MEGA Khimki at the Center of the Action

MEGA Khimki at the Center of the Action

How We Broke a World Record and Brought 6,000+ People Back Offline

Reading time: 9 minutes

Client

MEGA Khimki is the largest shopping mall in the western part of Moscow, positioned as «The Place to Meet.» It’s where visitors come to discover new trends, explore collections, connect with each other - and with new experiences.

Client Objective

To launch a gender holiday campaign that would distinguish MEGA Khimki from other shopping malls and online platforms offering similar promotions during the winter - spring season. The goal: build top-of-mind awareness «For gifts, new collections, and fresh impressions, head to MEGA!»

Market Context

Winter to spring is the peak season for online shopping. Physical retail spaces are in a constant battle for attention, and traditional promos just don’t cut it anymore. The challenge was to create something bold, immersive, and memorable.

In Full Bloom

Spring is a season of transformation - from blossoming flowers to fresh new looks. To reflect this spirit and tap into the emotional vibe around gender holidays, we created a vibrant, yet simple concept:
«In Full Bloom» - a large-scale campaign running from February 10 to March 8, culminating in a festive spring celebration.

Engagement Mechanic

Studies in psychology and sociology show that people are more likely to participate in promos when there's a guaranteed reward - it creates immediate satisfaction and encourages repeat participation.

Our engagement mechanic included two types of prizes:

An instant guaranteed prize
A grand prize raffle

We chose a guaranteed gift appealing to both men and women - offered through a campaign partner. Every visitor received ₽1,000 credit in the partner’s app, redeemable for flowers, balloons, or gifts - just in time for International Women’s Day. The app allows gift delivery anywhere in Russia, needing only a phone number.

How It Worked

To claim the guaranteed prize, guests registered a receipt of ₽3,000 or more at the promo booth, then played a game of Plinko to determine their prize.

The Grand Prize Raffle

Registering a receipt also automatically entered the visitor into the raffle for the grand prize. Each registered receipt earned a unique entry number - the more receipts, the higher the chances of winning. Winners were selected on the final day, based on a legally approved formula.

Encouraging Repeat Visits

The mechanic was designed to drive repeat footfall.

On the first visit: register a ₽3,000 receipt + one Plinko chip = guaranteed prize
On subsequent visits: even smaller receipts counted, and you could earn additional chips
On your third visit, for example, you got 3 chips - pick the best of three prizes.

The more you visited, the more chances you had - not just to win, but to choose.

The Plinko Game

We expected high participation, so we created a branded Plinko game. It was playful, efficient, and helped tier prize value without diminishing perceived worth.

Each branded token dropped from the top and landed randomly in one of the prize slots - totally unpredictable and fun to watch.

Our tenants also joined in, contributing their own branded prizes.

Tenant Integration

Tenant participation had to be both engaging and useful. Our solution? A gift guide that made shopping easier - especially for men.
We created a visual catalog featuring gift options across all budgets, tastes, and preferences.
All a man had to do was:

Choose a budget
Pick a page with his loved one’s favorite color
Visit the store listed

The catalog included product names, prices, and store locations - a full guide to thoughtful gift - giving.

Color - Themed Visual Displays

To further support tenants, we built in - mall installations featuring mannequins and curated products. Each display was themed in its own color and filled with items from participating tenants.

A World Record: The Largest Group Portrait in History

A highlight of the campaign was the creation of a giant Mural - a collaborative art installation made up of portraits of real MEGA Khimki visitors.
This wasn’t just fun for the guests - it was a chance to be seen through the eyes of an artist, to feel unique, and to become part of a bigger artistic story.

Solving a 1 Million Ruble Challenge Creatively

When we pitched the mural concept, the first artist quoted us ₽1 million for just 100 portraits. Instead, we reached out to the dean of the Surikov Art Institute.

Fortunately, she loved the idea - and with her support, we launched an internal student competition to find the right illustration style. The project counted as official student practice, so the work was done pro bono.

Final artists Anna Kanfer, Diana Nekrasova, and Daniil Utkin developed a concept blending art and digital innovation.

How It Worked

Every weekend for a month, artists sketched portraits of any willing MEGA visitor
They used digital tablets for speed - each portrait took ~12 minutes
Each image was emailed for approval before inclusion
In total, 1,000+ portraits were created: 507 people, 12 dogs, 2 cats, and 1 ferret
These formed the mural, which set a new INTERRECORD World Record and a Russian National Record for the largest group digital portrait ever created

The mural was covered by media, officially entered the global record books, and became a standout campaign feature.

Grand Finale: Colorfest Festival

The campaign culminated in Colorfest - a large - scale, high - energy spring festival featuring:

7 activation zones, including lectures, workshops, and stylist consultations
Partner - run interactive experiences with fashion tie - ins
A huge fashion show in three parts: adult models, kids, and a final walk

The show featured:

10 pro models and 18 children
Spring collections from 11 tenant brands

A headline appearance by top stylist Karina Nigay

Campaign Promotion Channels

Owned Channels:

MEGA Khimki digital platforms
VKontakte targeting
Website mega.ru and social media posts
Checkout wobblers & window stickers

External Channels:

Partner network promotions
Push notifications
Email campaigns
Outdoor media
News segment on the world record mural

«Team, the photos look amazing!

Once again, thank you for the project and all the hard work! Everything turned out on a top level — beautiful, high-quality, and impressive! Just the way we like it 😄
Let’s keep the momentum and the high standards going! 💪🤟🙌
We suggest planning a meeting to wrap up and discuss the project results.

As they say — learn the lessons and enjoy the thrill of success!»

MEGA Khimki
«A project to be proud of - without a doubt!

The team did an incredible job—from concept development and securing key partners to illustrating every detail and officially registering the record.

This project is the result of precision, seamless teamwork, and meticulous attention to detail at every stage.»

Yulia Filatova

Project Director Sichkar Group