Samsung needed to reach the next generation of mobile consumers. In a survey, 82% of U.S. teens said they owned an iPhone, and 86% said they thought their next phone would be an iPhone (Piper Jaffray, 2018). We needed to shift perception with Gen Z and get them to reconsider Galaxy.
We had two goals:
1. Change the way that Gen Z perceives Samsung
2. Get Gen Z to want a Galaxy for their next phone
We started looking for a new way to connect with Gen Z. YouTube was an obvious place to start, but making more ads wasn't going to break through with this audience. We needed to create real value and earn their attention.
That's when we uncovered something. Gen Z doesn't just follow YouTube creators, they want to become them. And where are they most likely to get their start? On their smartphone.
We needed a unique way to show this audience that Galaxy smartphones are ideal for creating the content they want to make, especially through the lens of a category-leading camera.
This insight led to our big idea: A new community platform from Samsung that gives the next generation of creators the tools they need to /make it.
/make brought together established creators and up-and-comers for an entirely new kind of series that:
• Inspires and informs, by peeling back the curtain on your favorite creator's process
• Helps you find your niche with a range of creative subjects
• Shows you how it's done with the Galaxy smartphone in your pocket
We knew partnering with creators would resonate with Gen Z, but influencer marketing had become overplayed. Our team had a challenge: How do we make it actually fresh again? We had to develop a new approach to accomplish this:
• Instead of product plugs in influencers' own videos, we invited to feature them on our creative platform
• Instead of giving them the full spotlight, we paired them with up-and-comers who represent the next generation of creators
• Instead of a script from the brand, we let them do their thing by co-creating episodes together
• Instead of only featuring one type of creator, we represented a diverse range - from YouTube stars to cultural influencers to mainstream entertainers
/make isn't your average how-to-video series. It elevated instructional video to be more editorial, and showcased real creators using real Galaxy smartphones to make real content. It became something more significant: a way for the creator community to connect, inspire, and learn from each other.
And we created moments for them to come together face-to-face—at Art Basel in Miami, and events at Samsung 837 in New York City.
Most importantly, people loved it. And /make encouraged people to consider Galaxy.
Results:
• 38M views and 1.9B total impressions in 3 months
• 11 point lift in "Samsung is a brand I trust for information on photography"
• /make viewers were +17% more likely to purchase Samsung as their next phone
• Apple owners were +15% more likely to purchase Samsung as their next phone
• 11 point lift in NPS for Samsung owners
• 78% said they wanted to see more episodes
