Telecom is a category of intense competition and heavy information noise: operators have to look for new sources of growth while continuously improving their products to keep up with customers’ evolving needs and expectations. Young people are the most desirable new customers — and the hardest to win. They are the heaviest consumers of data and the most active users of new technology, including AI. Attracting and retaining young subscribers is becoming increasingly difficult: they compare offers actively and switch providers to save money, and they expect simple digital onboarding, transparent tariffs, instant support (chats and bots) and relevant local offers.
Problem
Young people saw no operator products that were genuinely tailored to their needs and expectations. Beeline’s mass-market advertising, meanwhile, was aimed largely at an older, family audience. This was reflected directly in business performance: the youth share of sales remained persistently low and lagged well behind that of the core audience. The primary objective of the campaign was to grow sales of the “Plan B.” tariff by attracting a young audience over the campaign period (1 August – 30 September 2025): +100%. The company’s strategic goal for 2025 was to raise the youth share of sales from 17% at the start of the year to 25% by year-end (within five months). Additional targets: growth of the “Plan B.” subscriber base over the campaign period: +18%; growth in mini app usage: +3 pp (6.7% before the campaign vs 10.7% after); growth in AI-service usage: +4 pp (6% before the campaign vs 10% after).
Solution
Beeline reinvented “Plan B.”: no longer just a tariff, it became a companion that helps young people manage everyday tasks and express themselves, giving them access to familiar services in a familiar environment — a mini app inside Telegram. The tariff was the first on the market to offer access to popular AI services without a VPN. It also reimbursed a six-month Telegram Premium subscription, allowed App Store and Steam purchases to be charged to the mobile account, and let subscribers manage the plan directly in Telegram via the mini app. In its communications, Beeline bet on an unconventional, engaging creative idea developed specifically for a young audience. Most importantly, the creative for an AI-powered product was itself made with AI — a signal to young people that the brand was one of their own. To roll the tariff out at scale, we built the campaign in three smart stages: Stage 1 (Instant test): we launched exclusively on Telegram, since the mini app was built on that platform. Stage 2 (Amplifying the drivers): we selected the best-performing media formats and scaled up digital communications by broadening the channel split. Stage 3 (Scaling): we began building awareness among a broad audience through mass channels — TV, radio, OLV and outdoor — adapting the messaging for a young audience and highlighting the tariff’s key features. We reached young people through engagement as well: in digital we focused on platforms with a high concentration of the target audience, in line with their media habits, and on Telegram we used key reach formats to boost visibility. To strengthen our presence in the youth segment we added placements at universities and across the Burger King network, worked with bloggers and social media, and launched special projects in gaming (DTF.RU).
Results
In just two months we delivered on every objective we had set: sales of the “Plan B.” tariff grew by 167% (target: +100%); the “Plan B.” subscriber base grew by 31% (target: +18%); the annual target of a 25% youth share of sales was reached as early as October — three months ahead of plan! Penetration of the tariff’s key features increased: mini app usage: +4 pp (6.7% before the campaign vs 11.7% after); AI-service usage: +5 pp (6% before the campaign vs 11% after). The share of tariff sales made through online channels grew several times over.
