THE WORST INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT. EVER!

TitleTHE WORST INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT. EVER!
BrandSAMSUNG ELECTRONICS BENELUX
Product/ServiceSAMSUNG GALAXY S7
Category E03. Innovative Use of Social or Community
Entrant CHEIL BENELUX Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation CHEIL BENELUX Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Placement STARCOM Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production WEFILM Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
Ton van Jole Cheil Benelux B.V. Associate Creative Director
Annemiek Den Uil Cheil Benelux B.V. Associate Creative Director
Stephan Gonnissen Cheil Benelux B.V. Art Director
Ernst-Jan Koomans Cheil Benelux B.V. Strategy planner
Mariska Kloezen Cheil Benelux B.V. Business Director
Melissa Nieveld Cheil Benelux B.V. Agency Producer
Floor Schroeijers Wefilm Producer
Jan Boon Wefilm Director
Thomas Buelens Wefilm Camera
Tim van Paasen The Compound Grading
Daniel Falkenhagen Corte Real The Compound Online
Kees van Dijkhuizen Kees van Dijkhuizen Editor
Marcel Bultman Postoffice Sound Design & Mix
Unippm.be Unippm.be Music

The Campaign

Can the Worst Instagram Account Ever tell the story of the best smartphone camera ever? Breaking with the social convention of posting only perfect pictures on Instagram, we introduced an anti-hero: the worst Instagrammer ever. And made him the focus of our social engagement campaign. Rúnar Jónsson is an Icelandic fisherman who likes to share pictures on Instagram. The problem: his smartphone couldn’t cope with the low light conditions in the country with the longest twilight in the world. His Instagram was basically a collage of dark squares. And because you can’t see what is in the pictures, Rúnar often wrote extensive captions to explain them. To build the story credibly and dose it properly, we made Rúnar and his Instagram the focus of the campaign.

Creative Execution

To build the story properly dosed and credible, we started seeding his "dark" Instagram account. First people made fun of him, but soon there was a fast-growing group of followers who enthusiastically embraced him, loved his stories and encouraged him to continue. Then we launched a video – an honest portrait – so people could meet the man behind the worst Instagram account. The video ends with Rúnar getting the new Galaxy S7 as a gift and taking his first "clear" picture. Once Rúnar started posting his beautiful Galaxy S7 pictures on Instagram, the conversation really took off. Followers debated whether this was just a campaign, a true story or both. A lot of heart-warming reactions from fans who also started #runarforpresident, which became a trending topic. We boosted the campaign on social media (Editorial, Facebook, YouTube). The result: a lot of engagement, increased sales, ánd a very happy Rúnar.

In a short period from 21 April to 11 May 2016, the campaign generated over 45 million impressions. In just a few days, Rúnar gained more than 5,500 followers on his Instagram account. Media coverage for the Worst Instagram Account Ever generated a click-through of 775%. The post of his first picture with the Galaxy S7 got over 700 reactions and 2,000 likes. One of his fans started #runarforpresident, which quickly became a trending topic. After a few days, the campaign made it to the top 5 virals in the Netherlands. The account had an engagement rate of more than 20% per post. The campaign achieved a result of 224% above benchmark.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has many great features, but one feature resonates more in this social age than others: a camera that can take perfect pictures even in low light conditions. The idea builds on this USP in an authentic and engaging way. The media strategy focuses on Rúnar Jónsson’s Instagram account as the heart of the campaign. We used relevant platforms as seeded articles and social media (video posts on Facebook and YouTube) to capture (IS DIT ECHT BETER DAN ‘GET’?) attention. Consumers are linked to a campaign page – www.theworstinstagram.nl – that features all of the content and drives conversion to Samsung’s online shop.