Can you imagine ad-sceptical GenMZers running around the internet trying to get targeted by Samsung ads? Of course not. But that’s the story of Flipvertising.

To launch the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 we used an innovative approach to flip the media targeting model on its head. We invented an entirely new way of using the Google algorithm to create a game-changing channel strategy that had even Google’s own technologists scratching their heads.

The success of media is almost always about scale and efficiency, so revealing a hidden ad presented a unique challenge, stretching the ad-serving technology to its limit.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is the most innovative smartphone in Australia, a fully foldable device with all the capabilities of a cutting-edge smartphone. Our audience for this device were the internet trend-setters and online influencers that can drive a piece of tech from niche to mainstream.

This savvy audience is increasingly sceptical of advertising and often blind to its effects given their ad-free media consumption, use of ad-blockers and their desire to avoid anything that feels too ‘salesy’. So, to launch the new Galaxy Z Flip4 device, we knew we had to approach our challenge differently. How could we find a way for people to discover the benefits of the device without just shouting about it in ads?

‘Flipvertising’ was all about flipping the traditional use of targeted Google ads. We seeded humorous online videos with hidden clues that took viewers on a series of searches in the hope of being retargeted by one near impossible to be targeted by pre-roll, which contained, a free Galaxy Flip4.

To find the winning ad, clue-hunters needed to search three specific terms via Google that linked to our films. Each film was at first glance an amusing product demo but also contained a clue that drove to the next search term to enter the retargeting pool. Whoever watched all three films went into the final retargeting pool and was served the winning ad as a YouTube pre-roll.

The best part? As people searched to find the right keywords, they inadvertently explored tons of positive content and reviews – created by everyday fans - highlighting the device’s benefits in a non-advertising way.

Challenging a tech-savvy audience to engineer their algorithm into showing them only Samsung content seemed like a feasible task. But in reality, flipping the Google ad targeting model on its head was a technical minefield: exactly how many unique users do you need in a combined audience to retarget on DV360? Is that number different if you buy Youtube via Google Ads instead? How long does it take for Google to review a low volume search term before it decides whether a keyword carries eligible impressions? What is the theoretical number of custom audiences you can combine?

For the technical aspects of the strategy, we needed to closely partner with Google to ensure the campaign strategy would work from theory into execution, pull in data and technology expertise and tightly control the media trading platforms at a manual level.

To launch the idea, we employed influencers and content creators to get the word out about the campaign, then this content was then used through our paid media channels to promote the launch.

After that, the media execution then relied on some very careful management. The success of media is almost always about scale and efficiency, so the practicalities of running a rarely seen ad presented a unique challenge.

With such a technical media execution - rather than relying on automation or machine learning – we were relying on understanding the auction window of Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) and how programmatic auctions were prioritised between different line items in the same insertion order - it’s an obscure skill in advertising that’s slowly being lost but we’re glad to have found a use for it again.

Marketing science tells us that winning in search often means winning in market. The launch of ‘Flipvertising’ had 41% higher search interest than the far better funded ‘Unpacked’ global product announcement, driving 185,400 unique searches - with only $500K media support.

But how do we know that lift was for ‘Flipvertising’? Flip and Fold launched together but there was no corresponding lift for Fold, despite being the more popular device. So whilst Fold had 54% higher search volumes than Flip at ‘Unpacked’; at the launch of ‘Flipvertising’, Flip had 74% higher search volumes than Fold.

During the campaign, ‘Flipvertising’ was the top trending search in relation to Galaxy Flip4. Engagement in search was 6x benchmark for paid and 2x benchmark for organic. Engagement in social was more than 3x that of all other Pre-Order creative.

Most critically, Flip4 sales lifted by a whopping 32% week-on-week following the campaign launch.