Be a Samsonite Designer

Objective

Samsonite sought to establish itself as a design-focused brand and build community engagement across eight Asia-Pacific markets. The campaign targeted designers, style enthusiasts, and travelers, inviting them to participate in a design competition that would generate user-generated content and increase brand awareness through collaborative creativity.

Solution

A pan-Asian designer competition where participants created Cosmolite suitcase designs representing their home country using an online design tool. Community voting occurred on Facebook and localized websites, with engagement driven by paid Facebook advertising targeting design and travel enthusiasts, influencer and blogger outreach, Instagram hashtag campaigns, and localized platforms (Weibo and WeChat for China). Winners received cash prizes and had the opportunity to see their designs produced as limited-edition luggage. Offline activations included 3D projection displays at Affordable Art Fairs in Korea and Hong Kong. The campaign website, built by Red Ant Asia, featured HTML5, parallax effects, and responsive design.

Results

The competition received over 2,000 entries, with approximately 75% qualified and approved for submission. The Awwwards-nominated website accumulated 15 out of 38 possible community votes, with design and usability scores ranging from 4.4 to 7.0 across evaluator categories.