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Is LG all just too much hype?

Posted in Advertising, Media, Marketing, Design, Mel Varley, Latest reporters' blogs May 2nd, 2008 by Melinda Varley

It could be the smartest marketing campaign of the year – promoting a new smash-hit television show and then at the last minute revealing it’s the TV itself – but after a star studded launch I am left wondering if it really worked.

Everyone loves a good party and even more so, every one enjoys the chance to be in the company of celebrities. But I wonder if there is any real point to having these big names at a launch – which is supposed to be ‘red carpet’ – when none of them make any effort to mingle with the brand and its real ambassadors.

LG’s marketing campaign was very creative, but it’s the party that perhaps let it down. Don’t get me wrong, it was very stylish, sophisticated and full of ‘anyone who’s anyone’, but I was a bit taken a back by its decision to invite a host of celebrities who did nothing but stand around looking bored, yet important, the whole time.

To me, this damaged LG’s brand. It said that the new LG60 –also known as ‘Scarlet’, was expensive and untouchable. Something only celebrities could afford in a somewhat snobbish way.

The TV was first unveiled in Hollywood with a star studded event, however I don’t think that general consumers are going to be persuaded to by a brand new TV just because some celebs were at the launch party. What does this say about the brand – it’s for snobs?

Kwan-Sup Lee, vice president of brand marketing at LG Electronics Digital Display Company, said: “If we were going to really make headway against some of our major competitors, we had to change the rules of the game. Being different might be risky, but we took that risk to make a breakthrough.”

But will it work? It’s certainly got media world talking.