Cannes Lions
CHEIL WORLDWIDE , Seoul / SAMSUNG / 2021
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
Korean Baseball fans are super passionate about their teams. But the pandemic blocked them from going in person and it was the first time in history to show baseball games with no audience. COVID-19 has taken away the contacts between fans and players and that bonding no longer exists. How could Samsung’s baseball team, the Samsung Lions, keep their fans passionate about the team through this hard time?
Idea
There was no physical contact but the fan-player connection was stronger than ever, making it one of the most innovative streaming events in league history. Kim Sang-Su is well known for being fan friendly so we made him the star of the event. He has a famous nickname, which translates to “serial sign killer”. It’s funny because in Korean it sounds like the word for serial killer. Using a live screen from a Galaxy Note 20, we created a live autograph event with the S Pen, which turned out to be just an amazing way to adapt to this pandemic.
Strategy
Pen connects Fan.
Autograph signings are a great way to bring fans and stars together. For that to happen, a pen is a must. But in this contactless era, how could we pull this off? We had a great opportunity because the Galaxy Note20 is the only mobile phone with a pen. So we used that to create a revolutionary solution for fans who missed interacting with their star. And the cool thing was it was “un-contact” and “on contact” at the same time, which added meaning and value.
Execution
1. Before the last game of the regular season,
the Samsung Galaxy Pentastic Fan Sign Event premiered live on YouTube.
2. It all happened on a Galaxy Note20—so no pen or paper.
3. The process was identical with offline fan meets, with fans waiting their turn, live chats, and dialogue in the comments.
4. Galaxy Note20 screen was streamed live and fans could see the whole process auto-graphs were made.
5. With no online limits, we signed a bunch of extras and gave those away to people with common names in Korea.
6. The video feed was uploaded and replayed on YouTube and Instagram.
Outcome
Afterwards, fans kept telling us… “hold more of these events!”
So it was a huge success, with around 42,000 viewers. Approximately 100 fans an hour received autographs, which were then shared on social media and numerous social communities. YouTube uploads exceeded about 60,000 views, and social media channels exploded. Most importantly, tons of fans stayed focused on the Galaxy Note20 demonstration video for 60 minutes. Gratifyingly, many fans called for an encore, which boosted the fandom for Galaxy Note20’s S pen.