Samsung to Turn TV Screens Blank for New Campaign in the UK

• New TV ads for Samsung will ‘turn off’ more than eight million of the UK’s televisions this weekend leaving a completely blank screen
• The disruptive spot is a world-first, featuring absolutely nothing, to highlight a new era for TV as ugly black screens are banished to history
• Cinema screens and Piccadilly Circus also set to ‘go blank’ as #TVblackout creative supported with huge marketing campaign which is now set to roll out across Europe
• Campaign has been designed to showcase a revolution in television design and functionality via the new Ambient Mode^* capabilities of Samsung QLED TV’s which enable TV’s to blend into the home environment

The UK is getting ready for TVs, digital displays and cinema screens across the country to switch off as Samsung rolls out an advertising campaign that interrupts scheduled ad breaks with several seconds of ‘TV blackout’.

The disruptive campaign is designed to trick viewers into thinking their TV has been ‘switched off’, thus highlighting the default status of the TV in the home while it is not in use. The darkness ends, with text emerging: “This is your TV screen… most of the time; a void full of nothing.” The adverts will go on to explain that Samsung QLED TVs boast an ‘Ambient Mode’, which allows TV sets to blend in with their surrounding interior design, or display imagery when not in use, meaning that consumers need never see the void again.

The #TVblackout campaign will leave a large footprint, stretching across 10 days, with over 200 TV spots on multiple channels and networks, and reaching an estimated 49 million viewers. Launching on May 25, popular Friday night viewing that will be disrupted includes Coronation Street (ITV), The Simpsons (Sky) and First Dates (C4). In an audacious move, Samsung will also air the ad during the commercial breaks of the Champions League final on Saturday May 26, informing the audience that it is “time to adjust your set.” The campaign will also take over digital displays at the iconic Piccadilly Circus, as well as interrupting the famous Pearl and Dean theme tune during the adverts before cinema screenings of “Solo: A Star Wars Story”. 

This isn’t the first time that UK viewers have been targeted by Samsung’s innovative campaigns. In November last year, Samsung premiered Washing Machine: The Feature Film at London’s Leicester Square, which layered a dramatic original score by celebrated composer Michael Nyman over the filming of a 66-minute family wash cycle. The unique project built upon the impact of a 3 min 20 sec advert featuring a QuickDrive™ wash cycle, which was broadcast during a complete ad break takeover of one of Britain’s most popular TV programs. 

*Samsung QLED ‘Ambient Mode’ background setting feature may vary depending on the environment where the TV is installed including, but not limited to, wall designs, patterns, and/or colours

Source: UK Newsroom