Branded entertainment is oftentimes a one-way story, with brands speaking at consumers. For the global Galaxy 11 campaign we wanted to have a two-way conversation with diehard football fans, allowing them to add their own content, commentary, and news to the story. And although Galaxy 11 was a platform to distribute both content and product demonstrations, it also became a global conversation about Samsung and football.

Galaxy 11 is built on the passion of football fans globally, their love for the players, and the power of the intersection between the two. In the first video of the campaign, we learn the world is under attack, that aliens have issued a challenge. As the story unfolds, retired German football star Franz Beckenbauer takes charge, assembling an elite team of the world’s finest players. The thirteen players are introduced one-by-one in a series of blockbuster-quality videos, culminating in a final video, ‘The Beginning’, where they are joined together and suited up, ready to accept the challenge.

The results have been staggering. The videos alone have generated over 48 million views. Millions of fans from over 160 countries generated over a half a billion impressions. From launch we’ve received over 3 million visitors to the website and seen over 10 million page views. A third of those visits are from mobile devices and two thirds are referred from social media. The press has embraced it as a blend between marketing and news. And because the Galaxy 11 is so rich and valuable, Samsung is using it as a TV spot in several local markets.