strategies in performance tools to maximize quality conversions.
The campaign reached 75% of the target audience with an effective frequency, and the video completion rate (VTR) was 45%. The conversion plan was exceeded by 24%. Brand ad recall increased by 12% according to YouTube Brand Lift research, and spontaneous awareness of the PUMB brand among small business owners increased by 78% year-over-year.
The Story of One Track
Challenge
Insights and Idea
Results
Apple aimed to emphasize the key role of the MacBook in creative processes, particularly in music production. The main challenge was to establish a connection between the MacBook and modern music, targeting a young audience interested in electronic music.
Insights:
- The KISS FM audience is actively engaged with modern technologies that help unlock creative potential.
- The personal experiences of influential musicians and the demonstration of the track creation process build trust and engage listeners.
- Promo videos and music integrations are the most effective ways to interact with the audience.
Idea:
Іn partnership with KISS FM, launch a content series called “The Story of One Track” showcasing how the MacBook helps in music creation. The project included stories from DJs Lutique and Mr. Sunny, who demonstrated the process of creating tracks using the MacBook. The campaign covered radio announcements, website publications, video content, and social media posts.
Radio Announcements on KISS FM:
- Total reach: 978k listeners.
- 6.99 million contacts with the target audience.
Digital:
- PR materials on KISS FM and BIT.ua websites reached 532k users, with 14k reading the articles.
- Promo videos garnered 4.78 million views and 47k clicks.
- Social media: 221k impressions and 10.9k story views.
The project highlighted the versatility of the MacBook as a creative tool, expanding its usage scenarios in this market, which earned audience trust and created added value for the brand.
Strength and calm
Video
Challenge, description of the situation and goals
Insights and strategic idea
Results
Against the backdrop of the instability and volatility of the economic situation in Ukraine at the end of 2022, the preservation of financial assets became critically important, especially in war-torn regions. Only 17% of the population chose traditional deposit mechanisms to protect their funds. PUMB decided to accept this challenge by increasing its deposit portfolio in the context of economic crisis and uncertainty.
In response to the situation, PUMB developed two deposit programs: “Steel” and “Calm”, which were aimed at two different market segments – experienced users and beginners, respectively.
- The “Steel” deposit focused on confidence and high interest rates.
- The “Calm” deposit provided peace of mind and the ability to manage the deposit 24/7.
The digital campaign was carefully tailored to the needs of each audience segment and was conducted consistently, with a focus on individual goals for each product. PUMB used platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Programmatic, with an emphasis on precise targeting and optimization of approaches, including the use of TrueView for Action to achieve maximum effectiveness.
- No. 1 in terms of deposit growth dynamics among Ukrainian banks.
- No. 1 in terms of customer trust among banking institutions.
- No. 1 in terms of customer choice for placing deposits.
The campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of the digital approach:
- TrueView for Action led to more than twice as many app installs after watching videos compared to other formats, even with smaller budgets;
- optimizing in-app conversions through reallocation of UAC, FB CPL, and Inst CPL confirmed the correctness of the chosen strategy.
Walking “It all starts with clean shoes”
Video
Challenge, description of the situation and goals
Insights and strategic idea
Results
Sabrise, a well-known expert in shoe care cosmetics, decided to sever all ties with the Russian brand Salton after the start of a full-scale war in 2022 and start developing its own brands. In July 2023, a new brand WALKIN appeared on the market, among the first products of which was Walkin Active Foam for white shoes – completely Ukrainian production. However, the white shoe season was coming to an end, and the brand strategy had not yet been fully developed. At this critical moment, with a limited budget, it was necessary to increase sales for further business development.
To achieve this goal, we decided to take advantage of the popularity of Street style culture, which is gaining momentum in modern cities. Despite the war, Ukrainians continue to express themselves through fashionable looks, where white shoes have become an integral part of the wardrobe. We decided to address the target audience of fashionistas through one influencer who would embody the company’s values and be a native user of the product. For this role, we chose Ramina Eshakzai, a Ukrainian photo and TV model, blogger and host of the YouTube channel “RAMINA”. We gave her a set of Walkin products and asked her to share an honest review with her audience on Instagram.
The results exceeded all expectations: in less than 6 hours, a three-month supply of the product from the marketplace was sold out. We received about 120 thousand unique reaches and over 7.3 thousand interactions with the content (likes, shares, comments, saves, transitions to the brand page). The number of subscriptions to the @sabrise.ukraine page increased significantly, and sales increased 9 times within a week after the integration. This success ensured further growth of the brand and inspired us for the upcoming full-fledged launch of WALKIN.
WALKIN — A confident step starts with clean shoes!
