Samsung Galaxy S5: ‘ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE’
Samsung Electronics UK
Issue 34 | March 2015
Agency
Cheil UK
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Logan Wilmont Associate Creative Director, Social Matt Jukes Copywriter Dave Newbold Art Director Jim Eyre
Production Team
Head of Content Nana Bempah Editor Sam White Production Assistant Jennica Carpio
Other Credits
Client Services Director Andrew Bell Account Manager Louis Haskell Community Manager Hannah Burnett-Kirk PR Manager Julia Hatch Samsung Electronics UK Russell Taylor Ines Van Gennip
Date
August 2014
Background
It was not easy for smartphones to differentiate in a market in which there were few real product variances.
The Samsung Galaxy S5, however, did have one feature which made it stand out from its competitors. It was water resistant.
In the last months of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge became a viral phenomenon as celebrities and organisations uploaded videos of themselves getting soaked in support of the charity.
Idea
To promote the Samsung Galaxy S5's USP, while also benefitting the UK's Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), the idea was for the smartphone to get an ice bucket dunking.
The 15-second film went from concept to execution in 24 hours and was produced in-house. It used the Samsung Galaxy S5's S Voice function to let the phone speak for itself and to challenge several other smartphone brands too.
The video was deployed via YouTube and Samsung's social channels, including Twitter and Facebook. Soon it was seen and shared by people all over the globe.
Results
The video clocked up more than four million views on YouTube in four days, reaching 145 countries, and securing 3% of the global conversation around the Ice Bucket Challenge. In terms of total awareness, it reached more than 29 million people and was the 12th most watched challenge globally, ahead of Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Usain Bolt, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.
For a budget of just £6,000, the campaign earned a PR value of £545,000 representing a £0.0002 Cost Per Reach. In all, 28,954 spontaneous stories were generated.
Of those who engaged, 18% referenced the phone's waterproof feature. The challenge also allowed Samsung to demonstrate a more playful side to the brand's character with 41% of people mentioning Samsung's humour and confidence at nominating non-waterproof rivals.
Our Thoughts
Most creative briefs still ask the question, ‘What do we want to say?’ The trouble is, no-one wants to listen to what brands want to say because it is either boring or hectoring. The question the brief really needs to ask is, ‘What are our customers talking about and can we join the conversation?’
This is a terrific example of a brand doing exactly that, listening in as millions followed the astonishing proliferation of ice-bucket challenges and then joining in.
Bucking the trend for brands to explore ever longer forms of content, this little film has gone a very long way despite being only 15 seconds long.