Celebrities and technology are pretty much a sure thing. Going viral is the goal, and Samsung is way ahead of the pack courting celebs like Jay-Z, Beyonce & now Usher to lead its marketing initiatives. Usher’s “Looking 4 Myself,” the collaboration between Usher and Samsung for its new smart TV campaign has received more than 27 million hits on youtube and still going strong after its debut on the 2013 NBA Finals.
“We used a mix of paid and earned views and timed the release of the video to capitalize on the buzz around the season finale of The Voice,” said Ross Maupin, the creative director of Huge, the company that created the viral video. Usher is one of the star coaches on The Voice.
The #TeamUsher hashtag on Twitter also played a role in its success, Maupin said. So far, Huge has tracked more than 71,000 tweets about the video.
The average Samsung TV video ad receives about 2 million views, making this one by the far the biggest to date, according to Samsung. LeBron’s Day with the Samsung Galaxy Note II accrued more than 40 million views, but was released by a different division, Samsung Mobile USA.
In the video, the eight-time Grammy winner uses hand gestures to swipe through and enlarge photographs on the smart TV. He then proceeds to battle his alter ego in the streets of downtown Los Angeles, while an audience of fans watch on, glued to their smart TVs.
Samsung’s smart TV substitutes your hand for a remote: Flick your wrist to zoom in on images, adjust volume and navigate the menu. Built-in social media access also lets you easily share content.
Based on the number of views, the blend of celebrity and cool tech clearly results in viral success.
Do you think that will equate to sales of Usher’s new album in iTunes and Samsung TVs? Let us know what you think the comments.
Image courtesy of Samsung
Via Mash
