Samsung Share to Go: Samsung Share to Go

 
Campaign Summary

The Samsung Share to Go campaign promoted the unique mobile sharing capabilities of the new Galaxy SIII smartphones, which allow users to tap two phones together to share content instantly via Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. To spread the word, Samsung replicated that behavior by creating industry-first billboards that offered free, quick content to Samsung customers.

Strategy and Execution

Galaxy SIII owners can do something no other phone owners can do: share content quickly and easily with just one touch. Samsung wanted to build brand loyalty, so they reinvented NFC as a location-based mobile content delivery tool and changed the face of out-of-home by converging traditional media and emerging mobile technology.

Focusing on Millennials — men and women under the age of 35, who are heavy mobile users and early adaptors of new technologies and media sharing methods — Samsung showcased the capabilities of their newest smartphone, demonstrated the brand’s innovative thinking, and increased product awareness for the Galaxy SIII.

In major markets around the country, the brand secured out-of-home media space in high-traffic locations where people were most likely to have extra time on their hands, including airports, transit stations, cinemas, college campuses, and malls.

Posters featured life-sized images of people holding out a Galaxy SIII. When another SIII was held against the poster, a free song, video, or e-book was instantly downloaded to the phone.

Kiosks served as vending machines for digital content. Using touchscreens, SGIII consumers browsed through a catalog of music, videos, and e-books. Once they found something they liked, the users held their phones against the NFC panel on the kiosk to download the selection instantaneously onto their phones. Files that took minutes on 4G were delivered within seconds using the tap-to-go technology.

The NFC chips not only delivered valuable, free mobile content directly to the consumers, but it also demonstrated the phone-to-phone sharing capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy SIII through a printed medium. This was a new behavior among smartphone owners, so the experience served as advertising and tutorial.

NFC allowed for the targeting of Galaxy SIII owners in very specific spots (while standing in front of the ads) and provided content directly to their phones in a personal way. Because these interactions took place in highly populated areas, passers-by witnessed the GSIII owners interacting with the posters/kiosks and were left asking “Why can’t my phone do that?”

Results

The campaign marked a revolution in out-of-home media as posters came to life through the use of NFC technology. The outdoor activation was a key component to Samsung’s largest and most successful product launch ever, and helped the Galaxy SIII outsell the iPhone during the campaign period.

Engagement was three times higher than expected, resulting in 1.4 million impressions and over 90,000 interactions with the posters and kiosks.

The activation also sparked some major buzz, with articles appearing in such publications as Wired, Inc., BGR, and Contagious.


Categories: Relationship Building/CRM, Innovation | Industries: Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications | Objectives: Relationship Building/CRM, Innovation | Awards: Gold Winner