Samsung accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and put its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone through a wet, cold treatment for the cause.
The #ALSicebucketchallenge has become a real Internet phenomenon, with countless videos going viral and showing people pouring buckets of ice water on themselves. Virtually anyone with Internet access has seen at least a couple of videos related to this Ice Bucket Challenge, which is a fund-raising campaign aiming to raise awareness and funds for research for the disease "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (ALS).
If you're unfamiliar with the details of this campaign, here's how it goes: once someone is nominated to take the challenge, they have 24 hours to comply; otherwise, they have to donate to the charity that is raising funds for research.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 took the Ice Bucket Challenge and survived the cold shower with bells and whistles, as you can see in the video below, but the move stirred mixed reactions. While some applaud the effort and find it impressive, others argue that Samsung shouldn't use such a fund-raising act to market its smartphone.
Considering that the Samsung Galaxy S5, the company's current flagship smartphone, comes with certification for water resistance, accepting this Ice Bucket Challenge is indeed a brilliant marketing move from Samsung's part. Whether it's ethical or not is for each to judge, but it definitely is smart marketing.
Not all flagship smartphones out there are water-resistant, however, and Samsung didn't waste the chance to challenge some competitors. Samsung nominated the iPhone 5S, the HTC One M8, and the Nokia Lumia 930 to take the challenge as well. It remains to be seen whether its rivals will accept the dare and put their phones through the same icy ordeal. If they take the challenge, it will be interesting to see how the smartphones resist.
A number of CEOs from tech companies have accepted the ice bucket challenge, but Samsung decided to submit its Galaxy S5, not its CEO, to the treatment, which again stirred mixed reactions. Nevertheless, Samsung's marketing team deserves some applause for this one. Check out the splashy video below to see the Samsung Galaxy S5 #icebucketchallenge.
