Flipvertising

Why it works

To launch the Galaxy Z Flip4 in Australia in 2022, Samsung inverted the logic of targeted advertising: instead of chasing ad-wary young buyers, it dared them to make an ad find them. Clues seeded through influencers sent people to Google particular phrases; each correct search unlocked one of three short product-demo films, and anyone who watched all three entered a retargeting pool served a hidden YouTube pre-roll carrying codes for free phones. Along the way, searchers’ feeds filled with reviews and unboxings that Samsung had not paid for. It is studied as creative work made from the media plumbing itself, built with Google’s help, in which the targeting mechanism became the game. It won the Social & Influencer Grand Prix at Cannes 2023, where the jury president said it broke taboos about what ads can do; the agency reported a 34% rise in sales.