LG Electronics has been criticized for another misplaced marketing agenda following the epic match between professional Go player Lee Se-dol and AlphaGo. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 17 (Korea Bizwire) – LG Electronics has been criticized for another misplaced marketing agenda following the epic match between professional Go player Lee Se-dol and AlphaGo.
Lee wore a shirt that had the characters ‘G5’ embroidered on the sleeve. The G5 is expected to be the next smartphone to be launched by Lee’s long time sponsor, LG.
Lee wore a shirt that had the characters ‘G5’ embroidered on the sleeve. The G5 is expected to be the next smartphone to be launched by Lee’s long time sponsor, LG. (Image : Yonhap)
However, the logo was almost invisible. It was only around one centimeter square, and the same color as Lee’s shirt, which made it very hard to notice.
According to a report by Money Today, a Korean news journal, LG is well known for its many ‘failures’ in production promotion. The company’s marketing strategies often seem somewhat humble or or lacking in execution, and it has been suggested that they actually ‘hold down’ LG’s quality products.
For instance, the fact that some of the V10 smartphones released last year were plated with 20K gold was only revealed long after the product had been launched. The V10 also achieved the ‘MIL-STD 810’ grade given by the US Department of Defense, but LG chose not to use this information as a selling point. When news of the military rating was revealed, consumers were in shock.
Consumers also discovered that LG’s ‘Gram’ notebook was actually lighter than the weight advertised by the company, with some users weighing the company’s 14-inch laptop and proving that it was lighter than the 980 grams claimed by LG. Photos bearing witness to the lighter weight were uploaded on the internet, leading some to question if LG was being overly modest when advertising its products.
Another failure was the ‘G2 falls from the sky’ campaign. Korean journal ‘Business Post’ recalls the incident as the ‘worst sales promotion of all time’.
LG launched 100 balloons containing a gift card that could be exchanged for a free G2 smartphone. Unlike the expectation of a fun and exciting event, the promotion turned out to be a disaster, as all hell broke loose and many were injured. The police had to rush to the scene to restore order.
With a history of bad choices and decisions, some customers created an SNS account to ‘properly’ promote LG products.
Regarding the current Go match, LG officials commented that “it was more important to let Lee concentrate on the game than to promote the product”.
However, some express regrets that LG wasn’t able to take advantage of the perfect opportunity to ‘use’ its model, Lee Se-dol.
With the whole world watching the match of the century, Google and Four Seasons Hotel Seoul were said to have received media exposure worth 100 billion won.
Industry watchers comment that LG could have boosted the effectiveness of its advertising by taking a more aggressive marketing stance.
By Francine Jung (francine.jung@kobizmedia.co.kr)
