What LG needs to do in 2018

Run a big-budget ad campaign

If there’s anyone who can stand up face-to-face against Samsung, it’s LG. Both companies are based in South Korea, and both have brand recognition around the world. Yet only Samsung’s mobile devices get serious consideration from consumers in almost every region. That wasn’t always the case, though. There was a time when LG’s flagships would be in the conversation for best phone alongside the latest offerings from Samsung, Apple, Motorola, and HTC. While Motorola and HTC are nothing like the solid brands of the past, LG can still come forward and reclaim its spot near the top.

Missteps in advertising might have been what put the company behind. Dating back to the G2 in 2013, LG’s flagships have been nothing short of impressive with their specifications. LG doesn’t skimp on anything, really. But consumers haven’t seen the phones heavily promoted on television, the web, social media, or anywhere else. And, when ads do appear, they’re often strange.

Two particular ad campaigns come to mind immediately. In 2015, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt was enlisted to promote the V10. It was a partnership forged through his production company but nothing remarkable came of it. A bunch of people were dancing around in some ads, which did little to educate anyone who wasn’t into looking up spec sheets online for their own knowledge. This partnership is actually still ongoing, though Gordon-Levitt and hitRECord only appear in online and social media ads. Somehow there are executives at LG still feeling like the payments are worth it.

Then it got super weird in 2016 when LG launched the G5.

Actor Jason Statham appeared in a limited number of ads where every character was played by him. Once again, LG did nothing to prove what made the G5 so good. Instead it merely highlighted the botched modular ecosystem. Fortunately the ads for the G6 in 2017 were informational, showing consumers different features in less than a minute or thirty seconds.

In 2018, LG needs to reboot. It’s definitely too late to change what the G7 will look like and what type of features it’ll have. Ad campaigns, however, could be adjusted at almost any time. If the company really wants to compete with Samsung again, the G7 will require high visibility. The new leaders at the mobile division need to demand a large budget. That’s not to say LG should be airing an expensive ad during the Super Bowl. A big-budget ad campaign for the G7 would include spots in primetime across broadcast and cable networks, highlights of standard and unique features, and maybe most importantly repetition.

Consumers have to see LG’s latest flagship once, then they need to see it again. And after that they have to see it dozens of more times. LG should fuel the mobile division’s efforts because, aside from Samsung, barely anyone is advertising there way into the competition. The brand is already there; LG just has to refresh it.

Good luck, LG. We’re counting on you to rebound in 2018.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2018/01/01/what-lg-needs-to-do-in-2018/