Iris London has worked with Samsung Electronics UK to launch an impactful campaign supporting the brand’s announcement that they are joining forces with Skateboard GB, the governing body for skateboarding in the UK. The partnership will form a new platform for both brands to increase brand love and consideration amongst a GenZ audience.
YouGov research, commissioned by Iris to inform the strategy, shows the growing popularity of skateboarding and skate culture among a GenZ audience in the UK. The long-term partnership represents a commitment from Samsung in British skateboarding across coaching, grassroots and elite pathways, a first-of-its-kind in terms of value and brand alignment for the sport, to inspire the future generation.
Kicking off with a launch event in London’s BaySixty6 skate park, W10 London, the campaign brings together a team of influential, professional skateboarders and Skateboard GB to demo their skateboarding skills to an audience of young skateboarders from the local community, inviting them to ‘Drop In’ with Samsung on the day. The event is hosted by Marc Churchill, the sport’s most well-known UK commentator.
The creator-led campaign has been concepted and produced by Iris - alongside Samsung - from the ground up with the skateboarding community and aims to empower a UK GenZ audience to demonstrate the guts to try skateboarding ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024. Photography, videography and skateboarding have always gone hand-in-hand, and Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip5 – with its incredible content capture capabilities using FlexCam and Flex Mode – enables skateboarders to take the perfect hands-free action shot, effortlessly capturing those bold enough to get on a board.
Shot by passionate Skateboarder and Director Jake Erland, the campaign film cements the agency’s commitment to Iris Inc and puts influential creators and audience participation at its heart.
The campaign brings together leading British talent and the most exciting skateboarders on the UK scene, including World Champion, Sky Brown who said, “One thing I love even more than skateboarding, is seeing others try it and love it for themselves! You have to have the right attitude, and never give up – it’s all about having guts. I can feel people in the UK getting behind our sport and I can't wait to see where we can take it together".
Subsequent TikTok challenges set by Sky Brown encourage a GenZ audience to participate in the sport in different ways, for the chance to win the latest Samsung tech and skateboarding merchandise. Social-first content demonstrates how to best capture skateboarding content on the Z Flip5, and longer-form content appeals to a wider audience by exploring the culture surrounding skateboarding, including faces such as Chloe Kelly and Mia Regan.
To learn more, we spoke to associate creative directors Michael Boszko, Filipa Maurico and Javier Eraso .
What was the brief?
Probably the most single-minded, exciting brief we’ve had. Why? Because it was rooted in a single, big, problem: how can Samsung products play a more relevant role in the lives of Gen Z?
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
We wanted to find a space that connected Samsung with Gen Z. We explored all the usual partnerships: sport, fashion, music, gaming but then after reading about its growing popularity, and doing some digging on TikTok, we found something that blurred all these subcultures into one: skateboarding.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
To be credible in this space, we needed two things: the right partner, and to understand how Samsung products could have authentic roles in skateboarding. Truth is, one led to the other.
We teamed up with Skateboard GB, the country’s leading skate authority, and through their experience, quickly understood the importance of capture in skating. Since the early day, skaters have filmed themselves in every way possible, it was part of the skate tape culture, so as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip5 had just dropped, we had a match and “Drop in with Samsung” was born.
What was the production process like?
Through IRIS Inc, our creator network, we kicked off a search for the ultimate skate team. From director Jake Erland to DOP Tom Hole, Olympian Sky Brown and members of Skateboard GB, to our stylist Darren, we talked about everything from what skaters wanted to capture, to the best locations to skate in the UK. Side point, man we got lucky with the weather.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
Tricks don’t always come off first or twelfth time. And when you’re working with big names like Sky Brown, every second filming matters. Especially when you’re creating a fast-paced edit with complex transition shots. We just had to adapt, and work with the talent and crew to create a new set ups.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
We’d assembled a team of skaters so lunch breaks on shoot days we’re a thing. Everyone just jumped on their board and hit the bowl. Everyone except us. Although Javi has some moves.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
When we were originally pitching skateboarding, Samsung they challenged us to answer, why Samsung? After talking to skaters, who all said in their own words, some too explicit to repeat on here, that skating takes guts.
That if you fall or fail you get up and go again – we’re told it takes on average 400 tries to get some tricks right! This attitude hit home with Samsung who have a corporate philosophy about having a fighting spirit called Tu-Hon.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
Over a year’s worth of strategic and creative development, involving multiple research studies, audience interviews and business cases and about 10 days of filming across all 14 pieces of content. We all sleep better now.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
To align Samsung with Gen Z more closely and to make Samsung the chosen electronics brand in skateboarding. And quite honestly, to simply encourage more people to get on a board and share how they get on – flip or fall.
Credit list for the work?
Client: Samsung UK
Lead Agency: Iris London
Global ECD: Grant Hunter
Associate Creative Directors: Michael Boszko, Filipa Maurico, Javier Eraso
Senior Strategy Directors: Peter Wilson, Matt Rebeiro
Strategists: Ellen Davies, Laura Standen, Francesco Fiori
Chief Client Officer: Anthony Abrahams
Head of PR & Partnerships: Rachel Byles
Business Director: Rachael Born
Group Account Director: Annabel Baker, Lucy Hancock
Senior Account Manager: Kelly Goldstone, Dean Bernstein
Agency Producer: Annabel Foxler, Bradley Woodus, Ellie Crew, Gabriella Edwards
Designers: Jess Leonard, Filipe Alonso, Joe Stone
Performance marketing: Zara Macgregor, Toni Skidmore, Jean Dejsuvan
Production Company: Iris Cylndr
Director(s): Jake Erland, Jonny Briggs
Exec Producer: Lauren Tyson-Hole
Producer: Sam Kirby
Production Manager: Hannah Bilverstone
Steadicam / AR: Matt Allsopp
Editors: Juan Manuel Biaiñ, Matt Spurr, Mark Preston, Chaz Callingham-Woods
Post-production: Iris Cylndr
Post prod Producer: Sam Kirby
VFX: Daydreamer VFX
Grade: Tim Smith (No 8)
Audio post-production: Sine Audio
Music: Heavy Duty
DOP: Tom Tyson-Hole
Al January 2nd, around noon
I was a skateboarder. A real one in the 1970s. I skated with a Dogtown legend who signed my Dogtown T-shirt and I met Tony Alva another DT legend who rates my T-shirt design. Even Jay Adams wore my T-shirts. Take it from me, skateboarding is popular with GenZ (not fans of advertising) because it’s anti establishment at its core. Unlike advertising. Even though Samsung, an ex client of mine, is Korean it’s still very establishment, like all brands nowadays. And the masses are finally waking up to this. They don’t want woke/globalist ideology rammed down their throat. All the latest news and research points to a huge shift to the right all across the western world and this will only gain strength as time goes on. Nothing can stop it. Change is coming, things will massively improve. Long overdue given the last three years of organised hell.