South Korea’s tech giant LG Electronics Inc. will offer consumers a unique marketing experience to engage them with its new G5 smartphone ahead of the official release slated for the end of this month at the earliest. Instead of promoting the latest G5 flagship model in a traditional way like pre-ordering, the company will be organizing street events and allow consumers to get a firsthand experience of the new mobile device that has gained much attention for its innovative concept at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, last month.

According to LG Electronics on Thursday, it will hold a creative marketing event around Mar. 25 at major hot places in Seoul including Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, Coex in Samseong-dong, Hyundai Department Store in Sinchon, IFC Mall in Yeouido, and Times Square in Yeongdeung-po. At the events, consumers will be given opportunity to check out LG Electronics’ first modular smartphone that switches into a device with a different function such as a full-spec digital camera or a Hi-Fi Plus audio player.

LG Electronics calls the smartphone and additional devices with different functions as “G5 and its friends.”

The modular-type smartphone has won the attention of many industry officials and consumers in Barcelona where the G5 was unveiled for the first time. The device is considered pioneering for presenting a new paradigm in the industry as it allows users to replace various parts of the smartphone and attach others via an expansion slot. The country’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer is hoping to gain more market share globally with its unique G5 device and go head-to-head with more dominant rivals Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. while moving ahead of its Chinese rivals with advanced technology.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics has decided not to receive pre-orders for the new G5 smartphone to bring change in its marketing strategy, citing the low impact of the pre-ordering scheme to the sales of the predecessors G3 and G4. LG Electronics is hoping that its more direct marketing approach should move the hearts and minds of consumers and open up their wallets.

An official from LG Electronics said that ahead of the street marketing events, from Mar. 21, the company will display the G5 and its modules at 1,500 stores across the country, allowing consumers to easily check out the new device at a nearby mobile device outlet.

To allure consumers to buy its product, LG Electronics said it will provide the Cam Plus digital camera module and a battery pack for free to those that purchase the G5 within two weeks after release. The company is also considering offering a package of LG Hi-Fi Plus audio module developed jointly with Bang & Olufsen and an earphone at a lower price.

LG Electronics also plans to hold a module developers contest at Nuritkum Square in Sangam-dong, northern Seoul, next Thursday, to develop more modules that can connect to the G5. The company has invited local developers and partners to participate in the contest with an aim to further establish an open environment where more modules can be developed.

By Lee Seung-hoon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]