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Samsung hires "fans" to get excited by S6 launch.


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Old 12-04-2015, 23:26
d123
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I haven't seen this posted, and it just makes you want to laugh.

Doesn't Samsung employ people to try and keep their marketing department ethical?

South Korean smartphone giant Samsung paid people to pretend to be its fans at a press conference for its products' release on Friday, reports Shanghai-based news outlet the Paper.

A person specializing in recruiting these "fans" said he brought over 100 people to the event. They and the other groups of people brought by other recruiters reached 400 to 500 in total. These hired "fans" amounted to around half of the 1,000 people at the event, according to the Paper.

The recruiter said Samsung's requirements for these people were that they be younger than 30 and look like students. The people were paid 30 yuan (US$4.80) per person after they spent more than an hour at the event while the recruiter earned 20 yuan (US$3.20) from every person he recruited.

The smartphone brand has also hired several groups of 20 to 30 people to be its professional fans. A woman surnamed Huang who joined one of the groups said she applied for the job after seeing a recruitment ad in a group chat on popular messaging app WeChat. Every hired person is required to post their picture, register their name and phone number and like the fan page of Samsung Galaxy on Baidu's online forum Baidu Tieba. A Samsung staff member who also joined the group chat checks and monitors the application process.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-s...02&MainCatID=0
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Old 13-04-2015, 00:30
Everything Goes
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Huh I never got the job. Could have been a nice round the world trip and fancy hotel too

Bet Calico_Pie will be suffering from RSI after he reads this
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Old 13-04-2015, 09:00
d123
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Huh I never got the job. Could have been a nice round the world trip and fancy hotel too
You won't get all that far on $4.80 .
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Old 13-04-2015, 09:43
The Sack
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i bet no other companies have ever done this.
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Old 13-04-2015, 10:21
moox
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They could have at least paid them properly, maybe give them the phone they're meant to be shilling
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Old 13-04-2015, 11:33
DevonBloke
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I thought that.
How excited are you going to get for 3 quid!
I'd need 100 quid just to get out of bed!!!!
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Old 13-04-2015, 11:35
DevonBloke
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i bet no other companies have ever done this.
Oh it's happened before.
Numerous accounts of companies from all sectors paying "fans" to be there.
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Old 13-04-2015, 11:38
DevonBloke
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I'm surprised Apple have any money left really.
I mean I dread to think how much they have to pay those hordes of queuing fans every year!
Hahahahahahaha
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Old 13-04-2015, 12:01
Synthetic42
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I'm surprised Apple have any money left really.
I mean I dread to think how much they have to pay those hordes of queuing fans every year!
Hahahahahahaha
This made me laugh, but I can't help feel like it's going to spark a heated "debate"
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Old 13-04-2015, 12:22
DevonBloke
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Yeah I didn't quite think that one out did I.
I was only having a laugh, not a dig as Samsung.
I quite like the look of the S6 actually but on a personal level I just don't get on with Android.
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Old 13-04-2015, 12:28
swb1964
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They could have at least paid them properly, maybe give them the phone they're meant to be shilling
$4.80 probably goes further in China than in the USA or UK

When I was a student I did odd jobs like focus groups for an hour here and there for minimum wage.

So I don't necessarily think there is anything unethical about this although it does smack of desperation!
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Old 13-04-2015, 13:03
d123
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So I don't necessarily think there is anything unethical about this although it does smack of desperation!
Paying people to come in to act as fans and then lie to the journalists present isn't unethical? We must have a slightly different opinion on what constitutes good ethics.
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Old 13-04-2015, 13:39
goldenface
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Fake fans paid to whoop and scream when the phone is announced? Mind you, it's not the first time.

They were caught hiring people online to post fake reviews and trash rival products and they got fined for these underhand tactics.

So stay classy Samsung!!

So sad!
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Old 13-04-2015, 13:50
Adam_Conners
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Paying people to come in to act as fans and then lie to the journalists present isn't unethical? We must have a slightly different opinion on what constitutes good ethics.
They eat dogs, remember.
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Old 13-04-2015, 13:54
Adam_Conners
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Further to my other post.

In Asia they don't have the same advertising standards as you'd find in Europe or the US. Having spent time in South Korea and seen their TV ads I know they wouldn't get away with what they claim over here. There was an advert for a soft drink for women, if they drank enough of it they would develop an hour-glass figure. They use numbers and letters from the alphabet on the side of drinks to show what body shape you can get, for example 8 and B.
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Old 13-04-2015, 14:10
calico_pie
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Huh I never got the job. Could have been a nice round the world trip and fancy hotel too

Bet Calico_Pie will be suffering from RSI after he reads this
You're going to need to explain that one. I'm assuming you're not 14.
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Old 13-04-2015, 14:47
Everything Goes
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You're going to need to explain that one. I'm assuming you're not 14.
<<< Im 13 actually
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Old 13-04-2015, 14:57
IvanIV
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Paying people to come in to act as fans and then lie to the journalists present isn't unethical? We must have a slightly different opinion on what constitutes good ethics.
People Apple uses should be in some sunny mental institution and yet they are (ab)used, not very ethical either.
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Old 13-04-2015, 15:31
calico_pie
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Well I guess that explains a lot then.
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Old 13-04-2015, 16:27
d123
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People Apple uses should be in some sunny mental institution and yet they are (ab)used, not very ethical either.
You've lost me there. Are you saying people who queue at Apple events are paid by Apple or are you trying to make a joke at the expense of the mentally ill?

You dont really make a great deal of sense in that post.
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Old 13-04-2015, 17:50
calico_pie
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It is amazing that the subject of this thread has amounted to little more than people doing their best to be be offensive to people posting, Apple users generally, and the mentally ill.

Must be some sort of forum record.
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