People are more accustomed to brands being present in all areas of culture, even the areas that would be traditionally be seen as entertainment. Partnerships with artists or celebrities work best when the partnerships are authentic, when the experience is truly entertaining, and most importantly they are receiving a benefit from it. It’s not about selling to people, it’s about engaging them.

The best versions of brand and entertainment partnerships happen when two brands come together (in this case Samsung & JAY Z) to do something that is forward-thinking and innovative.

We could have asked JAY Z to write a song about Samsung, but that wouldn’t be authentic or benefit consumers. Instead we used our marketing dollars to give people something that they had been waiting for – a new album from JAY Z for free.

Samsung collaborated with JAY Z to release his long-awaited album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. The deal was simple: JAY Z would sell Samsung the first 1 million copies of his new album. And Samsung would provide the scale to promote it.

Challenge: Reward Samsung users with a surprising innovation and deliver on our brand promise of being the Next Big Thing.

Objectives: Create a moment in culture for Samsung and JAY Z, while rewarding our Galaxy phone owners. We had two objectives:

1. Command the attention of culture.

2. Distribute JAY Z’s album exclusively to Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note II owners.

Strategy: Put Samsung devices at the center of the album launch by allowing one million Samsung Galaxy owners to download JAY Z’s album for free via the Magna Carta app.

Execution: We brought the idea to life through a three-week integrated campaign.

6/12– JAY Z teased the campaign on his website with a Samsung phone displaying the words "NBA Finals Game Five –Tune In– Turn Up the Volume.”

6/16– Samsung announced Magna Carta Holy Grail with a 3-minute content film during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It drove to MagnaCartaHolyGrail.com where details about the partnership were outlined. #MagnaCarta stimulated conversation.

6/17– A second film revealed the Magna Carta App as the distribution channel while the app became available for download on Google Play.

The App became a media channel– people were incentivized to share with others to unlock album lyrics and additional content.

Ten days leading up to launch, we leveraged all channels to drive app downloads, including TV, digital, wild postings, OOH and social channels.

7/4– The album unlocks for the first 1 million Galaxy owners who downloaded the app, five days prior to mass launch.

Samsung’s partnership involved a highly anticipated album being launched in a completely new, innovative way. Giving away 1 million copies for free exclusively to Galaxy users drove buzz among media, consumers and influencers.

Launching with a 3-minute film during Game 5 of the NBA finals provided an unprecedented look inside JAY Z’s creative process alongside legendary hip-hop producers Timbaland, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, and Rick Rubin.

Sharing the app on social media was rewarded with exclusive content.

JAY Z hosted videos on MagnaCartaHolyGrail.com and tweeted about the campaign.

Celebrities, including P. Diddy, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, tweeted about the album.

We made a history-making moment for Samsung and JAY Z with the launch of Magna Carta Holy Grail.

1. We stole the cultural megaphone

-#Samsung, #JayZ, #MagnaCarta trended on Twitter for 16-hours straight surrounding

the July 4 release

- 1.9 billion total earned media impressions

- 53 million YouTube views

- Our partnership landed the cover of Billboard Magazine for being a defining moment in the music industry.

2. We rewarded Galaxy owners and drove desire for the album

The album was a bonafide success, with 1 million copies distributed prior to its retail release date, thanks to the participation of Samsung owners.

- The Magna Carta app ranked #2 on Google Play

– Became the #1 album in 59 countries and was Jay-Z’s first UK #1

– Album received 9 Grammy nominations

– Our partnership forever changed how album sales are reported in the digital age.

Magna Carta Holy Grail was certified Platinum on its launch day by the Recording Industry Artists Association (RIAA). It was the first time they included digital downloads purchased during the first 30 days in market.

– The Galaxy S 4 went on the become Samsung’s best-selling smartphone ever.