The Brief

Vietnamese are typical technophiles attracted to gadgets up-to-date with the latest news. Galaxy S4 was one of the most expected smartphone launches. People were getting tired of “on-stream” information, from its stage of concept till the first launch. Soon after the launch ceremony in NYC, articles about its new features were the trendiest topics. People thought they had seen and heard enough. The upcoming arrival of Galaxy S4 in Vietnam needed an unprecedented buzz above the usual cacophony of tech-glee, giving them a very strong stimulus to come & experience it on their own.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Technophiles here snack on technology. Technology is more an emotional need than a practical utility. We found the emotional currency of our product in connecting the large urban migrant population with their families. We tied-up the trial of S4 with the act of filling mum’s heart with love on Mother’s day. Galaxy S4 phone booths gave away free calls to mum & converted the talk time to helium volume to fill up huge 8x8m heart shaped balloon. Powered by Sound&Shot, the participants can also send mum their photo with a 9-second voice message.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Trials literally brought tears of happiness with 1059 people engaged in the act, resulting to over 1700 minutes spent talking to mum.. The display of the giant heart shaped balloon within a week pulled over 100,000 curious bystanders, generating 80,000 impressions on the Samsung Mobile fanpage, recruiting 2700 new fans. Over 400 people took pledges and uploaded their photos from the spot on Facebook. The promotion also earned PR which got over 5,000,000 views and delivered 57,672 views on viral clips created of the act. The event itself was lately reported on five different TV News Report & Talk shows.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Winning customers in this category has moved down to trade, especially the hands-on experiment. This promotion turned the trial of S4 and ‘Sound & Shot’, one of its key features into a meaningful act. It also brought alive the brand promise of being a ‘life companion’. Besides, the act was a natural word-of-mouth driver, hence effective announcement of the arrival of S4 in Vietnam.