SAMSUNG GALAXY S5: ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

TitleSAMSUNG GALAXY S5: ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE
BrandSAMSUNG ELECTRONICS UK
Product/ServiceSAMSUNG GALAXY S5
Category B08. Charities, Public Health, Safety & Awareness Messages
Entrant Company CHEIL UK London, UNITED KINGDOM
Advertising Agency CHEIL UK London, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
Logan Wilmont Cheil UK Executive Creative Director
Jim Eyre Cheil UK Creative Director
Dave Newbold Cheil UK Creative Director
Matt Jukes Cheil UK Digital Creative Director
Jon Buckley Cheil UK Head of Digital/Social
Hannah Burnett-Kirk Cheil UK Community Manager
Nana Bempah Cheil UK Head of Content
Sam White Cheil UK Editor
Jennica Carpio Cheil UK Production Assistant
Oliver Dennis Cheil UK PR Manager
Louis Haskell Cheil UK Account Manager
Matt Pye Cheil UK Chief Operating Officer

Creative Execution

The video content 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. By drawing other smartphone brands into the conversation, Samsung would make sure that its loyal fans spread the word and created a buzz about the initiative. Phone fans couldn’t resist an argument over who made the better devices, allowing Samsung to engage with its own followers and those of other phones. Samsung created the challenge with the full support of the MND Association in the UK and made a donation to the charity.

The video went viral it clocking up more than our four million views on YouTube in four days, reaching 145 countries, and securing 3% of the global conversation around Ice Bucket Challenge. Reaching more than 29 million people it became the 12th most watched challenge globally, ahead of Tom Cruise, Beckham, Bolt, Katy Perry and Bieber. In all, 28,954 spontaneous stories were generated. Of those who engaged, 18% referenced the phone’s waterproof feature. The Challenge 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.

Creating differentiation in the smartphone market is a challenge as most devices are pretty much the same. However the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a relevant and important feature that makes it stand out from competitors – it is water resistant. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge grabbed the public imagination this summer, quickly becoming a social phenomenon. While some brands attempted to piggyback the trend, Samsung UK turned to its famously waterproof Galaxy S5 smartphone to forge a link that was rooted in the product’s capabilities. To be as effective as possible, Samsung needed to strike while the iron was hot. Its agency Cheil went from concept to execution in 24-hours, scripting and producing a film entirely in-house. The clip used the Galaxy S5’s S Voice function to let the phone speak, announcing its intention and even nominating several other smartphone brands to take the challenge too.