Samsung Canada wants to become a “noisy brand” in the crowded consumer electronics space and has appointed Toronto PR agency North Strategic to help it achieve its objective.
Operating with a mandate to be “social by design,” North Strategic beat out four other agencies – selected on the basis of either global alignment with Samsung or their expertise in the telecommunications/electronics space – for the assignment.
“They really gelled with our group,” said Andrew Barrett, vice-president of marketing for Samsung Canada. “We wanted to be a big brand in a smaller shop because we believe there are an awful lot of advantages that come from that in terms of access to senior leadership.”
Barrett also praised North Strategic co-founder Mia Pearson as a “thought leader” within the marketing realm, capable of bringing expertise across multiple disciplines to its business.
“They can help us with our PR and social engagement, and they can also help us with building and developing our business. When you can get that all in one place, it’s magic,” he said.
Barrett told Marketing that Samsung’s “emotional share” has failed to keep pace with its market share in key business categories like mobile phones and TV, and said North Strategic is a “key enabler” in aligning the two.
“We have yet to achieve 100% unaided brand awareness of our brand,” said Barrett, who arrived at Samsung in September after working with rival electronics manufacturer LG. “We’re getting closer and closer each day, but we want to continue to build our brand awareness to number one in the consumer electronics space.”
Barrett said Samsung’s goal is to become the most talked about consumer electronics brand in the country. While the company receives coverage in technology publications/blogs etc., it has failed to attract attention in lifestyle publications, he said. “We would get our latest handset identified in the consumer press, but it would be talking about the device in a technology review, not talking about the style of these devices in a lifestyle publication like Chatelaine,” he said.
“If we asked consumers to name someone who makes TVs or phones, [they would respond] Samsung, but if we asked them to name a brand they love or think about before actually making a purchase, or a brand you might desire, we weren’t that. We were a product brand and weren’t really doing emotionally connecting activity.”
Barrett said the coming year will see Samsung focus on the smartphone/tablet and “smart” TV categories, as well as a “big push” on its notebook and refrigerators.
North Strategic co-founder Justin Creally said the agency likes to work with brands that are looking to “change things up” with a heavy emphasis on social media. “Social is big for us,” he said. “The world’s changing that way, and Andrew and his team have a strong appetite for earned media both from traditional PR and a social media perspective.”
Established in March 2011, North Strategic also works with Canadian Tire and Sport Chek. “It’s a great way to kick off the year,” said Creally of the Samsung assignment.
