Designing Viral Loops: Turning Attention into User Growth for Pawmates
Pawmates
Pawmates wasn’t competing for downloads—it was competing for attention.
We built a content system designed to convert cultural relevance into onboarding.
Scope of Work
Visual Identity
Client
Year
Ongoing
Pawmates is a pet social network trusted by over 100,000 pet owners across 75+ countries App Store, designed to help owners connect, find playmates for their pets, and discover local pet services — from top-rated vets and groomers to nearby parks and dog walkers Pawmatesapp. Founded by Slopestyle Studios, the app sits at the intersection of social media and pet ownership, offering a drama-free community built entirely around the bond between pets and their people.
The campaign was commissioned to drive brand awareness, reinforce Pawmates' cultural relevancy, and build a consistent acquisition funnel into the app across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, X, and LinkedIn. Content strategy was anchored in a single, powerful insight: pet owners don't just love their animals — they live through them. By curating and resharing content that triggers the "that's totally my dog" moment of recognition, the campaign created an emotional bridge between passive entertainment and active app discovery.
The results validated the approach decisively. Across 38 viral videos, the campaign generated approximately 24.75 million views and a 14.2% engagement rate — well above industry benchmarks for passive entertainment content — confirming that pet owners represent an unusually high-engagement audience. This proved to be a meaningful behavioural finding in its own right, one the team continues to study as the project develops.
An equally significant discovery emerged organically: a surge of engagement from Latin America, a market that had not been a primary target. This unanticipated response revealed genuine, unmet demand for a product like Pawmates in the region, and has since opened a new strategic direction. W.Inter Studios is currently undertaking a live translation of the app to support a dedicated Latin American market expansion — a direct outcome of what the data uncovered.
The campaign delivered approximately 20,000 app installs and ~8,750 onboarded users, with conversion tracking maintained through LinkInBio, App Store analytics, and Mixpanel.
The results validated the approach decisively. Across 38 viral videos, the campaign generated approximately 24.75 million views and a 14.2% engagement rate — well above industry benchmarks for passive entertainment content — confirming that pet owners represent an unusually high-engagement audience. This proved to be a meaningful behavioural finding in its own right, one the team continues to study as the project develops.
An equally significant discovery emerged organically: a surge of engagement from Latin America, a market that had not been a primary target. This unanticipated response revealed genuine, unmet demand for a product like Pawmates in the region, and has since opened a new strategic direction. W.Inter Studios is currently undertaking a live translation of the app to support a dedicated Latin American market expansion — a direct outcome of what the data uncovered.
The campaign delivered approximately 20,000 app installs and ~8,750 onboarded users, with conversion tracking maintained through LinkInBio, App Store analytics, and Mixpanel.
