LG debuts an emotionally-driven campaign

In a category dominated by Apple and Samsung, LG Canada wants you to break out of your cellphone’s cell – metaphorically that is. In its latest North American spot for the LG Optimus G by New York-based StrawberryFrog, the brand is aiming to up the emotional connection with viewers as it heads into the heavy electronics buying season.

“This is about a man smashing through the walls of indifference, breaking out of options, freeing himself into a new space,” says Scott Goodson, chairman of StrawberryFrog. “It’s a movement that reflects the youthful desire for choice and technology.”

The spots will be supported across digital and OOH. Media buying for the TV spots was handled by Promotive, while Mindshare and Pattison handled digital and OOH respectively.

Mallika Kazim, brand marketing director, LG, says the shift in tone moves the brand away from feature-focused ads that highlight the smartphone’s abilities, and is in line with an overall trend in the wireless industry.

“We really are trying to deepen the emotional connection,” she says. “Historically, the new feature would be the one thing manufacturers talked about, but now with the shift to superphones, you really need to build that emotional connection because there’s too many things you could talk about.” Only two features not currently available on competitor’s phones are briefly highlighted in the new LG spot.

While traditional 30-second spots will run on primetime, sport channels, and a mix of specialty, Kazim says they also partnered with CTV and Citytv to run lower-third ads. Ten-second animated clips will pop up during regular TV shows, highlighting the product.

“It’s traditionally been done by the broadcasters. We’re one of the first clients to do this, as I understand it,” she says.

The creative launched in Canada on Tuesday and will run until the end of December, targeting a slightly male-skewing, 18- to 35-year-old audience, she says. The focus is on the heavy smartphone users who are early adopters, looking for a premium product.

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