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Holy Crab
HolyCrab brought something completely new to Finland – the country's first and only authentic seafood boil restaurant. Located in Helsinki's city center, they opened in late 2023.
The Challenge
After the initial opening hype of a new restaurant died down, HolyCrab faced many challenges:
- Cultural confusion
Finns had a lot of hesitation with eating food by hands, how to eat unfamiliar seafood, or why food was poured directly onto tables. It felt messy and intimidating - Price perception
At an average price of €60-80 per person, customers saw it as a "special occasion only" restaurant, making repeat business and customer return rate low - Information gap
Endless customer questions about their new dining concept, but no clear way to educate interested diners and turn them into real customers - Declining customers
Without proper promotion, the initial excitement faded after only a few months in business.
Most restaurants would have pivoted or lowered prices. Instead, we saw an opportunity to educate an entire market and create ongoing hype.
Meridian’s Approach
Turned confusion into content
Every customer question became a fun, engaging video. "How to crack crab like a pro," "Why we eat with our hands," "What's actually in a seafood boil". We made an intimidating concept feel accessible, thus converting interested people into customers faster.
Visual activation
Mukbang videos, eating challenges, and drool-worthy food shots that made viewers physically crave the experience. We didn't just show food, we showed enjoyment and the entire experience.
Positioned as a destination experience
Instead of fighting the "special occasion" perception, we embraced it and positioned HolyCrab as so unique that people travel from other cities and countries just to experience it. International customers increased significantly, multiple reported they traveled from Stockholm or Tallinn because they saw HolyCrab on TikTok.
Finland's first mukbang livestream
We pioneered live mukbang streaming in Finland, creating a 2-hour interactive experience that let viewers ask questions in real-time while watching a mouth-watering seafood boil mukbang.
Meridian’s Results
Meridian’s Results
Within 1 year of working with Meridian, we have helped HolyCrab to completely transform their social media presence.
- Within 1 year of working with Meridian, we have helped HolyCrab to completely transform their social media presence:
- x4 follower count on both Instagram and TikTok
- Multiple viral videos ranging from 100,000 to 5,000,000 views, all organically
- Consistent month-over-month customer growth
- 7.8% engagement rate (compared to 3% industry average)
- A recognizable seafood brand for both the local and international audiences. Customers now travel from other Finnish cities and neighboring countries just to try HolyCrab.
Finland's first mukbang livestream success
- 8,000 unique viewers during 2-hour stream
- 350+ high-intent comments and questions→ 4 phone calls during the live and 3 immediate table bookings
- 4 phone calls during the live and 3 immediate table bookings
Drop us a line...
Our team’s all ears (and ideas).
If you have a company or project you'd like to get some marketing help for, we've got you covered.Let us know who you are and what your context is — we'll get back to you within 48 hours.
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