Samsung: Times Square Takeover

Credits & Description:

Title: Samsung Galaxy S8: Times Square Takeover
Agency: R/Ga
Brand: Samsung
Country: USA
Entrant Company: R/Ga, New York
Advertising Agency: R/Ga, New York
Media Agency: Starcom, New York
Chief Marketing Officer: Marc Mathieu (Samsung)
Chief Creative Officer: Jesse Coulter (Samsung)
Head Of Brand Creative Marketing: Kristin Harrer (Samsung)
Head Of Brand Design & Experience: John Moon (Samsung)
Director, Brand Creative Marketing: John T Field (Samsung)
Creative Director: Valentine Freeman (Samsung)
Senior Manager, Brand Creative Marketing: Monique Nanclares (R/Ga)
Account Production: Chris Mcclave, Nicole Speath, Rachel Murad (R/Ga)
Content Production: Kathy Monohan (R/Ga)
Cg/Motion Graphics: James Dick, Wing Luo, Natasha Saenko, Cristina Kuong, Reginald Ross, Thomas Parrinello, Mark Yagos, Dan Augsburger, Seth Gollub (R/Ga)
Creative Team: Tristan Kincaid, Qian Qian, Chris Knight, Dagmar Hoogland, Andy Bull, Chris Cyran, Ben Peppernell (R/Ga)
Business Affairs: Pam Carden (R/Ga)
Account Team: Helder Santo, Chad Wilson, Kristina Mccauley, Katie Cahill (R/Ga)
Media Agency: Starcom (Starcom)
Execution:
The scale of Times Square’s boards is nothing short of arresting. We wanted to keep our story simple and clear to make that scale have even more power.We chose 4 key boards throughout the square to have the whale and diver meet, and we orchestrated the animation around the best composition of whale, diver and branding for those boards. Between those compositions, we worked to give the whale and diver the most dynamic movements through the boards and allow them to seek each other out over and again through the sequence.The water’s colors were designed to correspond to the three shades of Samsung’s blue, and branding elements were intentionally kept relatively limited to ensure the overall tranquility of the ocean came through. We added atmospheric elements, including composited light caustics and bubbles throughout to enhance the sense of depth.
Campaign Description:
In one of the busiest, noisiest places on Earth, we wanted to break through not by trying to out-shout our competitors, but by going simpler, quieter and bigger. We wanted to create a transporting experience about getting closer to nature and having a once-in-a-lifetime encounter there. Times Square would become a limitless underwater expanse, and we’d show the story of a diver swimming through that world. Then, suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a whale would interrupt his dive and expand his world. The campaign as a whole was about incredible nature-inspired visuals that extended beyond the limits of an ordinary screen, so we wanted our creative to reinforce that. The appearance of the whale prompted the diver to push beyond the implied limits of the screen and go off exploring the underwater world.
Outcome:
•DOOH Screens : 42•Visitors during Takeover : 120K
Synopsis:
As we learned about the new Galaxy S8, we realized that everything about it was designed to feel natural. The striking new Infinity Screen offered the perfect way to bring this idea to life, its blurred edges spoke directly to the feeling of natural fluidity and limitlessness we wanted to communicate.•Brief / The Ask: Design custom creative for over 40 DOOH placements to take over Times Square on the day of the Galaxy S8 announcement and unpacked event (3/29). •Objectives / Creative Considerations: -Creative should build on the core creative concept of breaking down barriers to unlock unlimited possibilities.-Creative should be ionic, amazing and awe inspiring. The visuals should transport the audience in Times Square to another place. -CTA: March 30th •Agency / Production Budget: $1Million•Project Scale: Global Unpacked event & announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S8 in NYC. 3-hourTimes Square takeover of 42 synchronized billboards.
Strategy:
There is a growing sense in American society that we are constrained by our phones, adapting our behavior to the way they work instead of them working for us. We do everything with them, meaning we’re stuck doing everything on small, constricting screens. The Galaxy S8 is designed specifically to remedy this, with the world’s first infinity screen that removes the boundaries from the edges of your phone. Most commercial work in the region is loud, bright, aggressively trying to get viewers’ attention. This OOH was intentionally designed as moments of tranquility to cut through the noise.Our OOH creative should build on the core creative concept of breaking down boundaries to unlock unlimited possibilities. It should be ionic, amazing and awe inspiring. The visuals should transport the audience in Times Square to another place.