Influencer Launch for Open Circuit
We launched a powerful organic influencer campaign for a new social adventure app, using creative video to reach over 110,000 people and grow their following from zero to 1,925 in just 30 days.
110,800
organic accounts reached
9.3%
Campaign engagement rate
1,925
new Instagram followers
About Open Circuit
Open Circuit is an innovative South African social adventure platform designed to merge social media connection with real-world, location-based exploration. Users are able to share geo-tagged moments, discover local spots, and drop physical geocaches for their communities.
Their marketing approach focuses on real discovery and ad-free sharing, so they approached the Barrk Team to plan and execute a creative influencer-led launch campaign that would introduce their platform to the local market and build an active online community.
Challenge & Goals
Launching a new social media app in a highly competitive digital landscape is an uphill battle, especially when starting with zero initial online presence. Open Circuit needed to break through standard ad fatigue, build instant trust, and capture the interest of active, outdoor-loving Gen Z and young millennial users across South Africa.
GOALS
- Build brand awareness in South Africa
- Establish trust through organic content
- Grow the Instagram audience from scratch
- Drive high engagement through influencer marketing
Services used
Strategies Implemented
1
Strategic Partner Selection
We partnered with local creator Austin Macaskill to tap into a highly loyal and engaged South African explorer community.
2
Breaking news concept
We developed a creative "breaking news" format to capture immediate attention and explain the platform's features naturally.
3
Organic first approach
We relied entirely on organic reach and authentic creator storytelling to build trust and bypass growing consumer ad resistance.
Business Impact
The 30-day launch campaign delivered exceptional organic visibility for Open Circuit, proving that real creator content easily outperforms traditional digital ads. By leveraging a single high-impact video, we successfully introduced the new platform to more than 110,000 South Africans without relying on any paid ad spend.
The local audience responded with massive interest, resulting in 136,867 views and an outstanding 9.3% engagement rate.
Beyond passive views, the community actively engaged with the content, generating 3,850 shares and 2,198 saves. These high save and share metrics show that thousands of people did not just watch the video, but actively saved the app for later or passed it on to their networks.
Most importantly, the campaign successfully built an organic brand community from absolute scratch. The Open Circuit Instagram account grew from 0 to 1,925 followers within the 30-day reporting period. This rapid growth gives the brand a highly receptive, warm audience of early adopters who are ready to explore and advocate for the app.
110,800
organic accounts reached
9.3%
Campaign engagement rate
1,925
New Instagram followers
