Reinventing Tech Marketing: Motorola RAZR

Revolutionizing the Korean Mobile Market with Design-Driven Marketing

Challenges

Motorola sought to reestablish itself in the competitive Korean mobile market with the launch of the RAZR phone. The challenges included:

  • The dominance of local manufacturers like Samsung (65% market share) and LG leaves foreign brands with minimal opportunities.

  • A consumer preference for tech-centric features over design, especially in a market known for early adoption of cutting-edge technology.

  • Limited relationships with tech journalists, who heavily influenced public perception and often favored domestic brands.

Objectives

  1. Position the Motorola RAZR as a design innovation in a technology-driven market.

  2. Expand Motorola’s market share from 9% to over 15%.

  3. Build sustainable relationships with Korean media and influencers to enhance brand visibility.

Key Actions

Consumer Research and Targeting:

  • Conducted focus group interviews to identify target demographics, discovering that 60% of participants valued the RAZR’s slim design.

  • Positioned the RAZR as a fashion-forward device, appealing to trendsetters rather than tech enthusiasts.

Integrated Media and Marketing Campaigns:

  • Collaborated with top fashion designers to create custom RAZR designs, showcased in magazines like Vogue and GQ.

  • Partnered with designer Juun.J to create exclusive phone accessories unveiled at Seoul Fashion Week, increasing visibility in fashion and lifestyle markets.

Innovative Press Engagement:

  • Organized experiential press events, such as a creative product launch featuring a sword dance performance, to captivate journalists.

  • Introduced a mobile press conference bus for product variants, which increased attendance and media coverage by 90%.

Cross-Industry Exposure:

  • Secured partnerships with high-end department stores to display the RAZR as a fashion accessory, bridging the gap between technology and lifestyle.

Key Results

  1. Grew Motorola’s Korean market share from 9% in 2003 to 20% in 2006.

  2. Tripled media coverage of Motorola in 2004 compared to the previous year.

  3. Pioneered the intersection of technology and fashion, creating a new market segment for design-driven mobile phones.

Impact

  • Redefined how technology brands could leverage fashion to penetrate competitive markets.

  • Introduced a press engagement strategy that set new standards for the Korean PR industry.

  • Positioned the RAZR as a cultural icon, influencing future trends like the iPhone’s emergence as a fashion statement in the tech industry.

Brand
Motorola RAZR phones

Year
Oct 2004-Jan 2007

Client
Motorola Mobile

Industry
Tech (Mobile)

Previous
Previous

Project 6 - USMEF Market Reentry