Lucky Generals picks up Oneplus creative account
Oneplus has appointed Lucky Generals to handle its UK ad business as it bids to steal market share from smartphone giants Apple and Samsung.
The agency was appointed without a pitch and becomes the smartphone company’s first UK retained agency. Earlier this year, Oneplus appointed Starcom to its UK media account.
Oneplus’ marketing efforts will focus initially on supporting sales of the recently launched Oneplus 5. The campaign will attempt to communicate that Oneplus smartphones are on a par with the bigger brands while being more affordable.
In the UK, Oneplus 5 retails for £449. In contrast, the Apple iphone 7 retails for £599 while Samsung’s Galaxy S8 costs £689.
Founded in China four years ago by chief executive Pete Lau, Oneplus has grown through word-of-month, gaining a reputation as a manufacturer of high-performing Android smartphones at an affordable price.
By 2015, more than 60% of the brand’s sales were generated outside its home nation and its phones are currently sold in 43 countries.
Last August, Oneplus had to halt sales in Europe temporarily to cope with demand for Oneplus 3.
Oneplus has now evolved its wordof-mouth marketing approach to incorporate promotional advertising.
David Sanmartin Garcia, European head of marketing at Oneplus, said: “We are extremely ambitious for Oneplus in the UK and our appointment of Lucky Generals is a statement of our intent. We can’t wait to do some market-leading work.”