| Winner | Samsung NZ |
| Marketing initiative | Samsung long-term marketing strategy – Apple disrupt |
| Marketing partners | McCann New Zealand, FleishmanHillard Aotearoa, Spark Foundry |
| Finalists | 2degrees (two initiatives), AMI Insurance (two category wins), ANZ New Zealand, ASB, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Greyhounds as Pets, Lactalis-Mainland Dairy, Lion NZ, Sixt New Zealand, Stihl, Trade Me (two initiatives), Zuru Group |
| Judges’ comments | “Rather than competing on technical features against a systematically dominant incumbent, Samsung NZ targeted the real barriers keeping users locked into the iOS ecosystem: comfort, conformity, cultural relevance and values. This meant stepping away from a spec-led marketing approach that had left them stuck in second place and which carried real commercial risk if left unresolved. “Getting there meant challenging their own parent company’s global playbook, not just Apple. Rather than seeking permission from head office, the team developed and backed their insights with an approach built over time that confronted users’ obsession with Apple phones head on – simultaneously assuming a credible leadership position on safe internet usage for our most vulnerable mobile users. This strategy was executed with a ‘move fast, share late’ approach that let the results do the convincing. It paid off – achieving historic market share leadership over Apple and major lifts in Gen Z ‘Proud to Own’ metrics alongside world-class social engagement. “What also impressed the judges was the reach of their approach beyond New Zealand. Turns out this wasn’t ‘just’ a self-contained local strategy – it was an approach that forced a rethink up the value chain, with Samsung Global adopting it as best practice. “For a small market to change the playbook of a multinational is a rare and genuine mark of influence. “Born of local insight, Samsung NZ adopted a brave new strategy that simultaneously drove them to the No1 spot in New Zealand and reshaped the global marketing playbook direction. That’s the stuff of a standout Supreme Award winner.” |
This category is sponsored by YouTube.
Excellence in Long-Term Marketing Strategy
| Finalists | Auckland Transport, Ecostore, Goodman Fielder, McDonald’s New Zealand, Powershop |
| Judges’ comments | “A very impressive story of overcoming stakeholder hesitancy and owning the social media environment in NZ. A fascinating body of highly creative and locally relevant work that has achieved global best practice inside the Samsung universe.” |
This is category is sponsored by NZ Marketing magazine.
Soulful strategy slays two giants
Samsung NZ rose up against their major competitor… and rebelled against their parent company.
If the David and Goliath story was set in the tech world, Samsung NZ would be David. But instead of facing one Goliath, the team had to fight two.
“Goliath one was Apple,” says Samsung NZ.
Apple is the world’s most valuable brand, particularly among the young. It commands 90% of Gen Z – and 96% of them have no intention of switching.
The other powerful entity Samsung NZ faced was Samsung Global. The international parent’s playbook was all about product messaging and slick campaigns. But this wasn’t working here, says Samsung NZ: “They generated zero brand preference uplift in-market.”
“We were caught in a strategic deadlock: Global’s playbook was a misfire, but Apple’s dominance was a death sentence. To survive one, we had to defy the other. We had to operate differently.”
Crack the barriers
Determined to take market share from Apple, the team set out to win over Gen Z in 2022.
First, they identified four psychological barriers stopping Gen Z from switching from Apple to Samsung:
- Comfort: “I grew up with Apple. Samsung feels weird.”
- Conformity: “Everyone I know has an iPhone.”
- Cultural relevance: “Apple gets it. Samsung doesn’t.”
- Values: “Apple stands for something. Does Samsung?”
Work that works
Having located the hurdles, the team tackled each one head-on.
They found that the comfort Gen Z felt with Apple wasn’t about the hardware – it was about the familiarity of the user experience.
In response, Samsung NZ introduced ‘Try Galaxy’ – a web app that lets iPhone users experience Samsung OS from inside their own device. Built without approval, launched on a shoestring, it hit two million downloads at launch with a $100 media spend.
Meanwhile, the team flipped widespread iPhone loyalty on its head.
Knowing Gen Z’s obsession with individuality, they launched ‘Samsung – not same same’, a campaign that reframed Apple’s identity as conformity without personality.
By subverting Apple’s iconic ‘Think different’ slogan across OOH and a six-second film, the campaign generated 17 million organic views.
To boost cultural relevance, the team knew Samsung couldn’t out-Hollywood Apple, so they stopped chasing perfection.
Instead, they embraced a lo-fi TikTok strategy where “raw chaos beats polish”. Authentic local content outperformed glossy global campaigns, making Samsung NZ the No1 Samsung account globally by interaction rate, with 728.2K followers.
Finally, the team knew brand value had to go beyond what Samsung sells. “Gen Z doesn’t just want products. They want brands with a soul,” says Samsung NZ.
So they partnered with Safe Surfer to protect children online, launching ‘The worst children’s library’. The campaign started at a school library then moved to the NZ Parliamentary Library. It showed that Samsung stands for more than just specs.
Prove something bigger
“We didn’t ask for permission. We showed results. Across six major launches, we’ve never been beaten,” says the team. In 2023, Samsung overtook Apple at launch for the first time in New Zealand history.
The 13-strong team says their win isn’t about Apple, Gen Z or even Samsung.
It proves something bigger: rebels don’t just win markets. They rewrite companies.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 88, Sept-Nov 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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