Samsung Epic Mode made overstaged social lives real for one prize winner

Samsung Switzerland had a strategic problem: Gen Z in the Swiss smartphone market noticed Apple and barely noticed Samsung. A conventional spec-led Galaxy S21 campaign would enter a conversation Samsung was already losing.

Sir Mary found a sharper entry point. Young people made everyday life look more epic on social media than it really was, so the campaign promised to make that exaggeration true.

The Epic Mode competition bundled the Galaxy S21 with twelve exclusive experiences. Effie Switzerland reported more than 30,000 applications, 57% from Apple users, and said Samsung closed the image gap with Apple.

Reward the fantasy they already perform

The idea accepted Gen Z's social behavior instead of scolding or parodying it.

The prize made product features tangible through experiences, not feature lists.

Recruiting Apple users turned the campaign into a conquest mechanism.

A competition gave the audience a reason to self-identify and apply.

When a target audience resists ads, do not interrupt its performance. Build the product into the performance's payoff.

Epic Mode was shortlisted in Effie Switzerland's 2022 Activation category and won Silver. It also appeared on other Swiss award shortlists, including Best of Swiss Web, showing the mechanism had traction beyond one effectiveness jury.