Russian society is experiencing a strong trend toward nostalgia and the reinterpretation of local pop culture. Against a backdrop of global turbulence, audiences are looking for escapism in familiar, emotionally charged universes. Interest in the band Korol i Shut grew further with the release of the film Korol i Shut. Forever on Kinopoisk, timed to the band’s 35th anniversary. The audience — from loyal fans aged 35+ to Gen Z — was at a peak of emotional engagement. People wanted not only to watch content, but also to interact with the universe they loved, search for Easter eggs, and explore it independently. The band’s anniversary and the film release created the perfect window of opportunity: the fantasy world of Korol i Shut could be brought onto real streets inside Panoramas, introducing millions of users to the product through an immersive gaming experience.
Problem
The key business problem was insufficient awareness of Panoramas and limited use of the feature within Yandex Maps. Only 30–40% of Maps users knew about Panoramas and used them. This restricted the product’s audience and prevented it from realizing its potential as a standalone user scenario. We needed to connect entertainment content on Kinopoisk with the product functionality of Maps, convert interest in the film and the band into real action inside Panoramas, and create a new reason to use the service: exploration, gaming, and emotional immersion.
Solution
The strategy was built around transforming a utilitarian interface into an immersive entertainment environment. We abandoned the conventional demonstration of functionality and embedded discovery of Panoramas directly into the game mechanic of a popular cultural universe. The large-scale digital scavenger hunt took place on real streets in Russian cities. Users did not simply see an ad for the product — they immediately learned its core behavior: moving through panoramas, examining details, searching for characters, and unlocking new locations. In this way, the campaign moved the audience from “I use Yandex Maps” to “I know Panoramas, understand how they work, and use them.” The emotional experience helped create a new perception of the product and supported continued usage after the activation ended.
Results
Results in numbers • 145 million — reach of in-app promotion in Yandex Maps. • 1 million — click-throughs from Yandex Maps. • 30 million — reach of in-app promotion on Kinopoisk. • 40,000 — click-throughs from Kinopoisk. • 278,000 — unique players. • 860,000 — players within the game mechanic. • 2.75 — view depth. Key product effect. At launch, awareness and usage of Panoramas among Yandex Maps users stood at only 30–40%. During the activation period, the figure doubled. After the campaign ended, it declined by approximately 20% from the peak while retaining a significant uplift versus the baseline.
