Smartphone launches by major device manufacturers are always a big deal – especially those of tech giants such as Samsung and Apple. Such set-piece events can garner widespread media exposure and generate mass consumer interest. This was proved last month in Dubai when the South Korean manufacturer unveiled its Galaxy S9 and S9+ handsets.
On the 2nd and 3rd of March, Samsung promoted its new models in UAE by projecting its campaign on to the Burj Khalifa five times. Alongside having the image on the world’s tallest building, the brand also had experiential elements on the ground. These included creating their own personalized AR Emoji, and using the Galaxy S9’s low-light camera.
YouGov BrandIndex data shows that the high-profile S9 launch made an impact on Dubai residents. Not only did its ad awareness rise, but so did its purchase intent and word of mouth exposure.
Samsung Galaxy’s Ad Awareness score – which measures how many people recall seeing the brand’s advertising – increased steadily in the days following the activity. The score peaked at +55 on the 6th of March, an increase of +13 points on the week before. Similarly, its Word of Mouth Exposure score also rose, gaining close to 10 points in a week.
Notably, the campaign also seems to have boosted the brand among potential customers. Its Purchase Intent (a measure of which brands people are most likely to buy) also rose in the immediate aftermath of the public promotion, gaining five points after the activity, rising to +23 on the 5th of March.
As launches go, Samsung’s S9 launch campaign in Dubai ticked all the boxes – gaining attention, being talked about and increasing purchase intent. Whether it leads to a boost in sales remains to be seen.
Coca-Cola’s ads bubble up across the Middle East
In recent months, Coca-Cola has released advertising that has made an impression across the Middle East. At the end of February, it issued new art directed print and outdoor ads portraying people as the bubbles in Coke. The artwork featured three classic Coca-Cola mediums—the bottle, the bell glass, and the cup – and the brand’s global tagline, ‘Taste the Feeling’.
The adverts have made an impact among the UAE population. YouGov BrandIndex shows that Coca-Cola’s Buzz score – which measures whether someone has heard something positive or negative about a brand in the past two weeks – peaked at +11 in mid-March, a couple of weeks after the launch of the posters.
YouGov finds that Coke’s campaign has found particular resonance among 18 to 34 year-olds. This age group saw the biggest increase in Buzz throughout the month of March, with the brand seeing scores of +13 in the middle of the month.
The data also shows that the number of people recalling an advert from Coca-Cola also increased. Its Ad Awareness score among UAE residents steadily increased throughout March, with Coke reaching its highest point at the end of the month.
The bubbles campaign caps a positive few months for the soft drinks brand in the region. Last November, Coca-Cola released an upbeat advert with the theme of women driving in Saudi Arabia, which also hit home. This ad drove a notable uplift in Buzz among people in KSA around the time of its release. This was especially the case among women, whose Buzz scores rose by over +15 points.
