Media Analysis and Engagement Plan: Samsung Product Launch in the UK - Essay Example

?Media Analysis and Engagement Plan: Samsung Product Launch in the UK Core Story/Background for the Release Samsung Electronics has suffered a major blow from the lawsuit with Apple Macintosh, despite court rulings decreasing the settlement amount in major cities around the world. In order to retain the old market and gain new followers as well as showing their resilience and capability in creatively designing their own products, in 2012 the company released an upgraded version of their flagship mobile phone product from their high-end smartphone lines, the Samsung Galaxy S-III. The product was able to win over many fans and boost sales due to its innovative features such as a large HD touch screen, rounded design, eye movement recognition and pop-up play features (Samsung Electronics, 2013). The successful release of the upgraded flagship product across the world prompted Samsung to create an even better version, the Samsung Galaxy S-IV, which is to be released sometime in 2013. However, speculations as to the product’s specifications and release date were already starting to creep up in the web, despite the South Korean company not fully disclosing about the product just yet. In order to curb the hype as well as to properly inform the public and the product’s targeted audience, a social media and traditional media engagement plan would be designed to create a smooth and problem-free product release for the Samsung Galaxy S-IV. Identified Target Audiences (Online and Offline) High-end devices such as smartphones are known to appeal to two major age groups which are known to be tech-savvy among most of the general public: the 15-34 age group and the 35+ age group, also known as the Generation Y’s (We Are Apps, 2013). This is explainable by the fact that both age groups grew up with a full knowledge about rapid technological advancements and are not shy from using them, aside from having the income to buy such devices. They are also the age group that mostly frequent online, and they are able to passively advertise products and services either by blogging about them or uploading the photos of products or logos. They are also receptive to offline advertisements such as traditional mass media approaches due to familiarity or frequent use at home, thus these other forms of media would work on them as well. As these two age groups use their preferred media, people around them or those that they know well also get easily informed since they are able to use all forms of communication, and would be able to relay information to friends, families, co-workers, and other people within their network. This creates additional target audiences through passively advertising about products by telling others about their experiences (Benkler, 2006). Thus using both online and offline strategies could easily create a wider coverage not just of the two targeted age groups but also to other age groups by catching their interest, both by online networking strategies and the use of print, television, and radio ads. Proposed Story Angle for Target Audiences and Media Anticipating a fun and relaxing summer is the chosen theme for the media engagement plan, and an image of positivity, various new experiences and uplift would be most applicable. Whereas the previous smartphone had variable story angles due to an increased focus in the product’s innovative features, it would be better to create an atmosphere for the new product since it would mostly be sharing some similar features with its predecessor. By introducing the product as a great way to experience and capture summer, people would more likely recall light and positive experiences, which could draw them in to the product much further. To keep the interest of the public and the target audience, in using traditional visual media short advertisements that are serial in nature (e.g. open-ended) can be used, aside from just showing the product’s features plainly. Showing experiences that most can relate to would not only make the company seem much more in tune with their audiences, it also creates a level of engagement among them since the message is spoken through a language that people can relate to (Levine, et al., 2009). On the other hand, while the same approach can be done in major social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, aside from fans following the story of the people in the serial advertisement, Samsung can also appeal to their followers and customers by cultivating chances for them to interact with the company such as creating discussion sites, photo-video uploading for followers or likers, promotional offers (e.g. raffles, discount coupons, freebies) and even uploading video blogs and messages from top management or from public relation officers with topics that could range from thank-you messages for the public for patronizing, to product offerings, services, and even sneak previews for upcoming events. This could increase the online public’s engagement with the company as well as letting them in the loop. Key Influencers (Online and Offline) and “Pitching” them the Product Both online and offline key influencers or first-generation customers are important because it is through them that most people recognize brands retain the image of the companies and the products that they sell. These customers