Samsung Electronics Australia (Samsung) announced a market-first, extensive brand experience with Westfield Sydney. The partnership with Scentre Group BrandSpace marked the expansion of Galaxy AI, with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Flip6, and the start of pre-orders, revealed at the #SamsungUnpacked event in Paris, France late last week.
Activating in the heart of the Sydney CBD, Australia’s premiere, world-class, retail destination and one of the country’s highest-foot-traffic retail hubs, the Samsung partnership with Westfield Sydney aims to create an unmissable and immersive, retail brand experience.
The experience consists of a mix of out-of-home (OOH) and an experiential activation. With an unprecedented share of voice across the entire centre from shop floor to the street, the partnership will entail five 3D Enabled Creative SuperScreens, 59 SmartScreens, 27 Digital Directories, and branded prominence across building structures including columns/pillars, valet hoarding, concierge, escalators, staircases, and 160 dining precinct tables.
Further extending across the wider shopping district surrounds, and in a market-first partnership with QMS, Samsung will have 120 panels across Pitt Street and the broader Sydney Central Business District, resulting in a complete footprint.
“At Samsung, we strive to connect with our audiences via high-reach and high-impact interactions. Like our market-leading commitment to AI, and the breadth of opportunity our new Galaxy Z Series Australians are empowered with, we aim for the brand partnership with Westfield and its scale to echo this sentiment. We’re excited to constantly push the boundaries of traditional marketing and look forward to driving hype and awareness of our latest Z Series range through the unmissable brand experience,” said Jason Ridge, head of marketing and mobile experience at Samsung Electronics Australia.
The Samsung retail brand experience at Westfield Sydney will be live from the new Galaxy Z Series’ pre-order, 11 July through to 25 July, with an expected 1.16 million customer visits on average through the centre on any given fortnight, according to Scentre Group.
The partnership aims for the new Z Series and Ecosystem to be unmissable, by leveraging in a market-first all spaces available at Westfield Sydney to create interactive experiences that enable an interactive and innovative showcase of Samsung’s pioneering Galaxy AI.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Samsung on a bold and dynamic campaign, which pushes the boundaries of OOH to command mass reach, while also playing with experiential to engage with Gen-MZ in a fun and unique way. We know Australian consumers are seeking engaging brand experiences, more than ever. Through this collaboration, we look forward to creating elevated in-store experiences for Westfield and Samsung customers,” said Chris Bolling, Scentre Group BrandSpace.
At the centre of the immersive brand partnership for the duration of the Z Series’ launch weekend (11 July-14 July), was also a disruptive and irreverent activation, completing the brand partnership’s mission to capture visitor attention.
Coined the Impossible Selfie, starring, ‘Sweet Ben’, a furry, pink, playground-dwelling creature, intended to be cute and irresistible, consumers had to take a photo with it, but so big it’s impossible to take at arm’s reach. Huggable, soft, and instantly loveable, ‘Sweet Ben’ aimed to highlight the Samsung Galaxy Z Series’ latest cutting-edge tech, and its new capability, FlexCam with Auto Zoom – a Galaxy AI-enabled feature that can not only take the photo but frame it for you, ensuring everyone fits in. Even ‘Sweet Ben.’
The live demonstration of the Impossible Selfie allowed visitors to trial the new device and experience firsthand how its powerful Galaxy AI features can benefit Australians’ lives in tangible ways. Made in collaboration with Traffik and installation artist James Dive, ‘Sweet Ben’ took seven weeks to produce, standing three metres tall and encompassing an impressive four-metre footprint.
“With advanced tech like AI, collectively we often struggle to comprehend how it can positively affect their lives. Our aim was to challenge that notion – to ensure Samsung’s AI is seen as incredibly approachable and to prove its benefit to us in our everyday lives,” said Paul Meates, executive creative director at CHEP Network.
