Entertainment > Talent
ROSETTA, New York / SAMSUNG / 2016
Overview
Credits
CampaignDescription
After lengthy studies, interviews and meetings with Samsung owners, we uncovered a unifying belief owners feel they share with Samsung: “Breaking Rules for Success on Your Terms.”
We chose a documentary approach because it would keep the story focused on owners, not products. It would allow us the time and room to understand what the person was about, their challenge, their success. And without shilling, why they chose Samsung to play a part.
We then scouted three Samsung owners who live this ethos, perceived as “underdogs,” and who broke the boundaries placed on them. We had the story of a 6’7” principal dancer at the Joffrey Ballet who was told he was too tall to be a dancer; a sweet-faced mother who also happens to be the world’s #1 Atomweight MMA fighter; and a singer-songwriter who dared to make and sell her music outside of the industry.
Execution
We started with three documentary films built around our first three owner stories. We then built an immersive online platform dedicated to these people, their films, their social media channels, and with room for others to respond and interact with stories of their own. The initial three films were featured on Samsung web channels, social media channels, content channels and PR. The three were then featured in subsequent stories in media publications, their own industry publications and the news.
Inspired by the response we received to these aspirational stories, we extended the idea and began capturing stories of the “everyday” Samsung owner to create an organic groundswell of what it means to be a Samsung owner. These stories became the emotional, connective link by providing a brand voice consumers could finally relate to.
Outcome
With this groundbreaking work for Samsung, we were able to uncover a brand voice consumers were finally able to identify with. This resulted in a shift in brand behavior and owner communications and relationships. The initial three stories spawned hundreds of shared owner stories on social media and thousands of responses. But more importantly, this work inspired owners to join in, growing our loyalty base +50%. And the engagement levels of those owners with Samsung was more than double vs. our competitor’s rate.
Relevancy
We have become accustomed to entertainment and talent in advertising equating to celebrity. In our case, we were trying to find the soul of the Samsung brand as represented by authentic owners. Based on thousands of interviews and data analysis, we found unique people whose passions and actions defined “the why” in choosing the Samsung brand. Not surprisingly, they are also entertaining and inspiring brand ambassadors. Knowing who these people are, what drives them, has fundamentally changed Samsung’s relationship with its owners and its perception of brand representation.
Strategy
In observing Samsung owner behavior to understand their loyalty trigger points, we quickly realized they’re a group of passionate individuals. Individuals who often explore the unexpected routes, who take the time to educate themselves on topics that matter, and who aren’t afraid to voice what they believe in. This insight allowed us to recognize that Samsung owners were a direct reflection of Samsung’s brand character. Characteristics that we often internally discussed, but rarely surfaced in consumer-facing materials.
In an age of transparency, we knew having an unattainable brand persona wouldn’t retain our owners for long. We needed a communication device to build a more human persona, one that acknowledged the brand was listening and evolving based on consumers needs. Our strategy was to simply celebrate Samsung owners by sharing their stories, creating a new voice for Samsung that consumers were able to identify and fall in love with.
Synopsis
Samsung’s brand was built on relentlessly launching innovative products with celebrity endorsers. And this formula had proved successful, rocketing Samsung to #2 U.S. mobile brand. But to remain at the top, and to compete with the brand love our competitor enjoys, meant finding out why Samsung people chose the challenger brand. If we could discover what defined their shared passion for the brand, could we tap into it as the basis for a new kind of Samsung owner- brand relationship?
As the architects of Samsung owner relationship, it was our task to unearth where Samsung loyalty lived and determine how to connect with owners beyond the physical device. We recognized we had to find an authentic owner character, not an unattainable “superhero” persona. Once we knew the owner belief DNA, we could craft the content and the program that would form the basis for a loyal brand relationship.
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