BREAKING SOCIAL DISTANCING BARRIERS WHEN SOCIAL CONNECTION IS MOST COVETED

Challenge

Lebaran is one of the most important moments in Indonesia. It is a time when families gather, people reconnect with loved ones, and social bonds are strengthened through shared traditions. From visiting relatives to exchanging greetings, Lebaran is deeply connected to togetherness.

However, during the pandemic, this tradition was heavily disrupted. Social distancing regulations and PSBB limitations made it difficult for people to gather physically. Many Indonesians could not go back to their hometowns, meet their extended families, or celebrate Lebaran the way they normally would.

For Samsung, this created a meaningful opportunity and challenge. As a technology brand, Samsung had the ability to help people stay connected even when they had to be physically apart. But at the same time, almost every brand in Indonesia wanted to be part of the Lebaran moment. The season was crowded with emotional messages, family stories, and festive campaigns.

Samsung needed to create a campaign that could stand out during this important period while still feeling useful, relevant, and sincere. The brand could not simply say “stay connected” in a generic way. It needed to provide an experience that helped people feel closer during a time when social connection was deeply missed.

The challenge was to show how Samsung could play a real role in helping Indonesians cope with the situation. The campaign needed to offer comfort, inspiration, and a sense of togetherness while respecting the limitations of social distancing.

The main question was: how could Samsung help people feel close to each other during Lebaran, even when they could not physically gather?

Strategy

Redcomm developed the Dekat di Hati campaign, which means “Close to the Heart.” The idea was built around the emotional truth that physical distance does not have to erase emotional closeness.

Instead of focusing only on product features, the strategy positioned Samsung as an enabler of meaningful connection. The campaign showed that technology could help people share thoughts, stories, and emotional support during one of the most important family moments of the year.

The strategy was to create a content experience that felt helpful and human. Rather than producing a standard festive advertisement, Samsung launched Dekat di Hati Talks, an insightful talk show designed to give audiences perspective, comfort, and ideas on how to cope with the social distancing situation.

This approach allowed Samsung to become part of people’s Lebaran experience in a more valuable way. The brand was not only present as a sponsor of the season, but as a facilitator of conversation and connection.

To gain wider reach, the campaign used YouTube Masthead livestream. This allowed Samsung to bring the conversation to a large digital audience and create a shared viewing moment, even when people were watching from different places.

The strategy was also relevant to consumer behavior during the pandemic. With people spending more time online, digital livestream content became a powerful way to create real-time connection. Samsung used this behavior to turn a moment of separation into a moment of shared participation.

Through Dekat di Hati, Samsung showed that technology could support emotional closeness, not only functional communication.

Execution 

The campaign was executed through Dekat di Hati Talks, a livestream talk show created to help Indonesians navigate Lebaran during social distancing. The format brought together public figures and speakers who could share perspectives, stories, and practical thoughts on staying emotionally connected while physically apart.

The talk show was designed to feel warm, relevant, and reflective. It addressed the situation many people were facing at the time: missing family, adjusting traditions, and finding new ways to celebrate Lebaran from home.

To make the campaign more accessible and visible, Samsung created the livestream using YouTube Masthead. This helped the campaign reach a wide audience and gave people an easy way to join the moment digitally.

The execution focused on creating a sense of togetherness through conversation. Instead of only showing people using technology, the campaign demonstrated how digital platforms could become spaces for emotional connection. Audiences could watch, listen, reflect, and feel part of a shared experience.

The campaign also used celebrity and public figure participation to make the content more engaging and relatable. Their presence helped attract attention while giving the conversation a more personal and human tone.

Samsung’s role was integrated naturally into the campaign. The brand became the connector behind the experience, helping people stay close through digital interaction. This made the campaign feel aligned with Samsung’s technology ecosystem without making the communication feel too hard-sell.

Redcomm helped shape the campaign idea, content direction, livestream format, and digital execution. The goal was to create a Lebaran campaign that was not only emotional, but also useful and timely.

By combining cultural relevance, digital livestreaming, and emotional storytelling, Dekat di Hati helped Samsung respond to a real social need during the pandemic.

Results 

The Dekat di Hati campaign successfully helped Samsung create a meaningful digital connection during a time when physical gatherings were limited. By turning Lebaran communication into a livestream talk show experience, the campaign was able to reach audiences at scale and generate strong viewing performance.

The campaign achieved 5.8 million playbacks, showing that the livestream content attracted significant attention and was able to reach a wide digital audience. This result demonstrated the strength of using a digital-first format during a period when people were spending more time online.

The livestream also reached 12,000 peak concurrent viewers, showing that the campaign was able to create a real-time shared moment. This was especially important during Lebaran, when people were looking for ways to feel connected despite being physically separated.

In addition, the campaign generated 969 new subscribers, indicating that the content not only attracted viewers, but also encouraged deeper interest in Samsung’s digital channel.

The campaign also delivered 2 years’ worth of total watch time, reflecting strong audience attention and time spent with the content. This showed that people did not only click on the livestream, but stayed to engage with the conversation.

Overall, Dekat di Hati demonstrated how a brand can respond to a cultural moment with empathy and usefulness. Samsung did not simply join the Lebaran conversation with a seasonal message. It created a platform that helped people feel closer, reflect together, and find comfort during a difficult period.

By combining YouTube Masthead livestream, thoughtful talk show content, public figure participation, and a relevant emotional message, Samsung successfully broke social distancing barriers through digital connection. The campaign proved that even when people cannot be physically together, technology can still help keep them close to the heart.