88tumble helped “Fish, Fist, and Ambergris” break into U.S. markets through a highly targeted, community-first influencer campaign that drove strong engagement and word-of-mouth among Vietnamese and Asian American audiences.
The primary challenge was launching “Fish, Fist, and Ambergris” into U.S. markets without prior brand recognition among American audiences. While the movie had strong box office success in Vietnam driven by massive word-of-mouth, it was largely unknown to Vietnamese and Asian American viewers in the U.S., making authentic engagement and theater turnout a steep hurdle.
88tumble addressed this challenge through a highly targeted influencer marketing campaign that prioritized authenticity and efficiency. The team partnered with creators across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to generate substantial reach and genuine audience interactions.
Creators were selected based on niche criteria that aligned with the film’s core appeal: Vietnamese and Asian American experiences, martial arts, and humor. By leaning on micro-influencers and creative, platform-native posts, 88tumble recreated the movie’s original word-of-mouth momentum in a U.S. context, turning social content into a bridge between Vietnamese box office success and American theater attendance.
The campaign achieved an engagement rate of 6.64%, exceeding typical industry benchmarks for micro-influencer campaigns and validating the focus on authenticity over pure scale. Across platforms, creators collectively generated more than 130,000 views, driving awareness among targeted Vietnamese and Asian American communities.
By pairing micro-influencers with culturally relevant angles—martial arts, humor, and diaspora experiences—the campaign facilitated real “word-of-mouth” advertising for the movie in U.S. markets. The cost per mille (CPM) of $16.68 underscored that the campaign was not only effective but also efficient for a niche, community-first theatrical push.
