Samsung

Bixby AI x Game of Thrones

Ahead of the release of the Galaxy S8, Samsung needed something more than specs to stand out against Apple. At R/GA, we came up with an idea that would make its visual AI assistant own a cultural moment.

What if your phone could speak Valyrian and Dothraki?

Concept

Partner with HBO to turn Bixby into a translator for the show’s languages. Cryptic Valyrian messages would be hidden in major market installations, letting fans use their phones to reveal hidden content.

Execution

Environmental storytelling through large-scale urban displays
AR-enhanced activations with social-media-worthy moments
Shareable mobile experiences rewarding the first to decode messages

Street paint mural of an armored giant breathing fire onto a battlefield with flags, with overlaying text in a foreign script and a subtitle in English reading 'Our phone speaks Valyrian'

Digital billboard on a city street displaying a close-up image of a red, bloodied knife with blood dripping from the tip, and indecipherable foreign script over the image, with a small caption below stating "Our phone speaks Valyrian." The billboard shows the time as 2:48 PM and the temperature as 32°C. The street is wet with reflections of city lights, and tall buildings with lit windows line the street, with cars and pedestrians visible.

What if your phone could speak Valyrian and Dothraki?

Samsung needed something that would create excitement and love for its new AI assistant, Bixby, and by extension, the upcoming Galaxy S8.

AI assistants were starting to blur together. I wanted to change that with a campaign that ditched boring demos in favor of an experience built to ignite the internet.

Instead of a conventional press announcement revealing the premiere date of the new season, it would be revealed by fans.

A person holding a smartphone with a translation app open, showing the phrase "Break the wheel. July 17, 2019" in Valyrian script and English. The background features a close-up of a piece of meat with dripping blood.

Game of Thrones was a once-in-a-generation cultural phenomenon. I wanted Samsung to give fans the chance to own a moment, to be part of the story that they were so passionate about.

Nighttime city street with illuminated buildings, cars, and people walking. A large digital billboard displays an image of a woman's face with text in a script, and a small message in the bottom left corner reading 'Know how to read Dothraki'.