Launching the first all-metal unibody 5G smartphone. One product truth, made of metal, carried across every touchpoint: a Milan launch, a TUMI partnership, a 9-market pop-up tour and a metal anthem by Lordi.
13%increase in sales vs Nord 3 launch
26%more preorders vs Nord 3 launch
387%increase in website traffic vs Nord 3 launch
391Mreach
17Morganic social views
1,300launch articles
CONTEXT
Launch the OnePlus Nord 4 across Europe on a lean budget. The goals: reach new design-led audiences, win PR coverage, get people talking and drive real sales.
INSIGHT
Younger audiences don't respond to spec claims. They respond to identity. The opportunity wasn't to explain what the metal was. It was to make people feel what it meant: built to last, and look good doing it.
STRATEGY
Turn the product truth of the all-metal unibody into a platform people could experience, not just understand. Connect OnePlus's "Never Settle" ethos to the idea of being built to last, and bring it to life at every touchpoint, from the launch event to local market activations.
IDEA
Made of Metal. One launch platform using the phone's craftsmanship as a creative springboard across PR, social, partnerships, live events and a metal anthem by cult band Lordi.
THE LAUNCH EVENT
Made of Metal, live in Milan
THE CAMPAIGN
One idea across every touchpoint
PRE-LAUNCH
TUMI preorder partnership
An e-comm partnership offering a metal TUMI suitcase with preorders. It put Nord 4 next to a premium lifestyle brand and drove a 26% uplift in preorders.
LAUNCH
Milan launch: Made of Metal
649 media, creator and community guests. Metal card invites, and a vineyard press day to put the phone in people's hands. 300K online viewers and 1,300 articles, leading on the metal unibody.
Lordi metal anthem
A metal phone, launched by a metal band with a metal song. Live on Spotify and Apple Music, with a shareable mockumentary on the making of the song.
POST-LAUNCH
European pop-up tour
11 pop-ups across 9 markets in 2 weeks: UK, Spain, Denmark, Romania, Finland, France, Germany, Poland and Italy. 4,600 attendees, 35 creators, 3.8M views.
Local music partnerships
Denmark: Grøn concert activation. Finland: Blockfest sponsorship, with 2,000 people at the OnePlus lounge and 1M social reach. Belgium and the Netherlands: a Q Music partnership.
Paid and organic media
Paid media hit 141% of the website traffic target. Social beat its targets by 500%, with 17M organic views from relatable, creator-style content.
SPOTLIGHT: MADE OF METAL × LORDI
An award-winning metal anthem for a metal phone
Lordi × OnePlus: Made of Metal hero film
"This collaboration between OnePlus and Lordi is a masterpiece. The idea of a custom Nord 4 with Mr. Lordi's signature is beyond epic."
FAN COMMENT ON THE SOCIAL COMPETITION
Coverage far beyond tech media: the Mirror
The Drum's Ad of the Day
Social competition: a custom Nord 4 signed by Mr. Lordi
Social competition: a custom Nord 4 signed by Mr. Lordi
