Samsung readies ‘emotional’ campaign to break UHD TV into ‘mainstream consciousness’
Samsung is readying an ‘emotional’ multi-million pound marketing campaign as it looks to push its curved UHD TVs into the ‘mainstream consciousness’ and convince people to upgrade ahead of the World Cup June.
By Sarah Vizard
The campaign leads with a TV spot featuring a man in the thick of the action inside a Gladiatorial fighting ring with a voiceover saying “Surround your senses with the world’s first single curved UHD TV from Samsung”. It will be supported by digital and experiential activity and is set to launch “before the end of the half”, although exact timings are yet to be set.
Speaking at the UK launch of the new TV in London last night (9 April) Guy Kinnell, Samsung’s director of TV and AV in the UK and Ireland said the firm sees a big opportunity to create a new category with its curved screens, which will be available for both HD and UHD TVs. However, rather than focus on the TV’s technology, Samsung is going for an “emotional” theme with the “Surround your senses” tagline.
Kinnell said the marketing budget will be “in line with other launches”, although he admits that it might have to spend more on TV due to the World Cup. Last year, the firm spent £14m on an integrated marketing campaign to promote its Smart TV range.
“The great communication challenge is we need to generate some level of curiosity which we hope is what the TV ad inspires. It’s very grand scale, and the production values are very high, we hope everyone will see that and we are investing so everyone can see that,” he added.
In stores, Kinnell said Samsung has put a lot of investment into retail marketing and training and developing staff so they can educate consumers on the new TV standards, UHD technology and how to upgrade. That will be supported by a “deeper, wider, clearer” message that aims to get across the major benefits “simply”, he added.
Samsung’s aim is to become the leading brand not only in UHD TVs but across the TV sector. Samsung’s vice president of consumer electronics in the UK and Ireland, Robert King, also speaking at the launch event, said he expects this to be the year UHD technology “breaks into the mainstream consciousness” although it won’t go mass market for another two or three years.
