Everywhere you look today, global phone brands are standardizing their communication and designs across markets and media channels to create international appeal and consistency. This has resulted in different phone brands looking and sounding the same. With the camera being one of the most important factors in purchasing a phone, Samsung wanted to stand out from the clutter. However, in a highly competitive category and with only a minor perceived distinctiveness between different phone cameras, Samsung Galaxy phones were fast losing ground to its competitors– even though we had one of the best in class cameras. Our challenge was to reposition our camera in a way that was locally relevant to the Arab youth, connect with them using the right media channels, and showcase the DSLR-like pro-grade potential of the all-new Galaxy S10. In doing so, we wanted to improve the overall perception and market share of Galaxy phone cameras.

So instead of relying on global assets, we launched our very own localized campaign ‘Be The Pro’ #withGalaxy. Knowing how mobile photographers in the region aspire to take photos like a pro, we worked with one of the most acclaimed fashion photographers in the region to do a photoshoot with the Galaxy S10. The idea here was not just to showcase the full DSLR-like capabilities and scale of our flagship phone, it was to reflect a modern take of the local culture and inspire consumers to do the same with their Galaxy phones. For this was their time to rise up, capture their best pro-like photos, and own the spotlight by having their photos featured in our consequent ads – ultimately showing the world that with Galaxy phones, anyone can shoot like a pro, without being one.

To reimagine our conversation with the Arab youth and get them believing in our camera again, we looked at what excited them about our camera and found that they related most to: Portrait, Low-light, and Wide-angle– the 3 key features commonly associated to a pro DSLR camera. This was when we realized that our audience– mobile photographers, always wanted to take pro-like photos, but never knew there was a less complex way of doing it. To demonstrate this, we had to inspire them by first showing the possibilities of what can be achieved with the Galaxy S10, and then motivate them to take action– and what better way than to focus on our existing Galaxy users and let them, or rather their photos be at the forefront of our campaign – by featuring their photos in our ads and having them be official ambassadors at our next Global Galaxy event.

We collaborated with renowned fashion photographer Mazen Abusrour, to do a photoshoot with Galaxy S10. Focusing on 3 pro-like features, this series of portrait, low-light and ultra-wide photographs, which reflected a modern perspective of the local culture, were displayed in their full pixel glory on one of the region’s largest billboards – ultimately launching our campaign. From digital banners, to promoted YouTube videos and social posts (Facebook, Instagram), people were invited to share their best pro-like photos #withGalaxy, which were selected and featured in our ads across the region to encourage more entries over a period of 4 weeks. We also had influencers share how-to tips for each pro-like feature, and conduct photography workshops at retail stores. Every communication led consumers to our website where they could discover, learn and be inspired from behind-the-scenes videos, stories, how-tos, UGC photos etc. – further motivating participation and conversion (upgrade to Galaxy S10).

INCREASED TIME-SPENT AND CONVERSATIONS

- 20X higher UGC (User Generated Content) submissions

- Over 3,000 more Instagram followers during the campaign

- 3X more website visits

- 65% engagement rate (13x higher than global S10 campaign and 6x higher than last year)

- 51% increase in search

IMPROVED CAMERA PERCEPTION OF SAMSUNG

- Overall camera perception improved by 62%

- Consumer’s perception of camera superiority vs. current smartphone, improved by 5.6%. Key camera features ‘professional quality’, ‘wide angle’ and ‘low light photo capabilities’ improved – 20.9%, 24.7% and 40% respectively

IMPROVED BRAND EQUITY & PURCHASE INTENT

- Purchase Intent increased by 19% (KPI was +10%)

- Samsung became the #3 most loved brand in the UAE (surpassing our main competitor)

INCREASED MARKET SHARE

- Samsung’s market share in the premium segment (+600USD) increased by 18.8%, after having seen its lowest in 2 years of 20.3% just few months prior.