SAMSUNG - ITEST

Bronze Spike

Case Film

Presentation Image

TitleSAMSUNG - ITEST
BrandSAMSUNG
Product / ServiceSAMSUNG OS
CategoryB06. Innovative Use of Influencers
EntrantTRIBAL AOTEAROA Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Idea Creation TRIBAL AOTEAROA Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Media Placement STARCOM Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
PR MANGO COMMUNICATIONS Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Production TRIBAL AOTEAROA Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Post Production TRIBAL AOTEAROA Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Brett Colliver DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa CD
Mike Felix DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa CD
Haydn Kerr Tribal Worldwide NZ ECD
Danillo Castilho DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Creative Experience Lead
Dan Cummings DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand DOP & Editor
Johannes Gertz DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Head of Digital Delivery
Trent Hall DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Content Creator
Dean Pomfrett DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Head of Digital Design
Tom Reed DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Digital Designer
Damon Stapleton DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand Chief Creative Officer
Gary Steele DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa Executive Creative Director
James Blair Tribal/ DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Managing Director – Tribal
Georgia Kerr Tribal/ DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Business Director
Jason Vertongen DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Head of Design
Ash Cook DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Interactive Designer
Simon Betton DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Technical Lead
Kelly Rosnell Starcom Business Director
Briar Barrett-Boyes Mango Communications Aotearoa New Zealand Account Executive
John Alexander Samsung New Zealand Marketing Manager
Simon Smith Samsung New Zealand Head of Corporate Comms
Minna Reinikkala Samsung New Zealand Head of IM Marketing

Why is this work relevant for PR?

The world of technology thrives on PR-able ideas. A small portion of the world love being first to discover new tech and race to share it with as many people as possible. So, by harnessing the power of the Apple vs Samsung "war" in a way that was fun but also highly informative, we were able to use a small group of passionate tech fans to reach a broad spectrum of everyday people.

Background

The Apple ecosystem is a fortress. It’s hard for brands to get in... and even harder to get users out. One of the biggest barriers to getting people to even consider switching to Samsung is that they’re worried they won’t know how to use the android operating system. They fear it’s too foreign and they’ll be lost. We needed to create an idea that would help people discover the truth.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Hijack our biggest competitor’s devices and let people test drive a Samsung from the comfort of their iPhone. The so called "phone wars" have been raging for years, so we knew we'd be able to touch a nerve with the right idea. But we had to make sure it wasn't malicious, rather something that would earn attention because it was just a little bit cheeky. Ultimately wouldn't just allow us to prove that Samsung phones are simple and smart, but also help to lift the perception of the overall brand.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Most people, regardless of their tech experience, turn to online reviews and videos when researching phones. And a huge portion of these searchers end up watching Youtube reviews. It's also well established that tech bloggers and sites love sharing new discoveries and making thorough demonstration videos of new technology, so we wanted to harness their influence to amplify our message.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

A handful of these vloggers were recruited via direct invites (eg. Unbox Therapy), but most (over 90%) were completely organic. And these videos are still popping up almost a year later as people continue to discover Samsung iTest, which is an unusually long tail for a tech based story.

List the results (30% of vote)

iTest was in the sweet spot of being something fun, cheeky and entertaining, but also deep enough for vloggers to create in-depth content. On average, each Youtuber demonstration was 6.5 minutes devoted to showcasing Samsung's OS via iTest. This has resulted in over 10 million iPhone users test driving a Samsung via iTest. Switching numbers have increased but unfortunately the specific numbers have to remain confidential.

Links

Website URL