Union in the Heavens

Mamba is one of the first dating services in Russia. To attract new users and present the service in a new light, we brought together two well-known brands—Mamba and Pobeda Airlines—with a similarly familiar speed-dating format, creating a literal "union in the heavens."

For the Year of the Family, we lifted an airplane into the sky and organized meet-ups right onboard. We filled it about two-thirds full so participants could move around freely. While the airliner flew a route in the shape of a heart, passengers switched seats and looked for their better half.

Recruitment was done through a contest describing the ideal partner, as well as push notifications and in-app messages, plus banners with narrow targeting in the Yandex Advertising Network. As a result, we received 6,000 applications and 120 participants.

We conceived a project that showed you can meet your match anywhere—near home, at a bar, or on an airplane. 6,000 people participated, and 120 lucky ones got on the flight. We tried to keep the benefits for participants: if any of them formed a couple and got married, Pobeda would gift them tickets for a honeymoon trip. As a result, 12 couples formed onboard the airplane, some of whom went on a second date after landing.

For the brand, it was important to be heard and to get not only reach but also a new audience for the app.

Over two months, the reach of publications about the project was 4.2 million, and the campaign's OTS was 54 million. News that the Pobeda airplane drew a heart in the sky as part of the joint campaign with Mamba garnered 97 reposts online and 1.4 million views.

We strengthened the emotional connection with the audience: event participants left positive feedback in the comments on Mamba's Telegram channel. Posts about the project on the brand's social media received over 15,000 views.

In March 2024, growth in registrations was recorded following news of the Mamba-Pobeda collaboration: +9.2% compared to February and +9.3% year-over-year. This offset the traditional seasonal decline. Also, as a result of the event in April, Pobeda Airlines recorded a peak in sales related to increased demand for paired flights.

To select participants, we needed to meet several criteria:

• Gender balance;
• Interest in finding a partner;
• Psychological compatibility of participants.

Such criteria are not easily calculated automatically, so to reduce the risk of unsuitable candidates, we decided to review each application manually. In total, we reviewed over 6,000 applications and selected 120 project participants. We also created a waitlist for unforeseen situations.

One important aspect of implementation was flight preparation. We planned the participant movement scheme in advance and rehearsed it on the ground (organizers + host). Thanks to this, the onboarding was so smooth that there was no confusion even on the first trial round.

The day before the project launch, a terrible terrorist attack occurred at the "Crocus City Hall" concert venue in Moscow, which everyone immediately learned about. We understood that after such a tragedy, problems could arise both at the implementation level and at the level of ethics. The project team reacted instantly: announced the postponement of the event and remained in contact with each participant.

A postponement to an indefinite date is a labor-intensive task in itself, and we needed to preserve the current lineup (with minimal changes) and not start a new selection process. At the same time, it was important to maintain gender balance: the plane had to be staffed with men and women strictly 50/50.

What we did:

• Organized information dissemination: contacted each participant, gathered key questions, prepared unified answers.
• Organized community management: maintained personal communication on any questions.
• Maintained interest in the event.
• Created a pool of "backup participants": prepared a list of profiles that fell slightly short in the first selection.

As a result, 90% of participants confirmed their participation for the new date. Almost all of them arrived, and two men who couldn't make it were promptly replaced by other participants.