Back in the day British prime minister Harold Macmillan replied “events, dear boy, events” when asked what could blow his hitherto successful government off course. And they did, of course, when the Profumo scandal broke.
Which might strike a cord with Samsung CMO David Lowes (below) who is reported to be seeking an agency to oversee all its pan-European creative work. Samsung works with a gaggle of agencies worldwide including including Cheil, 72andSunny and Wieden+Kennedy. It’s also said to be reviewing its US home appliances business.
A much bigger issue for the South Korean giant is its new Galaxy Note 7, pulled from the market because some batteries have a habit of exploding. Amazing how a supposedly sophisticated and cutting edge industry like smartphones continually founders on the inability of anyone to produce a tiny battery that works.
So Samsung, proud possessor of the world’s biggest marketing budget, has other things on its mind. Actually this may be the perfect opportunity for Lowes and a new agency as the company tries to restore its image.
Before joining Samsung at the start of the year Lowes was senior VP Dressings at Unilever. There his remit included Hellmann’s, Amora and Maille, which you won’t be finding on Tesco’s website at the moment.
Maille is handled by adam&eveDDB which is also reported to be pitching for Samsung’s US business. A&E has had a quiet year as far as new business is concerned, partly because it now doesn’t have that many categories it can chase.
If Samsung goes ahead with its pan-European creative review then A&E is likely to be in the box seat.
Samsung have also had a problem with washing machines that keep bursting into flames. And that takes some doing, as there are no lithium batteries in those!
Shanghai… It depends what you’re washing. Socks that have been worn for several days can be highly combustible. And when you consider my post about the “IoT” kettle that took ten hours to make a cup of tea. Nothing about today’s technology surprises me.
They may have to re-brand: Swansung.