It’s no secret that Nokia missed the smartphone boat. Once the largest mobile phone company in the world, it was out-innovated by Apple and Samsung and left trailing in their wake.

The Lumia series of phones was Nokia’s last chance to rebuild its market share and brand. And the phones, technologically, were superior. They had hardware that surpassed its rivals and an intuitive operating system.

But how could a brand that had lost relevance with consumers successfully launch a succession of new products while competing against runaway blockbusters (iPhone, Galaxy) from some of the world’s most loved brands?

Our strategy was simple: don’t TELL consumers they should be interested in Nokia, SHOW them why through engaging content and events aligned with their lifestyle interests.

We flipped the industry paradigm by developing shareable video content including the first music video shot entirely on a cell phone; lifestyle media events at the brand new Barclays Centre; pop culture integrations at the American Music Awards; and retail staff training videos that demonstrated differentiating features to increase sell through. All of which showed the phones’ real-life capabilities in settings that would excite our target audience.

The result: Nokia had its best holiday season ever with 7m phones sold and its first quarterly profit since the decline. Its market share moved from 0.1% to 4.0%, with over 27m phones been sold to date.

We SHOWED consumers and media why they should switch to Lumia across multiple channels.

Video Throwdowns: 18 videos designed to showcase Lumias’ capabilities in surprising and newsworthy ways. Included a pitching machine throwing fastballs at a phone to demonstrate its durability, and the first ever live music video shot entirely with a smart phone. Videos were posted to Nokia’s YouTube channel, pitched to media, promoted via social media, and used in cinema and digital advertising.

Live from Lumia: Lifestyle media events to demonstrate Nokia devices in action. Included an exclusive concert with Ed Sheeran, and a night at the Barclays Centre with the Nets to show off the camera at a sporting event.

Lumia Does It Better: Customer and sales staff training videos on how to become a better photographer, shot with MTV star Nev Schulman.

SHOWING consumers:

- Videos generated over 2m earned views on YouTube, and media outreach generated an additional 250m impressions through lifestyle outlets such as ESPN, The Insider, and MTV

- 40,000+ consumer comments about videos generated an additional 20m social media impressions.

- Lifestyle media events generated coverage in key outlets, including Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, GQ, Men’s Health, Esquire, Entertainment Tonight

- 500m+ impressions were generated in lifestyle media over the course of the 10 month period

- Awareness and advocacy amongst sales reps in carrier retails stores has increased significantly

- Traffic to Nokia US website and search volume for Lumia 928 was the highest it has ever been for a product launch

Business impact:

- Best holiday season ever with 7m phones sold

- First quarterly profit since the decline

- Market share reversal from 0.1% to 4.0%

- Over 27m phones sold to date