Cannes Lions

Do What You Can't Jimmy Fallon

STARCOM, Chicago / SAMSUNG / 2019

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Overview

Background

The smart phone market has reached its peak. No longer are phone launches defined by major innovations. Instead, by innovative features that make each iteration better than the last. But, these enhancements often aren’t obvious to most phone users and people are no longer convinced they need to invest in upgrading with each new launch.

By putting innovative technology in the hands of creators, Samsung gives them the tools to do what can’t be done. For the launch of the Galaxy S10+, Samsung wanted to demonstrate the phone’s innovative camera and incite purchase for its newest mobile device.

Idea

We gave Jimmy Fallon the Galaxy S10+ phone to do what he couldn’t: a full episode of “The Tonight Show” as a night out in New York City.

His vision was to take the show to locations in the city near and dear to his heart. He wanted his fans to see the places that inspire him the same way he sees them. If he himself were to take a video at his favorite restaurant or comedy club, he wouldn’t use a TV camera. He would use his phone.

So he asked if he could do what production said couldn’t be done: To film the entire episode on a phone.

Strategy

To incite purchase, our approach was to make Samsung’s latest phone and innovative camera unmissable.

As creator of comedy and entertainment, and host of the iconic NBC late night talk show “The Tonight Show” which draws the largest late night audience of Samsung’s younger adult target and most often is the top-watched late night talk show among Samsung’s broader target of adults under 50, Jimmy Fallon is unmissable TV.

By sharing the story of the first entire episode of “The Tonight Show” filmed on the Galaxy S10+ on screen, in the press and across social media, Samsung’s newest phone became impossible to miss. We also had the show’s crew film and share behind-the-scenes video with interviews, explaining how they filmed the episode using the Galaxy S10+.

Execution

Shot just days before, the episode aired March 25th on NBC TV, and ran on NBC.com and Hulu.

Jimmy announced to viewers we would be going to his favorite places around New York with guest celebrities and musicians, all shot on Samsung’s phone.

He sang doo-wop with The Roots under the Brooklyn Bridge. He shared whiskey with friends at his favorite Irish Bar. He chatted with comedian Michael Che at The Comedy Cellar and treated us to Rachel Feinstein’s standup as if we were there. He took us to the impossible-to-get-into Rao’s for meatballs with co-owner Frank Pelligrino Jr. and delivered a batch to heroic firefighters in Hell’s Kitchen on his old walk home before checking out jazz at The Django.

Jimmy, NBC and press got viewers excited on social media and TV ahead of time, and we shared behind the scenes video showing the crew filming on Samsung's phones.

Outcome

By giving broadcast TV production the power of mobility, Jimmy did what couldn’t be done and orders for Samsung phones took off.

Samsung.com saw a 13% increase in Galaxy S10 phone orders during the broadcast on Monday, March 25thcompared week-over-week. The days following also saw 31% higher order conversion rates than average.

The episode was viewed 6 million+ times across platforms and was the most-watched late night talk show that day. Jimmy, NBC, Samsung and fans shared how the first late night talk show was filmed entirely by phone on social media, reaching people 45+ Million times more, with 92% positive sentiment, 13% higher than Samsung’s average. Viewers commented about how they thought the episode’s quality was amazingly sharp for a smart phone. Variety, MSN, USA Today, CNET and over 300 more publishers picked up the story, earning 12.5+ Million more impressions.

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