CASE STUDY: United Nations of Comedy Tour Promotion and Collabs

Challenge

Joe Avati, one of the world’s most recognized multicultural comedians, returned to Canada with The United Nations of Comedy tour, featuring an ensemble of international talent. The challenge was to fill theatres across 11 major Canadian cities, balancing the draw of Avati’s name with supporting acts who were less known in local markets.

Key goals included:

– Selling tickets efficiently across diverse regions with varying audience familiarity using Meta ads and local collaborations.

– Managing a national ad budget that maximized ROI while navigating high competition periods (including baseball playoff season and Canadian Thanksgiving).

– Leveraging social media, influencer partnerships, and digital storytelling to drive engagement and sales.

Solution

Purple Canvas developed and managed a full-funnel campaign encompassing paid ads, influencer collaborations, and audience engagement across Meta, TikTok, and Reddit.

Campaign Strategy

Platform Mix: Tested and optimized across Meta (Facebook + Instagram), TikTok, and Reddit, tailoring creative by city.

Influencer Collaborations: Partnered with creators like Gay Italian Nonna, Rainha da Cozinha, Holy Cannoli, and Pizzaville to drive culturally resonant reach and conversation, totalling over 573K views and 830+ shares.

Ad Optimization: Budget allocation adjusted by market size and performance, ensuring efficiency while scaling reach.

Creative Focus: Featured Joe as the recognizable anchor talent, complemented by ensemble storytelling to highlight the tour’s “united” theme.

Results

Tickets Sold: 4,498 paid tickets across 11 cities.

ROI: 337.6%

ROAS: $3.38

Cost Efficiency: Average $17.14 cost per ticket and $8.95 CPM, well below Canadian event benchmarks.

Reach & Engagement: Over 2.9M people reached and 8.6M impressions generated.

Influencer Impact: 573K+ total views, 7.9K likes, 436 comments, 830 shares across creator content.

Platform Performance: TikTok led engagement with an 8.46% CTR and a $0.09 cost per result, outperforming Meta and Reddit.

Key Learnings

Earlier campaign starts and early-bird pricing can further amplify advance sales.

TikTok emerged as the most cost-efficient and engagement-rich channel.

Collabs featuring Joe directly yielded the strongest resonance and conversion intent.

Outcome

The United Nations of Comedy tour delivered a strong ROI and national visibility, cementing Joe Avati’s status as a global comedy figure and creating a clear roadmap for future tours.