Samsung sits in second behind one of the biggest companies in history: Apple.

Apple had long warned us against conformity. Since its seminal Superbowl ad “1984”, this was a brand that had been meticulously built on being “different”. The brand for non-conformists, who swam against the tide, and went against the grain.

BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, THE CHAMPION OF “DIFFERENT” HAD BECOME THE SYMBOL OF THE STATUS QUO.

The way people consume media reinforces existing preferences and points-of view. This limits our exposure to other options, reducing openness to try new things.

With the launch of the Z Flip5 phone, Samsung NZ needed to break younger iPhone users out of apathy and mobile inertia by creating a local campaign that:

Made Samsung cool: Change young people's brand perception

Drove repeat purchase: Get Samsung owners feeling proud to own Samsung

Sell phones: Drive Purchase intent & switch from Apple

Show Apple users that what once made them “different” was now making them all the same.

The physical form of the iPhone has barely changed in a decade. But the incremental pace of change meant it would take something unique for people to see that for the first time.

Enter the Samsung Z Flip 5.

When you put it side by side with the iPhone, it looked like something from the future. The mobile nirvana we were promised. Our big idea was to simply…

Show that.

We juxtaposed an army of identical iPhones with one, lone, Samsung Z Flip 5, its distinctive folded shape standing proudly above the rest.

One word displayed.

“Different.”

We needed to change young people’s minds (Gen MZ) about Samsung. The brand had long struggled in New Zealand with its image, “Gen MZ” are a crucial Samsung audience. They are tastemakers who influence other demographics, they over-index in purchasing new tech, and they’ve always been an audience who gravitate towards Apple. The innovative Z Flip 5 was 3x more likely to convert a customer than the S Series.

Samsung NZ recognised the importance of speaking with a Kiwi accent and always had a willingness to embrace a bit of (harmless) fun along the way. Kiwis love a laugh, the underdog and back those who challenge convention.

No matter your age, it’s a daunting prospect to change your phone brand. Even for the most anarchic Gen Z, there is comfort in familiarity. But sometimes, drawing attention to unconscious bias in a cheeky way can change everything.

The usual price and product messaging ran including a global campaign that took the lion’s share of spend 6 weeks prior to the local campaign launching on the 13 September 2023, racing against time to launch before Apple's next gen announcement.

OOH was used to bring the “different” form of our phone to life in the most impactful way possible, while social media retargeted those who had seen other elements of our campaign. Knowing Kiwis want to play with a phone before buying, we flipped the iPhone retail path-to-purchase, targeting iPhone users visiting Apple retailers.

Giving us an amazing feature to take to consumers at the moment of purchase, in the lead up to the busy Christmas retail shopping period, be it online or in store, putting us top of mind in the moment that mattered.

MAKE SAMSUNG COOL: CHANGE YOUNG PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF THE BRAND.

Measured by improvements in key image statements. The perception of Samsung being “Superior and Successful” increased by +13.7%, and “Smart and ahead of others” by +10.1% amongst 18-29 year olds.

DRIVE REPEAT PURCHASE: GET SAMSUNG OWNERS FEELING PROUD TO OWN A SAMSUNG.

KPI: 54.9pp.

RESULT: 85.7pp.

The number of 18-29 y/o consumers who gave Samsung 10/10 for “Proud to Own” increased 4.3% YoY to 24.3%, while Apple decreased -9.4% YoY to 28.4%. Samsung’s “Proud to Own” CI scores amongst 18-29 y/o’s vs. Apple increased 32.8pp YoY, beating our target of 54.9 by 30.8pp, a whopping 85.7/100. “PTO” is the same across all markets, this can be directly attributed to the local campaign.

Overall the executions contributed to an 11.4% increase in premium market share. Overtaking Apple for the first time ever, since entering the New Zealand market in 2008.