Samsung Grants One Person 100 Days of Peaceful TV Catch-Up in the Himalayas

DDB Stockholm have created 'The Catch-up Grant' for Samsung, giving one person the chance to watch TV-series, completely undisturbed, for one hundred days.

The phenomenon of "binge watching" - watching several episodes of a TV-series in one sitting - is something that people are doing more and more often. In recent years, thanks to popular online streaming-services, our TV-series viewing habits have changed substantially. It’s not uncommon for an entire series to be released in one go, making way for the inevitable binge. However as many in today’s culture become ever more time-starved, consumers aren’t often able to watch as much as they’d like at once. So, Samsung has launched the 'The Catch-up Grant' in Nordic Europe to promote their new SUHD TV.

Henrik Lethagen, Marketing Manager at Samsung comments: "A common topic of conversation nowadays is "FOMO - the fear of missing out". We don't have time to keep up with episodes of all the fantastic series out there, and the fear of being left behind in the ongoing pop culture conversation becomes a source of stress. The Catch-up Grant is here to help those in need."

In order to avoid this day-to-day stress, the grant recipient will be sent to an isolated temple in the Himalayas where they will be able to catch up on all of their favourite TV series on Samsung's new SUHD TV. The television is Samsung's crowning glory, with a 65" curved screen, a screen resolution four times greater than full HD and advanced nanocrystal technology that delivers 64 times more colour than the previous model. Whilst staying in the Buddhist retreat, the winner will also receive compensation for the time they spend there catching up.

Samsung's main advertising agency in the Nordic region, DDB created the campaign, creating not only the promotional film but also a bespoke microsite where consumers can upload a thirty-second film explaining why they deserve the chance to get their hands on the Catch-up Grant and watch TV-series in the Himalayas. A jury will then select the eight most compelling entries, which will go on to a final competition in Stockholm.

Daniel Mencák, Creative at DDB, comments: "To be able to leave your everyday life behind and truly immerse yourself in TV-series would be a dream-come-true for many people. That’s why we decided to meet the demand and go all the way with it. 100 days of quality popular culture on Samsung's best TV is, in its own way, a spiritual experience."

The campaign was launched on 21st September and ran until 26th September and was made up of campaign site, online films, social media films and banners. 

Customer: Samsung

Clients: Henrik Lethagen, Marketing Manager CE; Pernilla Viberg Category Marketing Manager CE

Agency: DDB

Creative: Daniel Mencák
Business Director: Jessica Morales
Account Director: Rebecca Jerndahl Tepavac
Account Managers: Ulrica Carlsson, Ulrika Sörensen
Planner: Patrick Wilkorsz
Digital Designer: Erik Sigblad
Digital Designer: Martin Ruben
Digital Director: Andreas Fabbe
Digital Account Director: Katarina Mohlin
Graphic Designers: Tor Westerlund, Sebastian Reinbring, Steven McDonald

Digital Production Company: Acne production

Production Company: Mastiff
Director: Brennan Stasievicz
Executive Producer: Kristian Beer
Producer: Mats Olsson
Photographer: Adam Uhl

PR Agency: Wenderfalck