or influencers are the kind of people that the rest see as authority due to their reputable reviews of products and services, which make them ideal for creating messages that resonate to other recipients by communicating in a recognizable form (Safko, 2010). Key influencers would most often talk about the pros and cons of products, as well as price ranges, which are much easier to digest than reading the stuff in official product websites. Offline, they would mostly be television or radio announcers and newspaper column or magazine writers, and even famous people with positive public images. Unlikely key influencers would also include large sponsored events that feature images and posters from companies. Online influencers on the other hand would be the various bloggers that write about technology reviews or post videos of the products being used and people that are highly active in social networks that constantly comment on their favourite product’s discussion sites or post various pictures on their profiles. Basically anyone whose online reviews or output is widely accessed by online readers is a key influencer online due to networking power (Castells, 2009). Whether offline or online, it is important to keep in touch with them since they are well-established and many people look up to them, so how they “pitch” a product could affect the public’s perception of it, regardless of the company’s reputation and the product’s innovation. In order to “pitch” the Galaxy S-IV successfully in various media platforms, there must be overall consistency with the theme and that the message must easily evoke positivity and engagement. “Designed for humans” can be replaced with “Live life easy and fun with the New Galaxy S-IV” along with photos of people enjoying their summer in various summer locations, and these would be used in the company’s official fan pages in major network sites. Promotional campaigns in official sites prior to the launch would spark interest among followers and fans, as well as in people that might be uninterested in the product. The CEO would also release official statements about the product in various media platforms so as to solidify the credentials of the product to be released both online and offline. Aside from mentioning the theme for the product launch and emphasising unique product features, full product specifications would be made available for online bloggers so they could assess the product in their own way and create other insights on what other possibilities are available for the new product. Key Messages for CEO of the PR Agency It is anticipated that the product launch would get mixed reviews, and it is better to create hypothetical questions, both positive and negative as well as formulating smart and professional answers to each one for the spokespersons. The following are possible questions to be expected and their corresponding answers: Q: What is the new product all about? A: The Galaxy S-IV is all about combining the ease of using a smartphone designed for humans with additional features that increase value to the product, such as highly-intuitive preloaded applications, increased screen size and battery life, and allowing users even greater control over their phones with increased customisation options. Q: What gives it edge over your older Galaxy S lines and what can your fans expect from the newest Galaxy S? A: Aside from the larger screen size and extended battery life, a higher screen resolution, additional features such as more customisation options, faster web browsing both in 4G and Wi-fi, and availability in even more colours. Q: Do you think that your product can convert many smartphone users from IOS to Android? A: We hope to be able to do that by putting a lot of innovations in our new lines, features not available in other phone models. We try to give our customers better service by creating phones that speak their minds, and we at Samsung believe that to live life easy worries and glitches must be minimized and comfort, reliability and intuitiveness must be increased. Q: Why choose summer as your main theme for your new smartphone? A: Releasing our product in summer not only allows users to experience a better and worry-free summer through the conveniences offered by our newest smartphone, but also this connects the warm, positive and fun vibe that summer brings to everyone. With this, we would like people to better recall our products and company with that image, as well as to have them anticipate a great summer ahead. Proposed PR Timeline The media campaign for the Galaxy S-IV needs to be scheduled at a time when it would be very well-received by the target audience. Summer is a good time for a product release since the general public as well as the target audience perceive it as vacation or relaxation time, thus adding to the anticipation. In relation to this, planning the campaign and sending out press releases must be done at the earliest possible time, from middle of March to early April in order to prepare the public and the target audience for a summer product launch, which makes them look forward for both the season and the product. The proposed timeline for the project is shown in the following Gannt Chart: Timeline for the Samsung Galaxy S-IV Campaign March April May June July August 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 Legend: 1 – Social Media Strategy Planning 