In May 2013, Swisscom and Samsung teamed up to launch the new Samsung Galaxy S4. But instead of just telling people about the new phone, we wanted them to experience it first-hand. We focused on a promotional concept based on the one feature that separated the S4 from the iPhone and all other smartphones on the market: the revolutionary eye-tracking technology.

The phone realises, when you are looking at it, and when you are not. Focussing on that next step in man-machine-interaction we were proud to introduce the world’s first “S4 stare down”.

We installed the S4 inside a specially designed billboard which we placed at busy hotspots and invited people to stare at the phone for 60 minutes to try and win it. During those 60 minutes, players were presented with a number of distractions. From police dogs and motorcyclists to a couple fighting and hot dog vendors on fire: a series of professional actors did their utmost to create a scene and steal people’s attention away from the new S4.

1.5 million people joined the action via live-streaming banners on major Swiss news sites.

And 150.000 people interacted via a special microsite: All-Eyes-On-S4.ch.

Here they could support or distract players by sending tweets and instagrams to the screen of the S4.

After a roadshow through four major Swiss cities and 1.680 minutes of staring, we had 13 proud new owners of the Samsung Galaxy S4. And millions of people joined in the fantastic experience by watching a video of the events.

The video went viral in one day, gathered over three million views in just one week and generated a strong fanbase for the brand by tripling subscribers to Swisscom’s YouTube channel. The story of the staring contest was featured in public media all over the world, generating over 12 million ad impressions – reaching every third person in Switzerland and ensuring Swisscom’s position as #1 on the Swiss market.

But the success didn’t stop there:

The S4 stare down helped to turn around a declining trend in sales for Samsung and created long-term sales momentum.

Our concept took the unique technological feature and placed it directly in the lives of our customers – creating an entertaining approach that Switzerland loved to see and share.