What was u.comms tasked with?
Online payment service Portmone launched a dedicated landing page to collect donations for zoos and animal shelters struggling amid the war. Our team was tasked with raising public awareness of the challenges facing these facilities, driving donations and strengthening Portmone’s reputation as a socially responsible brand in the financial services sector.
Key objectives
- Zero-budget promotion: Develop and implement an effective communications strategy with no media budget.
- Influencer marketing: Engage Ukrainian celebrities, TV hosts, and bloggers to promote the initiative across their social media channels.
- Regional and national PR: Prepare tailored press releases featuring stories from specific zoos for targeted media outreach.
Targeted pitching of local zoo stories, combined with genuine support from Ukrainian public figures, helped raise UAH 417,000 for zoos and animal shelters within the first week – with zero advertising spend.
The power of targeted communications for Portmone
How did we deliver the zoo support campaign?
With the landing page already in place, we implemented a two-stage communications strategy: first, we activated opinion leaders on social media, followed by targeted outreach to national and local media.
- Visual content for influencers: We created a series of eye-catching illustrations for posts and Stories, allowing celebrities to choose the visuals they preferred alongside ready-to-use information about the initiative.
- Influencer engagement: The initiative received free support from Olha Sumska, Taras Topolya, Ihor Kondratiuk, Mykola Serha, Laura Marti, Olha Hrytsyk, Lada Tesfaiie, and Yuliia Yanchar.
- Needs assessment and tailored releases: We contacted zoos to gather up-to-date information about their needs and prepared customized versions of the press materials.
- Regional media outreach: We pitched tailored stories to local media based on geography – for example, the story of Mykolaiv Zoo was pitched to media outlets in Mykolaiv and the surrounding region.
What results did the campaign deliver?
By combining influencer marketing with targeted PR outreach, the team achieved strong engagement and fundraising results.
Key results:
UAH 417,000 raised
for Ukrainian zoos during the first week of the communications campaign.
100% organic media coverage
all media outlets published the materials on a volunteer basis, with direct links to the Portmone initiative.
Coverage in leading media outlets
The campaign was covered by national publications, including Liga and Den, as well as specialized outlets such as DOU and Ekopolitika, along with six regional media outlets in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih.
Brand impact
Strengthened Portmone’s reputation as a company with a strong commitment to social responsibility.
