Samsung Galaxy A - Awesome Academy

BRAND:

Samsung

AWARD CATEGORY:

The Best Social Media Campaign

CAMPAIGN TIME RANGE:

9/6/2022 - 30/11/2022

CREDITS:

Constellation/Prodigious/Digitas/Galaxy Communications/Cheil/Metub

CASE STUDY VIDEO

STRATEGY

Being a leading tech brand, we always keep our commitment to furthering innovations in technology and products. In recent years, we have noticed that many brands have entered this market. Compared to previous years, we started a new competitive strategy with the goal of developing and marketing superior products while also building an image of Samsung as a stylish, high-quality brand worthy of a premium price. However, the younger generation - genMZ is also an important segmentation for us to upscale our brand. GenMZ is a colorful generation and our future valued customers. They understand that to enter this segment, there is no better way than to learn, accompany and share with genMZ. If before, many young people thought that Samsung was a technology brand only for the elderly, now, we build a new, youthful, and close image with genMZ. We are an ally, bestie but very cool tech device. Galaxy A Series (A33, A53, A73)- a lower segmentation than the flagship phones - has always struggled to maintain relevance against the continuous onslaught of C-brand & older Apple models. To tackle old concerns and recruit new users from competitors, we defined Gaming as the key passion point for Galaxy A and held Awesome Academy. This Awesome Academy would be a starting milestone to approach closely towards genMZ and reinforce SS value.

INSIGHT

We defined the target customers of Galaxy A as genZ, life maximizers (18-24) and they are Tech Savvy people, but in that world, they value making friends and killing their boredom. They are also called the mobile generation. Their phone is the center of their world, no longer just a device to keep in touch with friends and kill boredom. The phone is the tool to experiment with future careers/ freelance work. However, when it comes to tech: they blur the lines between work & play. The phone can be a tool for learning, entertainment, and temporary work, but it is also an indispensable means in the career of genZ, typically the Gamer profession. Because of the confusion about phone usage, many adults do not have a new and positive view of playing games. With genZ, it's more than that, it's their ambition, their dream, and their future - the future of professional gaming. Connect with our brand, and let’s have young adults Spin our Samsung devices around to show the world what AWESOME things they’re doing with AWESOME TECH.

CREATIVE IDEA

We found that the biggest issue has come from the prejudice of older people, which is parents and family. Further, society harbors many prejudices about the gaming industry, often dismissing it as an unworthy passion for investment, pursuit, and support. However, for young people pursuing the path of becoming a professional gamer, Samsung understands that during the journey GenZ is pursuing, there will be efforts that not everyone realizes and appreciates. The process of creating AWESOME requires so much sweat, tears, time, passion, and dedication from GenZ. They GRIND for Awesome, but because they grind for things that they love so AWESOME comes naturally & it looks all so easy. Samsung Galaxy A is here to lift the veil on those stereotypes. We enable & facilitate what GenZ is really doing by taking an UNFILTERED look into GenZ's process of doing AWESOME. SAMSUNG CHAMPIONS: “THE GRIND” that goes INTO THE AWESOME THAT GENZ ARE DOING Having Introduced Awesome Academy - The first professional e-Sports Academy in Vietnam launched by Samsung Galaxy A Series with the superpower to turn "gamer" into "master" of thousands of people thanks to the equipment series. Awesome Academy would be a place where Genz confidently showcases their gaming skills and creates a gaming community that will accompany and follow them on the path to becoming a professional players. Through then, it helps the elderly have a possible mindset about Gamer. We want to not only create connections not only through online activities just for gamers but also to increase the trust of both parents and schools about this sport.

CONNECTION PLAN

To create a successful Awesome Academy, we implemented an integrated and multi-channel strategy. The campaign was developed into 3 phases: - 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 re-watch and continue learning after the event.

OBJECTIVE-BASE KPI

The campaign's social performance exceeded expectations with substantial free media coverage and impressive KPI achievements. Garnering nearly 235+ million impressions, it reached 90% of Gen Z gamers in the digital space, which is approximately 12.5 million individuals. Moreover, the campaign generated over 35+ million engagements, boasting a remarkable 3.0 conversion rate. As a testament to its success in capturing the attention of Gen Z, the brand's TikTok channel saw a significant increase of more than 110,000 followers. This outstanding social performance demonstrates the campaign's effectiveness in resonating with its target audience and solidifying the brand's presence within the gaming community.

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