W+K Gives Samsung Galaxy the Horror-Film Treatment

Teen #1: “Have you heard about the Samsung flip phone, or whatever. Apparently, you only have to look at it once, and then it gets, like, stuck inside your mind—or something. And the only way to stop it is to switch.”

Teen #2: “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. There’s no way I’d ever switch…”

That scintillating lakeside conversation trails off when a shiny new Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes into view. Teen #2 finds herself mesmerized, and a goofy two-minute horror spoof unfolds, courtesy of Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and directing duo Matias Rygh and Mathias Nordli Eriksen.

Forget about the phone. That skinny park ranger type around the half-way mark has psycho-killer stamped all over his gaunt, mustachioed face!

It’s a fun, bloodless romp, serving as a sequel to Galaxy’s popular thriller spoof from last year (also lensed by Matias & Mathias). Now, “Join the Flip Side II” scores with knowing nods to supernatural/slasher fare and a canny appreciation for how sparkly tech holds folks obsessively enthralled, even while fear of switching sometimes holds sway.

“People move with the crowd when it comes to technology, and choosing something different can feel like a scary proposition,” a W+K rep tells Muse. “Narratively speaking, if last year we told a singular story through our hero’s journey, this year we turned the focus toward a group of teenagers, nodding at a larger, more universal truth at scale.”

Yeah, tech turns us all into mindless zombies. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

“What we are trying to do with this campaign is to create an emotional case for a seemingly rational decision,” the rep adds. “When you consider long-form, you have to be as, if not more, entertaining than everything else they could choose to watch. So, we have to earn every second of their time.”

The advert’s release coincides with summer blockbuster film season. It will run across TV and cinemas in worldwide markets, with various edits for online and social.