Case study · ASUS India · Social media, 2018 to 2021

ASUS India Smartphones, launch by launch

Every launch built around the phone. Every post pointed to the sale.

From the Zenfone Max Pro M1 to the ROG Phone 5, ibs Fulcro ran ASUS India's smartphone social feed across four years of launches, price drops and Flipkart sale days. Every creative on this page is a post as it ran.

Client ASUS India Period 2018 to 2021 Services Social Media Marketing, Content Retail partner Flipkart

TL;DR

ibs Fulcro ran ASUS India's smartphone social media from 2018 to 2021, from the Zenfone Max Pro M1 through to the ROG Phone 5, with Flipkart as the retail partner on every launch.

The work follows five chapters. Sell a budget phone on gaming power. Sell a flagship on a fair price, and let reviewers make the claim. Turn launch day into a countdown that sends people to the cart. Run ROG launches as missions for gamers. Then run the tournaments, not only the ads.

Every post on this page is shown as it ran. Prices, sale times and reviewer quotes are reproduced exactly as published.

Max Pro M1: gaming on a budget

A budget phone sold on gaming power, with Qualcomm in the frame.

Zenfone Max Pro M1 post, Dream Team assembled, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 and Adreno 509, with a battleground character

5z: a flagship at a fair price

Priced to take on OnePlus. A reviewer said it better than an ad could.

Zenfone 5z post with the C4ETECH quote, Asus has a lot right, including the price, OnePlus finally gets some competition

Launch day on Flipkart

Countdowns, sale times and price drops that send people to the cart.

Flipkart post, the category kings are coming, Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Max M2, 22 hours to go

ROG: phones for gamers

Launches run as missions. ROG Phone II, 3 and 5.

ROG Phone 5 post, ultrasonic AirTriggers and 10-motion control triggers, with the AeroActive Cooler

Run the tournaments

Red Bull M.E.O. and ROG Battle of Gods. The community, not only the ads.

Red Bull M.E.O. registration post, the clock is ticking, have you registered yet, with a ROG Phone II as the prize

Chapter 1 of 5

Zenfone Max Pro M1: a budget phone sold on gaming power

Dream Team, assembledLet the reviewers make the claim

The Snapdragon 636 and Adreno 509 were put in the post with Qualcomm's own badge, and a battleground character tied the phone to the mobile gaming wave of 2018. Then the claim was handed to people the audience already trusted.

"Zenfone Max Pro M1 is the best gaming smartphone under 15K"Financial Express, as used in the post

Zenfone Max Pro M1, Dream Team assembled, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 mobile platform and Adreno 509 GPU — Dream Team

Zenfone Max Pro M1 post quoting Financial Express, the best gaming smartphone under 15K — Financial Express

Zenfone Max Pro M1 post quoting the reviewer Mr. Phone, you can play big games and still have other apps running in the background — Mr. Phone

Chapter 2 of 5

Zenfone 5z: a flagship priced to take on OnePlus

A reviewer said it better than an ad couldClaim your flagship

The quote went next to the phone and the price argument carried the post. When the variants dropped in price, the old figures stayed on the creative with a line through them, and the Big Shopping Days post added the SBI Card discount on top.

"Asus has a lot right, including the price. OnePlus finally gets some competition."C4ETECH, as used in the post

Zenfone 5z post with the C4ETECH quote — C4ETECH

Flipkart post, claim your flagship at an unbelievable price, Zenfone 5z variants with old and new prices — Price drop

Flipkart Big Shopping Days post, Zenfone 5z 8GB and 256GB now at 18,999 rupees with a 10 percent SBI Card instant discount — Big Shopping Days

Chapter 3 of 5

Launch day on Flipkart

22 hours to goSale starts 1st July, 12 PMBetween launches: Photography 101

Each launch post carried a clock and a time. The Max Pro M2 and Max M2 arrived under a countdown, the 6z sale was announced with its flip camera open, and the sale hour was the headline. Between launches, Photography 101 taught one camera control per post, using the phone's own screen as the demonstration.

ASUS 6z Flipkart post with the flip camera open, 6GB 128GB and 8GB 256GB, sale starts on 1st July 12 PM — 1 July, 12 PM

Zenfone Max Pro 6GB Flipkart post, sale at 12 PM, with a runner leaping past the phone — Sale at 12 PM

ASUS Photography 101 post, adjust white balance in Pro mode to add cooler or warmer tones, shown on the phone camera screen — Photography 101

ASUS Photography 101 post, HDR is a technique for adding more dynamic range to your photos, shown on the phone camera screen — Photography 101

What the posts carried

The post is the price tag

₹18,999

Zenfone 5z, 8GB and 256GB

Big Shopping Days, 19 to 22 March, with a 10 percent SBI Card instant discount

₹49,999

ROG Phone 3, starting price

Sale on Flipkart from 6 August at 12 AM

6000mAh

ROG Phone 3 battery

With 30W HyperCharge

12 PM

The sale hour

The time was the headline on launch day, launch after launch

Every figure above is reproduced from the posts as they ran. No price, time or specification on this page has been added or updated after the fact.

