flexible alternative to the rigid functions of an iPhone, a device produced
for the masses.
“They’re gonna give you a phone,” said Dana Brunetti, president of the
film studio he co-founded that was behind The Social Network and House
of Cards. That’s how Samsung advanced its cause—through low-key
negotiations with celebrities, producers, and hosts. In the scheme of things,
it was an inexpensive way to build word of mouth.
“To some extent it was pay to play. Or we would ‘host’ the events with
already-friendly partners,” said a marketer on the team.
Samsung hosted a celebrity dinner party at the estate of Cameron and
Tyler Winklevoss—the twins who sued Mark Zuckerberg claiming he took
their ideas to create Facebook. On a swanky terrace overlooking an infinity
pool and the Hollywood Hills, a Samsung representative was waiting for
Dana Brunetti, Galaxy S III ready to go, customized with a background
picture of the producer’s name.
Yeah, I’m going back to the iPhone as soon as dinner’s over, Brunetti
thought. He politely sat through the tutorial before joining the party. But
after playing around with the Galaxy for a month, something clicked. And
he did exactly what Samsung hoped. He switched to the Galaxy
permanently.
Pendleton and Lovato enlisted Mitch Kanner, chief of an off-radar
brand-building firm called 2 Degrees Ventures, whom Fast Company called
one of Hollywood’s “quietest influencers,” to deploy methods and reach out
to contacts that were a closely held secret. Yet he got actual results from
celebrities, chopping out the middlemen involved in official sponsorships.
“Anybody with a checkbook can pick up the phone and buy [a celebrity
sponsorship],” Kanner told Fast Company. “But if it’s going to work, it has
to be authentic.”
—
THE TEAM QUICKLY CAME to see the importance of locking into American
pop culture and not appearing inappropriate or cheesy.
The launch of Samsung’s next flagship product, the Galaxy S4, kicked
off in March 2013 with a chatty master of ceremonies who introduced
Samsung mobile chief J.K. Shin, followed by the usual presentations.
Except this time something was off in terms of the subsequent