2 - Social Media Building 3 - Traditional Campaign 4 - Social Media Content Upload 5 - Social Media Channel 6 - Product Launch 7 – Social Media Management and Monitoring *note: Highlighted portions show months with highest activity and budget expenditure rates. The bulk of most meetings within the PR agency as well as contacting various online bloggers and revamping the social networks by creating additional pages or tabs such as promotional, discussion or poll pages would be during the months after the early stages of the strategy planning, from April to May. This would also be the time when advertisements in other media platforms such as print ads, TV and radio commercials would be best used, to increase the eagerness of the target audience and prepare them for the expected product release in June. After the release of the product, it is anticipated that the company would be benefitting from passive advertising done by product buyers through social media sharing or other offline means, thus it is possible to gradually decrease the number of advertisements in traditional media in order to save money. However, it is imperative that online media usage would still remain, such as redesigning Samsung’s social networking profiles on various platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and other major social networking sites on the web. This is to keep the consumers and followers engaged in the product, to assure them that their satisfaction and relationship with the company is as important as their brand loyalty, and this allows them to do even more passive advertising in the coming months. Projected Budget The Galaxy S-IV media campaign is to run for half a year, in this case a proposal for six months is presented: Table 1. Six-month budgetary breakdown for the Samsung Galaxy S-IV media campaign Budget Consideration Monthly Budget Number of Months Running Sub-total Social Media (SM) Strategy ?7,000 6 ?42,000 (SM) Build ?4,000 6 ?24,000 (SM) Content ?4,000 6 ?24,000 (SM) Channel ?3,000 6 ?18,000 (SM) Press Releases ?1,200/quarter 2 quarters ?2,400 (SM) Management & Monitoring ?4,000 6 ?24,000 Traditional Campaign Approach ?2,600 6 ?15,600 Total ?150,000 The projected values may seem high but values used are budgeted with consideration for possible need for contingency measures, and are reasonable enough to cover unforeseen expenses for a six-month period. The major bulk of the budget would mostly be for paying work done by the professionals in the project since web-based advertisements are considerably cheaper. The traditional campaign approach pays not only professionals that pitch in via mass media (television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.) but also the air time and advertisement spaces. This kind of campaign approach may not work well, thus the low monthly budget since aside from being much more expensive than web-based advertising the target audience would more likely use the internet due to its better accessibility and global range (McNair, 2009). As shown in Table 1, the budget consideration with the highest requirement is social media strategy. The whole campaign needs to be fully prepared and has to take a lot of considerations such as possible drawbacks, competitor strategies, and exaggerated product hype. Carefully planning the whole campaign from the beginning to end needs the most skilled and experienced people or groups in the job, and while these people are expected to have premium output, it is also expected that their professional fees are also priced highly (Sandler, 2013). But by investing on good strategy at the earliest time, risk-assessment plans can be made as well as back-up plans should problems arise, which cost a lot cheaper in the long run since it is expected that in social media, networking would handle the advertising and campaigning after the key influencers have been alerted (Safko, 2010). This is also better since the information is controlled and corroborated by various blog sites and Samsung’s official website, thus audiences would rely on these more than on uncontrolled hype or rumours which may eventually ruin the company in the long run (Phillips & Young, 2009). References Benkler, Y., 2006. The Wealth of Networks; how social production transforms markets and freedom. Yale: Yale University Press. Castells, M., 2009. Communication Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Levine, F., Locke, C., Sears, D. & Weinberger, D., 2009. The Cluetrain Manifesto: 10th Anniversary Edition. 10th anniversary ed. New York, NY: Basic Books. McNair, B., 2009. News and journalism in the UK. 5th ed. Abingdon: Routledge. Phillips, D. & Young, P., 2009. Online Public Relations. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page. Safko, L., 2010. The Social Media Bible. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Samsung Electronics, 2013. Samsung Electronics UK Official Website. [Online] Available at: http://www.samsung.com/uk/#latest-home [Accessed 3 March 2013]. Sandler, J., 2013. How to Effectively Budget Your Social Media Program in 2013. [Online] Available at: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2234878/how-to-effectively-budget-your-social-media-program-in-2013 [Accessed 3 March 2013]. We Are Apps, 2013. UK Mobile devices usage and demographic roundup. [Online] Available at: www.weareapps.com/digitalreport.pdf [Accessed 3 March 2013]. Read More