I cannot quote the honest answer of the consumers of commercial television to this question right now, but it is no secret: the majority of people genuinely hate advertisements.
This has certainly not changed in the online space either. At most, banner blindness and the installation of ad blockers have replaced channel switching and raiding the fridge.
However, there exists a type of advertisement that not only consumers enjoy watching but also click the share button with a wicked grin afterward. This is none other than the realm of viral marketing campaigns.
The smartphone market is a highly competitive arena, where there is very strong competition among rival companies. The desire to stand out from the multitude of constantly emerging new devices and innovations poses a serious challenge for manufacturers. The situation is not simple for mobile service providers either, as it is no longer guaranteed that people will purchase a new device through them.
In 2013, Samsung and the Swiss telecommunications company Swisscom teamed up to try to outdo their competitors with a viral marketing campaign. The goal was not only to launch the Samsung Galaxy S4 flagship device but also to get people to associate the phone with the mobile service provider. The agencies Heimat Berlin and Perfect Fools created a viral campaign for their clients that blew up the internet.
The story was centered around a new feature of the S4. The essence of the innovation was that the device continuously monitored the user's eyes, so if their gaze reached the bottom of the screen, it automatically scrolled the interface, or if it turned elsewhere, it paused the video so that they wouldn't miss a moment of the film.
The central event of the viral video took place at four major train stations in Switzerland, and during the activity, participants could win a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone. All people had to do was continuously watch the device for 60 minutes at the train stations without looking away for even a moment. The task seems simple at first, but the actors tried to distract people in every conceivable way.
If the participants managed to resist the urge to knock down the bearded street musician for his sensually whispering melodies, they then had to endure a motorcycle accident with an impassive expression. In the end, thirteen participants managed to maintain their concentration and win the device. The others could also be happy, as they received a discount based on their results.
The campaign was supported by strong online presence (banners, professional blog posts, and a dedicated microsite) alongside outdoor appearances. During the live broadcasts, messages could be sent on social media to encourage or disturb the participants. The viral video was already viewed by half a million people on YouTube on the first day.
The device's most important innovation successfully „came through” from the video. The material turned out to be entertaining, and moreover, newsworthy, leading to viral spread. The Swiss eagerly shared the film out of patriotic pride.
The campaign managed to reach every third Swiss, with one and a half million following the live broadcasts.
The edited viral video of the event currently has 4.7 million views, 21 thousand likes, and more than 130 thousand shares. The campaign triggered appearances in media such as The Huffington Post, Gizmodo, and CNN Money.
Beyond the viral spread of the advertisement, the campaign has another interesting aspect. The event itself was analog. The phone is a true high-tech flagship device, a gateway to the digital world. However, the charm of the video and the content comes from the analog events and situations that happened to the participants in the campaign. People seem to still be curious about tangible, real-life things and events, yet the medium conveying these experiences can very well be digital.
