CASE STUDY: Launching the N8 via Sina Weibo

Background
Nokia has lost ground both globally and in China. Lacking a major product update for over a year in the smartphone category, Nokia's market share was being eroded. With a new flagship product, the Nokia N8, targeting China as its main market, Nokia and creative agency Wunderman needed to help Nokia regain its status as an innovative, high-end mobile brand.

Aim
The principal aim was to reinforce Nokia's position as an exciting and innovative brand with relevant mobile solutions.

Execution
The agency created Nokia's first social media launch campaign by using Sina Weibo, one of China's most popular sites, as its catalyst. The platform turned all its users into reporters allowing them to interview celebrities over an eight-hour long online press conference. In total, five touch points were created, a campaign site, and site son Kaixin, Youku, RenRen and Sina Weibo. The huge response generated made the N8 the first commercial product on Sina Weibo's top 10 hot topic list.  

Results
During the eight-hour long press conference, the campaign drew 2.6 million unique visitors and generated an estimated reach of about 32 million. Over a period of eight days, the campaign gained 5.1 million registered participants and content was shared a total of 3.9 million times in just one day.
Nokia brand buzz volume increased by 13 per cent and search volume for N8 on Baidu grew five times.

The N8 experienced a record-high in pre-orders with 1,744 units sold in eight days — five times more than Nokia's previous flagship product.