Safety Amid Crisis
Challenge
Insights and Implementation
Results
In the context of the war in Ukraine, security has become a key concern for citizens. Among the primary risks are personal data protection, as many people face the threat of information loss due to mass migration, cyberattacks, and fraudulent activities. At the same time, users have become more aware of the importance of securing their devices, though they have a low level of awareness regarding protection features, such as those available on iPhones. The main challenge was conveying the advantages of privacy and digital security, tailored to the crisis context.
Insights:
- Users trust personal recommendations from bloggers and media more than traditional advertising.
- The topics of Apple Pay/Wallet security generated the most audience interest, as evidenced by the high number of clicks on these materials.
- The wartime context in Ukraine shifts the focus of the audience, making it crucial to adapt content to align with users’ current interests.
Understanding the challenges of digital security in the context of war became the foundation for creating a comprehensive communication campaign. Its key elements included:
- Influencer Collaboration: Well-known bloggers and thought leaders shared their experiences using iPhone security features, offering advice on data protection and discussing the benefits of Apple Pay/Wallet.
- PR Activities: Thematic articles on data protection and digital hygiene were published on popular Ukrainian platforms, such as 24tv.ua, Liga.net, and BIT.ua. These materials focused on current threats and provided practical tips.
- Online Advertising: Targeted promotional campaigns were employed to attract a wide audience.
- Content Adaptation to Wartime Context: The campaign considered the current interests of Ukrainians, such as protecting financial transactions and secure data exchange.
- Operating Under Restrictions: The campaign took into account frequent power outages and limited internet access, emphasizing organic content.
The campaign achieved significant reach and audience engagement by combining educational objectives with an effective communication strategy:
- Social Media: Total reach exceeded 3.39 million people, with 1.2 million story views from influencers.
- PR Materials: 15 million impressions from media articles, over 88,000 reads.
- Online Advertising: 42,000 clicks from social media, CTR – 0.35%.
The campaign not only increased awareness of digital security among Ukrainians but also built trust in the iPhone as a reliable tool for data protection. Influencers acted as an organic bridge between the brand and the audience, showcasing real experiences with the security features.
This case demonstrated how the combination of educational and communication tools can effectively address current challenges, even in crisis conditions. The campaign created a strong emotional connection between the brand and the audience, ensuring not only recognition but also a real impact on user behavior. Thanks to the comprehensive approach, the campaign achieved sustainable success and laid the foundation for future initiatives.
For the smile of small business
Challenge, description of the situation and goals
Insights and strategic idea
Results
In early 2021, in the face of high competition and the difficult post-COVID situation for small businesses, PUMB decided to improve its Small Business Support Program for legal entities. The main goal was to communicate with entrepreneurs in such a way that they would see PUMB as a reliable partner, feel support and understanding of their needs. It was important to create an emotional connection with the target audience, overcoming the barriers of abstract business communication.
Instead of communicating with businesses as abstract business structures, we decided to communicate with entrepreneurs as living people, for whom business is a matter of the heart. This concept led to the creation of the idea “For the smile of small business”, where a sincere human emotion — a smile — became the central theme of the campaign. The campaign emphasized simplicity, accessibility and humanity in interaction with the bank, as well as the support that PUMB provides to small businesses through innovative services and products.
To achieve this goal, we offered:
- Affordable loan solutions at 5-7-9% for legal entities in 7 days.
- Online account opening for legal entities.
- Coordination of foreign economic activity contracts for legal entities in 3 hours.
These services were presented as simple, effective, fast and focused on bringing a smile to entrepreneurs.
- +47% new clients over plan.
- 2nd place in the market by loan volume 5-7-9%.
- PUMB entered the top five for the first time in the use of banking services by small businesses.
- In the top three in the rating “Best Bank for Small and Medium Businesses”.
The campaign “For the Smile of Small Business” effectively positioned PUMB’s client as a bank that not only provides financial services, but also understands the real needs of entrepreneurs, supports them in the most difficult times and helps them achieve success.
Steel
Challenge, description of the situation and goals
Insights and strategic idea
Results
Against the backdrop of the war with Russia, economic instability, and declining confidence in commercial banks, PUMB had to retain existing customers and attract new ones. Customer deposits made before the war began to flow out in November 2022, which put the bank at risk of losing up to 5 billion hryvnas. In October 2022, the bank launched a new deposit product “Steel”, which needed rapid market promotion.
The creative campaign combined steel symbolism with Ukrainian resilience, emphasizing the reliability of the new “Steel” deposit. The campaign used the visual image of steel and associated the new deposit with the strength and reliability of this material. For a quick launch with a minimal budget, affordable PUMB video materials and simple graphics were used. The main emphasis was on digital channels, which became a priority in wartime conditions.
Despite the limited budget and difficult war conditions, the campaign exceeded all expectations. The click-through rate doubled, customer retention returned to pre-war levels (+28 points compared to the previous campaign), the number of new customers increased by 94%, and deposit volumes increased fivefold to 2.7 billion hryvnas per month. This allowed PUMB to ensure stability during wartime and improve its market position.