Playing games has been one of the top favorite entertainment types for young people. The main device that Gen Z uses when playing games is the phone and E-gaming has become the new social norm for Generation Z. However, many people, especially their parents, have a negative mindset about playing games. And they assumed that when spending most of their time on the phone, their children would become naughty, and inattentive at school,... many people criticize playing games as an injurious behavior. In contrast, genZ thinks of gaming with an open outlook. They don't even play games for fun, they play games to catch their dream. In fact, Esport has become one of the official sports in many sports tournaments. More and more young people have a big ambition to become professional gamers. Therefore, gaming is more positively received by the majority of young people. GenZ makes doing awesome looks effortless but no one sees the gratitude, passion & effort that goes into making it look AWESOME. And SAMSUNG empowers GenZ to create AWESOME and engages them to create awesome in a way that talks their language.

In Vietnam, the potential of young gamers is huge. However, there has never been a well-organized and remarkable educational and training platform for professional eSports athletes. In response to this void, Samsung Galaxy A Series launched the Awesome Academy, the first professional e-Sports Academy in Vietnam. The Academy leverages the power of the Galaxy A Series equipment to turn "gamers" into "masters" for thousands of individuals. At Awesome Academy, we prioritized coaching and training goals, fostering the connection between gaming experts and Gen Z - young people with the desire to become professional Gamers in the future. Through the real stories of mentors on an expert's journey to becoming a professional gamer, the expert's role was to inspire, share knowledge and accompany genZ on gaming. Moreover, Awesome Academy served as a platform for: - Connecting Esport passion among young people - Practicing competitive skills and important soft skills - Giving useful advice about the right orientation for young people who compete professionally or plan to follow the long-term eSports path. - Promoting the idea that gaming is a positive aspect of Gen Z’s life.

The Awesome Academy campaign was an excellent example of how innovative social media solutions can be implemented across multiple channels to engage a target audience and achieve desired outcomes. The campaign had a well-structured connection plan that was divided into three phases: teasing, launching, and sustaining - Teasing Phase: Local event a crucial milestone of Galaxy A 2022, where all the valued partner was invited to map the official partnership with PUBG Mobile. To trigger the curiosity of the audience about the long-term platform Awesome Academy - the first virtual gaming academy. - Launching Phase: The campaign kicked off with a synchronized intro video on mobile and PC platforms, featuring a collaboration with PUBG Mobile, a top mobile game in Vietnam, and five prominent Game Opinion Leaders (GOLs). The video celebrated the dedication of Gen Z gamers and encouraged them to learn and grind on their own. The campaign featured five live-stream episodes, each focusing on a different game topic and led by one of the GOLs. The training sessions progressed from basic to advanced levels, covering not only gaming skills but also communication, teamwork, mental management, and physical health. Sixteen teams from universities nationwide participated in the training, culminating in a final competition event to determine the champion team. - Sustaining Phase: To maintain momentum, the Awesome Academy and the champion team embarked on an activation tour, visiting five universities in different cities. They engaged with fellow student gamers by inviting them to participate in friendly PUBG Mobile matches, allowing participants to test their skills. The tour concluded with a final competition celebrating the potential of student gamers, further solidifying the campaign's impact and inspiring the next generation of gaming enthusiasts. Not stopping at the online live stream, Awesome Academy continued spreading the inspired message to the gaming community, which we brought the platform to offline. We increased the scale to reach more university students. Moreover, from the offline activity, we amplified the message & content back online. Both online & offline channels were dominated by our “Awesome moments”. Nearly 90% of the budget was allocated to mobile advertising during the 30-day digital campaign, targeting Gen Z as the mobile-first generation, particularly during weekends when they have more leisure time. We prioritized partnerships with top Gen Z channels such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, as well as leading gaming news websites, to effectively engage the Gen Z gamer audience. Pre- and post-live stream content was promoted and amplified through our social outreach, key opinion leaders (KOLs), and media partners. We compiled curated content from influencers with the highest engagement and live stream viewership into short-form videos for branded content to be showcased on social media. To maintain social momentum, we generated multiple mobile-first videos per week based on content from the live streams, ensuring sustained attention and engagement throughout the campaign. Moreover, we created multiple versions of content to diversify delivery and prioritized video format, adapting to various platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to optimize the mobile experience for our customers. To reach a wider audience, these videos were amplified on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as part of our social outreach effort, targeting gamers across all social media platforms. To maximize participation, we employed TikTok's new TopView for Livestream solution and Facebook Reach with the advanced countdown and event registration features. Additionally, we heavily utilized a high share of voice (SOV) on gaming sites to drive awareness about Vietnam's first gaming academy through engaging hero films and calls-to-action for livestream episode registration. During the live streams, we showcased Galaxy A's role in documenting, capturing, and powering gamers' journeys through their challenges, victories, and emotions. We also integrated chat-live features to promote the stream and drive purchase intent among viewers. All generated content was made available on our Awesome Academy Hub, a dedicated website and accompanying YouTube playlist where audiences could rewatch and continue learning after the event.

The Awesome Academy campaign achieved exceptional social performance, surpassing expectations and achieving impressive KPIs. It garnered nearly 235+ million impressions, reaching approximately 90% of Gen Z gamers in the digital space, which equates to about 12.5 million individuals. The campaign generated over 35+ million engagements, boasting a remarkable 3.0 conversion rate. The brand's TikTok channel saw a significant increase of more than 110,000 followers, a testament to its success in capturing the attention of Gen Z. Additionally, the Galaxy A online sale performance during the Awesome Academy campaign was higher than average at 45%, contributing to a +263% YOY Total Segment Growth and 160% Total Product Growth. These outstanding results demonstrate the campaign's effectiveness in resonating with its target audience and solidifying the brand's presence within the gaming community.