We turned the 15m2 cladding outside the under-renovation flagship Samsung store into a unique activation - because where others saw a boring wall hiding construction, we saw the chance for an interactive brand experience. With 100s of QR codes covering the wall, each was a new way for customers to engage with Samsung, even with the store closed. From AR product demos, to prizes, to exclusive experiences, each delivered on our brand promise.

We didn’t want to lose footfall to the Apple store, so we launched an activation that not only drew people in, but kept them there.

In November of 2021, Samsung were completing renovations to their Sydney, Parramatta Experience store, it was going to be better than ever once complete. Trouble was, they were closing down right when Sydney was opening back up after months of COVID lockdowns.

And with our flagship store out of action, our number one objective was to grab people’s attention, and steal footfall from Apple, who also had a flagship store close by.

The brief therefore was to prime Parramatta shoppers to notice the store while it was being renovated, give them a way to engage with Samsung, and be aware of the reopening date.

We turned the cladding outside our store into an interactive experience, giving people a way to interact with our brand and products in the absence of a store.

A 15m2 mosaic wall made out of hundreds of completely unique QR codes had people glued to the wall, scanning them to unlock games, fashion, music and prizes. Not only that, but they also unlocked augmented reality product demos and walkthroughs, as well as software that turned iOS devices into the Samsung OS for them to trial.

Samsung stores are the best place to experience the Galaxy devices; the full range and expert guidance. While we knew that clever geolocation targeting around Parramatta would engage our current owners, our real opportunity for growth was to spark the interests of other brand owners, namely those with an iPhone.

Of the switchers we had persuaded over to Samsung in the past, it was driven by their explorer mindset, with the biggest driver being the desire to ‘try something new’.

So rather than telling them about the reopening and hoping a specific device would appeal, we needed to give them an experience of what a Samsung device could offer; a world of experiences that previously went unexplored.

But the question intrigued us...why wait until reopening to drive people to the store to explore Galaxy when we had 15m2 of otherwise unused hoarding.

For a month long period before our stores reopening, we covered the entire wall in a mosaic made up of 100s of QR codes that formed the words ‘Expand Your World’

At a single location in Parramatta, people could come up and scan the wall, with each code unlocking something completely different. Games, interactive experiences, unique music, behind the scenes fashion showcases, AR product demos, and of course, prizes.

The wall itself was in a prominent position and drew a lot of attention, but it was also promoted through in-mall OOH panels, and through our social channels.

The wall was a huge success. We had 279% more engagement with the wall than we had footfall to our store before it went under renovation.

The wall was scanned a total of 11,498 times.

Every prize hidden on the wall was found. (with a few failed attempts to hack our servers to steal them).

Most importantly, 57% of people who engaged with the wall were on an iOS device, proving you don’t even need to be open to steal foot traffic from your biggest competitor.