Ever heard of playtech? Imagine marrying your favorite toy with apps, UIs and tech devices. And if you haven’t been living under a TikTok rock, you might have wondered why Dr Phil, Bill Gates and Khloe Kardashian stand in front of their living room TVs counting the number of times they punch a bouncing ball.
Swedish playtech company Boxbollen is just what it sounds like, a bouncy ball you box with your bare hands. In just a few years, founders and brothers Jacob and Victor Eriksson have grown the company into a TikTok favorite and involved some of the world’s most notable creators, celebrities and tastemakers to show their jabs and uppercuts.
Not a new phenomenon per se, but influencer marketing can take many forms and Boxbollen’s tactic has been to work with the most well-known profiles. Calling the game “Gamified physical activity”, BoxBollen is repeatedly viral on social media with over 200 million TikTok views and was recent features on national TV, such as ABC News The View.
Gustaf Lundberg Toresson: What was the idea behind Boxbollen?
Jacob Eriksson: Since we were kids, my brother Victor and I have always shared a passion for sports and we wanted to ensure our venture and company would evolve around this passion.
I spent 10 years of my career in UX, design, and marketing, while Victor excelled as a professional footballer. We always wanted to create a business together and combined our knowledge to design an innovative and fun play-tech product that kids, athletes and seniors alike could use to foster a healthy lifestyle and have fun.
Lundberg Toresson: What is it about Boxbollen that makes A-list celebrities excited?
Eriksson: Boxbollen is used by a vast array of celebrities because it appeals to almost every audience: men and women, children and adults alike. The simplicity of Boxbollen is its superpower, and celebrities recognise that. It is incredibly fun and addictive, and really plays into the competitive edge that so many celebrities have (how else do you get to the top?!). It can be as much of a challenge for a teenager as it is for some of the world’s top athletes including Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Tyson Fury – that’s what makes it fun!
After we sign on the dotted line, we fly out to film the content – whether that be LA, New York, Dubai, or Morcambe. We care so much about the product and we want celebrities to know that we are passionate about the collaboration. We also make sure that the talent has a great experience filming, and they love it! All the shouting and laughing is real, we never ask them to stage anything.
Lundberg Toresson: Can you describe the process?
Eriksson: It usually begins with us drawing up a list of names we’d like to work with, sorted into categories such as ‘Musicians’, ‘Parents’, ‘Actors’, etc., and approaching them directly. Sometimes it’s hard to reach all the way into a decision-maker, in which case we look around our network or pay our way in. We have never aimed small; Boxbollen appeals to so many people, so why shouldn’t the biggest celebrities promote it?
After we get conversations underway, there is inevitably a negotiation phase whilst we work out how the contract will look, when we can film, when they will post the content, etc. Our shoots are generally supposed to be 45 minutes long, but often the talent gets so competitive that we’re usually there filming for two hours. They don’t want to stop!
Lundberg Toresson: What is the effect on sales etc?
Eriksson: The majority of our revenue is derived from digital marketing. It works so well because of its mass appeal – with Boxbollen, what you see is what you get. Using celebrity content we lower CPA on our paid marketing and get better results. We also see a return from the word-of-mouth endorsement that these collaborations bring, and media love reporting on things that celebrities get up to on their social medias.
Lundberg Toresson: Do you have a dream collab?
Eriksson: We have so many and keep having to find new ones! Almost everyone we speak to is keen to endorse Boxbollen. As our global reach expands, and we grow in new markets, there will undoubtedly be local talent that we want to introduce to the product. If I had to name one, I would want to see Elon Musk go a couple of rounds with Boxbollen.
Lundberg Toresson: What do you think is the next step within celebrity endorsing/influencer marketing?
Eriksson: The way I see it, the industry is undergoing a shift. Microinfluencers have, for the past few years, been the number one priority for brands looking to build out their social media marketing. However, I think we’re now seeing a swing the other way, where A list celebrities and top athletes are once again being used to promote brands. The reach that these celebrities have – as well as their cross-market appeal – is enormous, and with an increasing emphasis on digital channels this is only going to grow.
Lundberg Toresson: What is the next step for Boxbollen?
Eriksson: This is such an exciting time within the company. As our brand awareness is growing so rapidly, we are getting orders from all over the world. Our dream is for every household to have at least one Boxbollen kit – and if we can dream it, why can’t we achieve it?
There are so many things going on with the Boxbollen brand: expanding into new markets, developing new in-app features, integrating more competitions into the Boxbollen experience, etc. One of the things we’re most proud of is our new school project, Boxbollen for Schools, which will enable kids of all ages to have fun whilst being active. 2024 is going to be a very exciting year!