How Storytime Connected Smearcase with an Audience of 1.2 Million Without Shipping a Single Pint
See how Smearcase used Storytime's local influencer marketing platform to build authentic creator content and brand awareness. Explore the campaign results.
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About Smearcase
Smearcase is a high-protein, low-fat frozen cottage cheese ice cream brand offering between 39 and 44 grams of protein per pint, with added collagen. The product is stocked at Whole Foods and other retailers, giving customers access to Smearcase directly from stores in their neighbourhoods.
For a frozen CPG brand, getting the product into creators’ hands traditionally comes with a major challenge: shipping.
Cold-chain operations can cost more than the gifted product itself. Each collaboration can require insulated packaging, delivery coordination, tracking and customer support, making it difficult to scale a creator program efficiently.
Smearcase needed a way to generate authentic creator content without building an expensive operation around every gifted pint.
Turning Retail Stores Into Creator Fulfilment Points
Instead of shipping Smearcase directly to creators, Storytime transformed every retailer carrying the product into a potential gifting location.
Using the Storytime app, creators used the campaign map to find the nearest participating stockist and purchased Smearcase directly from the shelf. Many creators could find the product within a short walk of their location.
Once the required content was completed, Storytime reimbursed the creator through the platform.
There were no packages to prepare, no frozen deliveries to coordinate and no individual reimbursements for the Smearcase team to process. Smearcase funded the entire campaign through one upload to its Storytime wallet, and the platform automatically distributed payments as creators completed their deliverables.
1.2M+ Audience With $0 in Shipping Costs
Through the campaign, Smearcase generated hundreds of thousands of impressions across Storytime’s creator network while spending $0 on shipping and fulfilment.
Creators could receive either a $15 or $30 offer depending on their audience size and campaign tier. Larger creators were eligible to purchase up to three pints, representing approximately $30 in product. This allowed Smearcase to match campaign spend to creator value while maintaining complete control over its total gifting budget.
Rather than paying for packaging, couriers and cold-chain delivery, the campaign budget went directly towards the product and completed creator content.
Turning Every Creator Post Into Retail Marketing
The objective was not simply to get Smearcase into creators’ freezers. It was to show consumers exactly where they could purchase it. Each creator was required to post an Instagram Story within 48 hours of redeeming the collaboration, tag @eatsmearcase, feature the product and mention the store where it was found.
That final requirement made the content more valuable than a traditional unboxing.
Followers were not only introduced to Smearcase. They were shown that the product was already available at a nearby retailer and given a clear path to purchase it themselves.
Every collaboration therefore served two purposes: building awareness for Smearcase and reinforcing the brand’s presence on retail shelves.
Why In-Store Gifting Mattered More Than Traditional Product Seeding
Traditional product seeding often separates creator marketing from the retail experience. A package arrives at the creator’s home, content is produced and the audience may never learn where the product is actually sold.
Storytime connected the two.
Creators experienced Smearcase in the same way a future customer would: discovering it at a local retailer, selecting it from the freezer and bringing it home to try. That journey made the resulting content feel more natural while allowing Smearcase to highlight its retail availability in every post. It also created a campaign model that could expand alongside the brand’s distribution. Every new store carrying Smearcase could immediately become another creator fulfilment point without requiring additional shipping infrastructure or operational headcount.
Measurable Impact
For Smearcase, the campaign demonstrated that creator gifting did not need to depend on expensive fulfilment or manual coordination.
Storytime allowed the brand to control its budget, customise its creator offers and define its exact content requirements through one campaign brief.
Payments were only released once the required content was completed, connecting campaign spend directly to delivered output.
The result was a simpler and more scalable creator program: creators received the product they wanted to try, retailers gained additional visibility and Smearcase generated measurable awareness without shipping a single pint.
Smearcase’s Growth Over 1 Month Using Storytime
Frequently asked questions
What results did this brand get with Storytime?
How Storytime Connected Smearcase with an Audience of 1.2 Million Without Shipping a Single Pint. See how Smearcase used Storytime's local influencer marketing platform to build authentic creator content and brand awareness. Explore the campaign results. Storytime's local influencer campaigns drive measurable foot traffic, impressions, and ROI for brick-and-mortar brands in New York.
How does Storytime's influencer marketing work for local businesses?
Storytime connects brick-and-mortar businesses with vetted local creators who visit in person, post authentic content, and drive repeat foot traffic. Brands select influencer reach tiers, Storytime handles creator matching, content creation, and reporting — a full campaign in under 5 minutes.
How much does a Storytime influencer campaign cost?
Storytime offers tiered influencer reach packages so brands can choose their budget and reach. Campaigns start quickly with no ad spend required — creators are paid through the platform, and brands see ROI through tracked foot traffic and content impressions. Request a demo to get pricing for your location.