The definition of ‘awesome’, very evidently, seems to be different for everyone. For millennials and Gen Z, it is about colours, vibrancy, building honest connects and ‘music’. Definitely music.
Building on this love for music, Cheil India has unveiled an energetic youth anthem that embodies the dynamic spirit of this segment, while showcasing the key features of the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 5G smartphones. These are versatile devices packed with innovative features, including Circle to Search, an IP67 rating, nightography, Samsung Knox Vault, and Samsung Wallet.
This upbeat anthem celebrates those who live boldly and refuse to settle for anything less than extraordinary. The film follows a spirited group of friends seizing the day, with the Galaxy A55 and A35 5G's standout features—such as Private Share, IP67 rating, durability, nightography, and Samsung Wallet—enhancing their adventures and making each moment memorable. With its catchy rhythm, captivating dance moves, and a showcase of cutting-edge features, the anthem is a celebration of awesomeness, serving as a rallying cry for the younger generation.
In an exclusive chat with Everything Experiential, the team and minds behind this campaign from Cheil pour their hearts out about what it was to put a creative and strategy of this kind in place, as well as what it seems to be like Samsung’s re-route from rigid and formal films towards ‘Indianness’ with colours, vibrancy and music.
Creative
Discussing the client brief that was provided for this particular campaign, Vikash Chemjong, CCO (Chief Creative Officer), Cheil India points out that the brief started small actually - one product film highlighting a bunch of awesome features that were packed in the Galaxy A Series. “The team (a bunch of enthu-cutlets, I must say), went with a product film plus a bunch of other concepts to the client. One of which was the 'anthemic' approach. The client really liked it. And pushed the budget the timeliness and the internal approvals to make it happen. Sometimes it's difficult to figure who's more awesome - the phone, the team or the client. I guess it's the right mix of all three.”
Putting together a creative distinct from the clutter of the advertising and marketing of a plethora of mobile phone brands flooding the market is undoubtedly a task. Outlining the creative thought behind this campaign, he mentions that the theme of the A Series has always been 'awesome' because of the many flagship features that it gives to the many satisfied users.
“This time, what we wanted to do was demonstrate how these features could impact the many colourful and exciting everyday adventure of our TG and transform them into – AwesomeVentures. And to make sure that they had our phone in their hands for their daily adventures, our intent was to first put a song on their lips. A little groove to their walk. And then a strong tug at their heart for the awesome. I guess when you have a good insight in the strategy, work more often than not is good,” he adds.
Phone features and vibrant colours, along with the anthem – that’s what strikes in this creative. Elucidating on how the campaign was brought to life – from penning the creative to deciding the locations to shoot it, the portrayal of the various characters in the film, and other execution nuances, Chemjong explains, “Talking about life's little adventures, we had our fair share of them during this project. Our strategy and script were more or less in place but finding the right set of people to bring it to life took much longer than expected. We had a certain treatment in mind and the different directors we were speaking to had theirs. Plus, there was the rain we had to think about.
So after we got the hugely talented Avinash Jai Singh on board, we finalised a stylised treatment that had a mix of indoor and outdoor locations. And if you've noticed (and we hope you have), most of the settings are pushed towards the unusual.”
Rain played quite a role while putting this film in place. Talking about the challenges and learnings while shooting it, he says, “No matter what the forecast, it will rain. And no matter what the preparation for the rain, it's never enough. And unlike in cricket, the Duckworth-Lewis principle does not help in deciding the winner. On a shoot, everyone loses.”
And yes, the hookstep, Chemjong continues, one hopes will viral more often than not, remains a hope.
Strategy
Sourav Ray, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), Cheil India comments about the strategy Samsung kept in mind for this particular campaign. “Galaxy A series has always been about making flagship-level innovations accessible for everyone. With that in mind, we have highlighted flagship-level features like Knox security, in the Galaxy A35 / /A55. The aim of this anthem was to showcase how these incredible innovations fit in the everyday life of Indian Gen Z and make their lives awesome.”
With the recent launch of the iPhone 16 and other tech-loaded mobile phone brands already existing in the market, Ray further reiterates that the product and its advertising and marketing have been designed in a unique manner, to attract the brand’s TG. “While the flagship market is loaded with cutting-edge tech, the same is not true for the mid-segment, where the consumer has to compromise in some way. Galaxy A35 / A55 ensures that even when you buy a non-flagship device, you can still get it all and do it all – show off your rizz, not worry about goof-ups, capture all those lit memories, and keep your data protected & private all the time.
To top it off, we are also introducing AI features like Circle-to-Search in the Galaxy A35 / A55, this is being communicated via a separate campaign.”
The anthem is a very catchy one – apart from the usual targeting of the brand’s cohort of millennials and GenZ with this kind of language, beats and rhythm, certain nuances were kept in mind to have such an anthem with lyrics such as these and other aspects of it.
“The key was to highlight the features in a way that is entertaining and enjoyable. That is why, we showcased common problems that Indian Gen Z face every day, and brought alive how the Galaxy A35 / A55 solves them seamlessly. So that they can go about their life the way they want to,” Ray brings out.
Cracking Samsung’s ‘serious’ mould
Viewing it from the creative as well as the strategy aspect, the current films for Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 5G smartphones (as well as some of the past few films too) by Samsung seem to be ushering a transformation in the way the brand is perceiving and putting forth its communication. It is trying to break the mould of its brand image of being too rigid and formal in its creativity – and aligning it in conjunction with the Indian cohort which is embedded in vibrancy, culture, tradition, colours and more.
Sometimes the cost of making technology look like 'cool tech' is that it comes across as cold and lifeless, Chemjong believes. “So our effort has been to always try and add a little life into it. Add some emotions. Some heart. And do we have plenty of that in this wonderfully rich and diverse country of ours. Now when tech is humanised with a dash of culture and people and colour and empathy, what we end up with is not an ad. We end up with magic. And what can be more awesome than that.”
Previously Samsung was considered to provide more like a showcase of its product range done in the most simplistic manner. But with this campaign and the past few ones too, we see an ‘Indianness’ with vibrancy, colours, foot-tapping music and other elements as part of the brand’s communication across its product portfolio. How did this overhaul and brand revival infused with ‘Indianness’ seep into the brand’s advertising and marketing for the Indian market?
Ray articulates that Samsung Galaxy A has always kept the Indian consumer at the heart of all its initiatives. “We introduced ‘Made for India’ features like Voice Focus, which ensures clarity of voice even when you take calls in noisy places like markets or a party. Galaxy A has always used typically Indian problems in its communication to highlight how the tech enhances our everyday lives, like sudden monsoon rains.”
This focus on the Indian consumer – from product to communication – has helped Galaxy A become the choice of the Indian Gen Z, he wraps up.
