Samsung set out to solve a challenge most tech brands face: how do you create meaningful, hands-on experiences with your devices—especially for Gen Z and younger generations, who are less familiar with Samsung phones and less likely to engage with traditional marketing?
The insight: this audience is curious, culture-driven, and experience-obsessed. But they’re not showing up in places like museums, where static exhibits and outdated formats often fail to spark interest.
So, instead of launching a campaign, Samsung launched an experience.
We partnered with museums in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and New York to transform cultural institutions into interactive playgrounds—powered entirely by Samsung Galaxy devices and Gemini Live. Visitors didn’t just look at art and artifacts. They asked questions, got real-time answers, and explored exhibits through their own curiosity. No ads. No media spend. Just product in hand, becoming a natural part of the cultural experience.
This wasn’t just about making the museum experience better. It was about proving Samsung’s relevance to a generation that values participation over promotion.
Our objectives were clear:
Put Samsung phones into the hands of Gen Z in a way that felt personal, fun, and culturally connected.
Turn first-time interactions into extended, memorable brand experiences.
Demonstrate how a product-led idea – without media – could outperform traditional campaigns in both engagement and brand perception.
And along the way, we redefined what a museum experience could feel like.
We brought the idea to life by embedding Samsung Galaxy S25 phones into the visitor journey – making the phone, and its AI-powered assistant Gemini Live, the gateway to each exhibit.
As visitors moved through museums, they could ask the phones anything – from “What am I looking at?” to “Why does this matter?” – and receive instant, conversational responses tailored to their curiosity. This wasn’t a scripted tour or static guide – it was a fully dynamic, personalized experience that adapted to every user in real time, in over 20 languages.
To elevate the interaction, we integrated custom 3D animations that brought select artifacts to life. These weren’t just visual flourishes – they were rewards for curiosity. Visitors could unlock these animations as they explored, adding a gamified layer to the experience that turned museum visits into self-directed journeys of discovery.
The simplicity of interaction was key. We knew many guests had never used a Samsung phone or engaged with generative AI. So we designed the experience to be as intuitive as possible: minimal onboarding, voice-led input, and seamless use. The tech never stood in the way – it simply enabled the exploration.
Scaling the experience across different cities and museum environments required a modular, flexible approach. We worked closely with each institution to tailor the experience to their exhibits, while maintaining a unified core system that could scale. Museum staff were trained to support the interaction, but the technology was designed to guide itself.
One of the most remarkable aspects? There was no media budget. No digital ads. No heavy branding. Just pure product utility embedded in a place where people go to learn and be inspired.
The restraint was intentional. By letting the product enhance the cultural experience rather than interrupt it, we unlocked something more valuable than impressions: genuine attention.
This project proved that when innovation is built around human curiosity – not marketing tactics – technology can feel natural, even magical. And that’s exactly the kind of brand connection Samsung wants to build with the next generation.
With zero media spend, the museum activation drove impact at a scale few expected.
Across participating locations, visitors initiated over 2 million AI-powered interactions using Samsung Galaxy devices – exploring exhibits for extended periods through hands-on use and spontaneous discovery. In total, we saw more than 375,000 direct engagements, with many users exploring multiple exhibits, returning to devices, and sharing the experience with friends.
For the majority of participants, this was their very first experience using a Samsung phone. But instead of just seeing the device in an ad, they lived with it for hours – tapping, speaking, exploring, and discovering what it could do. That kind of depth is rare in brand experiences, especially with Gen Z.
We also collected 7,500 qualified email sign-ups from users who opted in to continue their relationship with Samsung – demonstrating lasting interest from a group traditionally resistant to overt marketing.
Just as importantly, the project changed the way museums think about audience engagement. What started as a brand activation evolved into a proof of concept for what museums of the future can look like – interactive, accessible, and powered by curiosity.
For Samsung, this wasn’t just about technology. It was about relevance. And this work proved that when you meet people where they are, give them something to explore, and put the product in their hands in a way that matters, real engagement follows.
No ads. No noise. Just ideas worth exploring.