Campaign Samsung

With a single, harmonious screen of 100 Galaxy S8 smartphones as an eye-catcher, Samsung was able to emphasize the unique characteristic of its new appliance: the Infinity display. The movie-style screen demonstrated the smooth and seamless nature of the Infinity display. “Our goal was to use the launch to create a ‘Wow!’ effect for consumers,” Sander explained. “ At that point, the Galaxy S8 wasn’t yet available to buy, so we just wanted to surprise travelers by launching the phone in a totally exclusive way. A screen of 100 smartphones attracts the attention in a huge way. In fact, this launch concept had true stopping power – travelers just stood where they were to stare at it.”

“As well as grabbing people’s attention, it’s also important to create an overall experience. That’s why we provided the opportunity for a personal introduction to the smartphone at the promo spot: our promo team was there to tell the travelers all about it. You can really create a connection with interested people at that moment. The sensory experience gives your launch an extra boost: you can see it, hear it, feel it – it’s the full exposure. That’s why this launch worked so well. Consumers got the chance to develop an early and unique connection with the Galaxy S8. Just like I said before, creating awareness for your product in a timely manner means you’re advertising in a really smart way.”

What makes it so attractive to advertise at Schiphol that you get an insight into the reach of your campaign, Sander points out. Schiphol Media has all sorts of facts & figures available about the number of travelers and other factors, and can measure these while a campaign is running. What’s more, Schiphol also has expert knowledge about how people behave at the airport. “Thanks to Schiphol Media, we know the optimal reach: during the launch period, 2.5 million travelers passed through Lounge 1. An enormous number! Of course, not everyone walked right past the promo spot, but we did have a prominent presence in the lounge. And although we couldn’t measure conversion from travelers who only looked at the Infinity movie screen, we were able to check the activities on our test smartphones. For instance, we could see which apps were being opened and which functions aroused the most interest. By using our promoters’ input, we could also precisly assess the composition of each interested group. All in all, everyone at Samsung Nederland is very satisfied by how the Schiphol launch went. So it’s no surprise that we will probably hold our next launch at Schiphol too.”

“My first question was: ‘How can we introduce the Galaxy S8 to a target group that’s as broad as possible?’ These days, if consumers want to see a new product, they no longer go to a store,” explains Sander. So his team looked for other ways to introduce the smartphone. “You absolutely have to ensure that consumers know about the product before the start of its life cycle – that way, you generate more sales altogether.”

The criteria were clear. 1: It had to be a location with a great diversity of consumer types; 2: It should be a place where you can surprise people; 3: The consumer should have enough time to experience the product. “And then you quickly end up at Schiphol”, says Sander. “With 63.5 travelers per year, you’ve immediately got yourself a high-traffic spot. Besides that, travelers have enough time to experience your product while they stroll through the airport before boarding their plane, or before transferring to their next flight. If you can give them a nice surprise, they really enjoy that.” According to Sander, this combination of factors makes Schiphol an ideal place to advertise at. Especially when the focus is firmly on the experience.