Samsung has worked with Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite, to produce a virtual space, as part of its Life Unstoppable event, to launch its products, after Covid-19 put a stop to plans to create a physical event.
Event attendees are led through the virutal space, Samsung House, on a 45-minute guided tour, during which Samsung presenters, including chief marketing officer for Europe Benjamin Braun, appear on a variety of TVs, tablets and phones. The presenters will demonstrate the innovation behind the individual items and if guests want to find out more, they can explore on their own and interact with specific products.
Talking to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10, Braun said it was key to create a product launch that was not just another presentation.
"We had seen loads of presentations where people stand on stage for an hour and you can get presentation fatigue. When someone is presenting 52 slides its like death by PowerPoint. So we were looking for a new way to introduce our product and that was the challenge.
"There are some computer games that are phenomenally successful, Fortnite being one of the ones doing well at the moment. What we liked is that you can walk around the virtual world and choose how to interact with things."
Epic Games worked alongside creative agency Smyle to create the 3D virtual world that allows guests to experience Samsung's products in real-time. It is possible to customise products, learn about their key features and see their dimensions. "Samsung Life Unstoppable" also has hidden clues that, if discovered, activate a "comic book-themed" mode.
"Life Unstoppable" will remain accessible for the next month, giving Samsung the opportunity to lead live tours of Samsung House, in which a guide will be actively present and able to talk to the guests.
"Marketing is a business function and as a marketer, you have to find a way to differentiate your brand from your competitors," Braun added.
"So when a person needs to choose, they choose you. We have 25 new innovations to introduce to the world and we didn't want to do it the normal way, we want to find a point of differentiation in the way we introduced our new products.
"The idea is, rather than hearing a long presentation, people are welcomed into this virtual Samsung home and in this house, you see the innovations. You see the products, that are customisable, and you hear people talk about it and then you can interact with it."
Epic Games is currently in a legal confrontation with Samsung's biggest smartphone rival, Apple, over whether the iPhone maker should receive a cut of purchases made within Fortnite. Last month, Epic released an ad commenting on the issue that spoofed Apple's famous "1984" campaign.