The Brief

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the next big thing in smartphone technology. We were asked to create a direct marketing campaign that would build hype around its launch and inform consumers of the phone’s exciting new features. Our target market were existing customers and new customers alike. We knew Samsung fans couldn’t wait to get their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S4. So instead of launching the phone ourselves, we got our fans to launch it for us.

Creative Execution

People have always stood in line for days to get their hands on the latest smartphone. Instead of leaving our most impassioned fans waiting outside a store doing nothing, we turned them into our media channel. Instead of talking to each other, we had them talking to the country. Day and night, rain, hail and shine, Samsung fans waited in line and spread the features of the Galaxy S4 across social media.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Fans joined The Smart Phone Line through facebook and Twitter. To get the first Galaxy S4 in the country, all they had to do was get to the front of the virtual line. Every day we sent them exciting new features of the phone. Fans could jump the line by sharing these features with their friends via social media. The more their friends Shared, Liked and Retweeted these posts, the further up the line they moved. The Smart Phone Line was broadcast live to a 150ft electronic billboard, turning the virtual queue into a real world line.

Results

For two weeks, 12,000 fans waited in The Smart Phone Line. During that time they shared 36 features of the phone, reaching the facebook pages of 2.9 million people. 52,000 facebook posts and 34,000 tweets from our fans pushed news of the Galaxy S4’s launch right across social media. Media coverage surpassed Samsung’s best previous smartphone launch by 165%. With a media budget of just $10,000, we launched a smartphone to the entire nation. Thanks entirely to our fans.