It's one thing to watch a
YouTube video on a smartphone, or perhaps even a clip from a television sitcom. In a new advertising campaign, Sprint wants to show off the capabilities of its newest phone when it comes to showcasing
movies and other mobile entertainment.
In a new advertising campaign for the Samsung Epic 4G, Sprint has launched "Epic Mini Movies," a series of short films that take the stereotypical
moments from several movie genres to highlight the phone's capabilities. The tongue-in-cheek satires, which are being shown on TV as well as on a Sprint microsite (www.sprint.com/epic) go over the top
when spoofing the genres.
"Movies capture the imagination of everyone. It's the upper echelon of video entertainment," Marc Davis, group manager of national advertising, tells Marketing
Daily. "The way we've positioned this campaign, the name of the phone is Epic. The titles are Epic -- what more content could you provide than an epic movie itself."
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In an action movie
spoof, for instance, a police sergeant orders the burly hero cop to turn in his badge and weapon. The cop first lays down his gun, and then begins pulling out more weapons, each more ridiculous than
the last: nunchucks, assault rifles, and finally a bazooka. Another, Epic Sound Effects, mocks the over-the-top sound effects of martial arts movies as two black-suited men pour sugar into their
coffee.
Moments from each of the films (upcoming titles include Epic Chase, Epic Hero and Epic News) will appear in various formats including television, print, online and out-of-home
advertising. When viewed on the Web site, the movies are depicted as if shown on the screen of the Epic phone. Television commercials show about 20 seconds of the movies, pull back to them being shown
on the phone and then cut to an array of features, Davis says.
"The intent here was to created ownable content that we could incorporate for all media tactics," Davis says. All of the different
executions heavily promote the site where all the Epic movies will be featured online. "The intent is to drive everyone to the Web site."
The videos are also intended to inspire user-generated
content. One of the buttons on Sprint's Epic page reads: "Epic Contest," listed as "Coming Soon." "It's an idea out there that's meant to invite participation of consumers and users to extend the
viral nature of the campaign," Davis says. "We haven't fully developed the content, so that's all I can say about it at this point."
The Epic 4G phone is the first of Samsung's Galaxy S
smartphones to have access to the Samsung Media Hub, a mobile video store that offers users a library of acclaimed film and television programming. The Samsung Media Hub will also be featured in
Sprint's print and online advertising.