The Russian heavy equipment market in 2025 faced double pressure: volumes declined 35–50%, while the professional audience (farmers, contractors, dealers, manufacturers) traditionally relied on offline tools — trade shows, catalogues, direct sales. Avito Special Machinery led in brand awareness but was perceived as a utilitarian classifieds board rather than an industry expert and media partner. Media revenue from the manufacturer segment was close to zero.
Problem
Attract heavy equipment manufacturers and dealers into Avito Reklama's media stream (SMM, special projects, media placements). The B2B audience did not perceive the platform as a media partner and was sceptical of advertising communication. The category relied on trade shows and catalogues — digital was not considered a meaningful influence tool.
Solution
'Farms Are Calling' — a docu-entertainment reality show filmed on real farms in the Moscow, Tver and Tula regions. 4 episodes of ~20 minutes each. Host: Dmitry Zhuravlev, born in the village of Verkhnyaya Kolybel, Lipetsk region, one of Russia's most recognisable comedic actors. He didn't play a farmer — he returned to familiar ground. Partner machinery solved real production challenges in every episode. Distribution ran in two streams: Zhuravlev's organic audience (VK) + precision B2B targeting: VK Ads targeting equipment interests, seeding in niche Telegram channels (Gruzopotok, Agronomika, AutoPROFI), OLV teasers on Yandex and VK Ads.
Results
• 8.5M organic views, reach 13.2M • 28.5M OLV impressions, reach 13.2M, 53,700 clicks • PR reach: 17.8M (media), 2.9M (Telegram) • Brand Expertise +8 pp (KPI: +5 pp) • Brand Reliability +12 pp (KPI: +7 pp) • 55 inbound B2B partnership requests (+83% vs KPI) • 11 signed contracts, 2 delivered projects • ROMI >200%: one contract with a top manufacturer covered the entire project budget
