Thumb Boy and his 10 million online friends

Motorola created a new intelligent writing system on the A732 phone but found general users were afraid of this intuitive technology. Mindshare had to show urban adults that it was easy and fun to use.

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Destination

Motorola created a new intelligent writing system on the A732 phone but found general users were afraid of this intuitive technology. We had to show urban adults aged 18-28 that it was easy and fun.

Platform

We created a viral campaign starring a cartoon character called Thumb Boy who would attract people through long-term communication platforms such as a thumb painting competition (consumers created their own Thumb Boy and posted it in a special environment online for public voting), a BBS special painting function, a Thumb Boy animated story and a Thumb Boy game in messenger.

Design and delivery

The campaign launched simultaneously across multiple online platforms, where Thumb Boy showed how much fun you could have using intelligent writing. By linking it with self-expression and liberating your creativity, we sparked a massive explosion of participation. The A732 is now seen as a fun and highly desirable phone.

Evaluation

  • 10,044,969 visits to the Motorola A732 website (a record in China)
  • 89 million Thumb Boy e-cards sent by instant messenger
  • Sales targets smashed – 100,000 units sold in Q4 and sold out
  • Motorola market share in China doubled from 11% to 23% in twelve months

Context

In June 1955 Motorola introduced a new brand logo, the stylized "M" insignia, or "emsignia." A company leader said the two aspiring triangle peaks arching into an abstracted 'M', typified the progressive leadership-minded outlook of the company.

Clients : Motorola

Hue was the capital of Vietnam from the early 19th century until 1945 .It is the location of the Thien Mu pagoda, one of Vietnam's most famous pagodas (religious buildings).

Region : Asia Pacific

The number of text messages sent and received each day exceeds the population of the planet

Sector : Telecoms

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