Group spending startup KttiPay takes bold leap with unbranded viral TikTok campaign via LUMME
Everyone has encountered that one friend who conveniently forgets to pay their share. Group spending app, KttiPay decided to take matters into its own hands and make sure Aussies are never left out of pocket again as highlighted in a new campaign by marketing outfit Lumme.
Based off insights that Aussies aged between 18 and 35 are owed $1.5 billion each month due to splitting expenses with friends and family, KttiPay teamed up with Lumme to take the uncomfortable topic of unpaid debts and awkward IOUs, and transform it into a viral, nationwide conversation.
Says KttiPay founder, Iain Salteri: “Over half of young Aussies have been left hanging on a shared expense that wasn’t paid back. That’s exactly the problem we set out to solve with KttiPay – a shared group wallet where everyone chips in before the money gets spent. We wanted a fun campaign that would bring this distinct point of difference to life, drive social traction and ultimately deliver growth.”
LUMME pitched the wild idea to KttiPay of creating an unbranded creator @Nic.Doff whose sole mission was to ‘save $5K by being cheap’. The infamous @Nic.Doff account shared outrageous ‘tips’ on how to avoid paying people back, including Nic’s top 3 Sydney pubs to disappear from before it’s your round, and how to save $125 by not paying friends back. The internet started talking, and had strong opinions, sparking conversations ranging from outrage, to calls for Nic to start a finance podcast. Nic stopped the scrolling and caught the attention of many in her cheap quests.
KttiPay’s campaign sparked conversations and was perfect for virality, with Nic going viral on the account’s second video, and earning the account 1.1M+ organic views across all videos, and 55K likes and 10K+ shares in only 6 weeks.
Once Nic’s profile as a prolific bill dodger was established, the connection was made with KttiPay, who stepped in to ensure she paid back what she owed, by encouraging KttiPay and Nic’s social media followers to join in a real-life $5k scavenger hunt.
Over five days, Sydney-siders were left clues via email, social and other influencers accounts to track down Nic’s unpaid debts and claim them for themselves, which resulted in the winners receiving $1,000 deposited into their KttiPay account.
The campaign delivered more than just brand engagement – it resulted in tangible ROI for KttiPay with 2,000 competition registrations in just 72 hours and record-breaking app downloads throughout the five day campaign as hundreds of Sydney locals searched for the money.
“Our campaign started with a simple but powerful insight: the deep frustration of being left out of pocket when covering expenses with mates. That frustration gave us the perfect hook to build a bold, storyline-led campaign – one that didn’t just spark conversation but drove real-world action. By tapping into a triggering truth, we turned a universal pain point into a standout moment in the crowded fintech space, winning hearts, minds, and some serious traction,” commented Jane Killingsworth, Head of Marketing at LUMME.
“KttiPay trusted us to be bold to take a chance on an unbranded content approach to prove its point. People responded better than we could have imagined to the @Nic.Doff account, and it paid off,” added Renee Gangemi, Director, LUMME.