Why is this work relevant for PR?

Seen as “uncool” by millennial and Gen Z females, Samsung phones had a perception problem. We needed to target this audience to shift perceptions. To do this, we employed influencers to hack Fashion Week and embed Samsung phones into the place where all cool trends start the world of high fashion. A standard sponsorship would be lost in the coverage of the event. We needed an idea that would get people talking, grab headlines and blow up newsfeeds. With ‘The Hidden Runway’ we used influencers to hack Fashion Week and demonstrate that Samsung doesn’t just follow trends, we set them.

Background

Samsung devices have long been associated with ‘tech nerds’ by millennial and Gen Z females. Given, for most, the phone is an extension of identity, being seen as untrendy by owning one was akin to social self-sabotage. The brief was clear, come up with an idea to change the way millennial and Gen Z females thought of Samsung; from uncool, to ahead of the curve. We needed to make the Galaxy Z Flip not just another phone, but a coveted fashion accessory. And where is the one place you’ll find all the hottest accessories ahead of anyone else? At Fashion Week.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We hacked Australian Fashion Week using four top tier fashion influencers : @harperandharley, @sarahellen, @_yanyanchan, @rozalia_russian. Influencers are already popular in the feeds of our target audience. Each day of Fashion Week they caused a stir by wearing outfits taken from the final show, looks no one had seen before, paired with Samsung phones. Their followers clamoured to know who they were wearing, but they never said a word. The influencers were papped and snapped at every turn, always with a Samsung in hand. Their pictures were posted and reposted across the internet, putting Samsung phones on best dressed lists from Vogue, to Russh to Elle. The designer remained a mystery. Then, sitting in the front row of the final runway, all was revealed as every outfit they’d worn at Fashion Week hit the catwalk. Their social following blew up and Samsung became the hottest accessory of Fashion Week.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

We knew everyone was at Fashion Week for the clothes, so we purposely withheld a key piece of information to create buzz who and what our influencers were wearing. The less we said, the more attention we got. Our core target audience were fashion conscious Gen Z and millennial female iPhone users.To authentically show up in their feeds and the sites they followed for style inspiration we had a second audience to appeal to:event photographers and fashion editors. To do this we deliberately put the influencers in outfits we knew no one had seen before, looks that hadn’t been launched. We briefed the influencers to create and post their own content, generating further buzz and earned amplification. Samsung also put money behind these posts to get them appearing more frequently in the feeds of our audience. The key message was simple, Samsung is a brand for the fashion forward.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Knowing that fashion enthusiasts, event goers and photographers loved unique outfits, we put our influencers in looks that hadn't yet been launched, accessorised with the new Galaxy Z Flip of course. Their images went everywhere. They posted photos and stories daily, never once revealing the designer (despite constant pleas). Then at the final show, sitting in the front row, the influencers posted side-by-side images of the looks they’d been wearing all week, just as these outfits were seen walking down the runway. Finally revealing the designer. We amplified all the content to ensure it wouldn’t be missed. The Hidden Runway activity ran for the duration of Australian Fashion Week, Australian fashion's premier event, 31 May - 4 June, 2021.

List the results (30% of vote)

Images of the influencers with their Samsungs achieved coverage on best dressed lists for Fashion Week including Vogue, Elle and Russh. Searching ‘Australian Fashion Week’ on Getty images now brings up images of Samsung phones, seamlessly embedded into the event. The posts on the influencers own feeds from the event received thousands of comments and positive interactions for Samsung. We saw a noticeable difference in consideration for Samsung during Fashion Week with a spike in site visits and dwell time. Key results: 41m+ campaign impressions +14k site visits during Fashion Week +48% dwell time during Fashion Week 98% positive brand engagement