Samsung

The Objective

Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, smartphones have become even more essential in the Philippines. Beyond keeping people connected, they also accelerated the country’s e-commerce sector as consumers shifted from cash to digital payments. Standing out in an increasingly crowded market wasn’t going to be an easy task, so electronics giant Samsung picked TikTok — the intuitive short-form video platform that would allow it to package its brand ethos in the clearest, most succinct way possible.

The Solution

With native advertising – an organic approach to selling ideas – proving a big hit in the Philippines, Samsung turned to the #AwesomePosesUnleashed Branded Hashtag Challenge to launch its Galaxy A12 and A02 smartphone models in 2021. Its choice of popular Filipino boy band SB19 to front the campaign helped boost its online traction with its existing base of followers. Combining easy-to-follow hand movements with groovy music, participants were encouraged to film and upload videos of themselves performing the challenge. This was reinforced by the launch of six official videos featuring key online leaders performing the moves.

Using TikTok's Branded Effect also helped Samsung gamify the Hashtag Challenge and make it more accessible to users. This improved brand engagement by encouraging participants to play with their facial expressions, posture and body movements to control and interact with branded elements. For example, users were encouraged to strike a few poses and flash hand signs as caricatured versions of the SB19 members appeared alongside them. Using a Branded Effect allowed Samsung to play up the fun side of its brand while empowering customers to create engaging and entertaining content.

This was further boosted by utilizing Brand Takeovers, which ensured that Samsung’s ad was the first to appear for an entire day whenever users opened the app. The clickable nature of the ads also allowed Samsung to direct traffic from TikTok to its main landing page. The One-Day Max Ad – which appeared as the fourth in-feed video under users’ For You feeds for a day – turbocharged the drive for traffic and brand awareness. The full-screen display and autoplay with sound function meant that users were less likely to miss the ad. For a more organic approach, Samsung also deployed a Brand Premium In-Feed Ad, which was placed randomly among the first 130 in-feed videos under the For You feed.

The Results

The streamlined and targeted approach to increase brand awareness helped Samsung attain 81 million total video views and 158,000 user-generated videos. Total creator numbers also stood at 84,000, far surpassing the benchmark. The large number of users that engaged with the campaign was underscored by a 7.35% rise in ad recall. This impacted the purchasing intent figures, which saw an increase of 11.25% – a clear indication that users planned to make the switch to Samsung. Most of all, the 9.5% jump in brand preference suggested a sustained and highly engaged brand awareness campaign.

Samsung’s smartphones aren’t the only things connecting the world. Its smart and innovative ads are also doing the trick by allowing anyone, anywhere to express themselves – and have fun while they're at it.