Chapter 4 of 5

ROG: a launch run as a mission

Agent ROG is on a quest to crack the code2 hours until you gear yourself upWorshipped by gamers, loved by tech gurusOne weapon to rule them all

The ROG Phone II launch opened with a code-cracking contest and a countdown that showed the full arsenal: AeroActive Cooler II, TwinView Dock II and the Desktop Dock. Winners were felicitated with the phone, and the fans got a thank-you post after launch. ROG Phone 3 led on its 6000mAh battery and a Flipkart sale time. ROG Phone 5 led on the in-game view and AirTriggers.

ROG Phone II teaser post, Agent ROG is on a quest to crack the code, mission commencing soon — ROG Phone II

ROG Phone II countdown post, 2 hours until you gear yourself up with the ultimate arsenal, AeroActive Cooler II, TwinView Dock II and ASUS Desktop Dock — ROG Phone II

ROG Phone II post, ASUS fans we salute you for your undying support, thank you — ROG Phone II

ROG Phone 3 post, one weapon to rule them all, sale starts on 6 August at 12 AM, starting at 49,999 rupees, Flipkart Unique — ROG Phone 3

ROG Phone 3 post, be the last one standing, undying battery with 30W HyperCharge, 6000mAh — ROG Phone 3

ROG Phone 5 post, one weapon to rule them all, in-game view showing rank 1 of 100, reign across all battlegrounds — ROG Phone 5

Chapter 5 of 5

Run the tournaments, not only the ads

Red Bull M.E.O.ROG Battle of Gods

A gaming phone needs somewhere to be used. The feed pushed registration for Red Bull M.E.O. with a ROG Phone II as the prize, and ran ROG Battle of Gods, a weekly PUBG Mobile tournament with an MVP post each week. The MVP posts named the winning players, so they are not reproduced here.

Red Bull M.E.O. registration post, the clock is ticking, have you registered yet, stand a chance to win the ultimate weapon, ROG Phone II — Red Bull M.E.O.

What the work shows

Put the phone in every frame, and the time of the sale in the headline

Four years of launches share one discipline. The phone is in every post, usually with the thing it is being sold on beside it: the chipset, the price, the battery, the reviewer. The call to action is a time and a place, Flipkart at 12 PM, rather than a slogan.

The tone moved with the product, from Zenfone's clean blue to ROG's red and black, but the structure never changed. That is why a feed that ran across seven phones still reads as one account.

Frequently asked questions

What did ibs Fulcro do for ASUS India?

ibs Fulcro ran ASUS India's smartphone social media from 2018 to 2021, covering the Zenfone Max Pro M1, Zenfone 5z, Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Max M2, ASUS 6z, ROG Phone II, ROG Phone 3 and ROG Phone 5, with Flipkart as the retail partner on every launch.

How was the Zenfone Max Pro M1 positioned?

As a budget phone sold on gaming power. The posts put the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 and Adreno 509 in the frame with Qualcomm's badge, tied the phone to the mobile gaming wave of 2018, and quoted Financial Express and the reviewer Mr. Phone rather than making the claim in the brand's own voice.

How was the Zenfone 5z sold against OnePlus?

On price, with a reviewer making the argument. The C4ETECH quote, Asus has a lot right, including the price, OnePlus finally gets some competition, sat next to the phone. Later posts showed the variant price drops with the old prices struck through, and the Big Shopping Days post at 18,999 rupees with a 10 percent SBI Card discount.

What did launch day posts look like?

A countdown and a sale time. The Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Max M2 arrived under a 22 hours to go post, the ASUS 6z sale was announced for 1 July at 12 PM with the flip camera open, and the ROG Phone 3 sale for 6 August at 12 AM starting at 49,999 rupees. The time was the headline.

How were the ROG Phone launches run?

As missions for gamers. ROG Phone II opened with Agent ROG and a code-cracking contest, then a two-hour countdown showing the AeroActive Cooler II, TwinView Dock II and Desktop Dock. Winners were felicitated with the phone. ROG Phone 3 led on a 6000mAh battery with 30W HyperCharge, and ROG Phone 5 on AirTriggers and the in-game view.

Did the work go beyond posts?

Yes. The feed drove registrations for Red Bull M.E.O. with a ROG Phone II as the prize, and ran ROG Battle of Gods, a weekly PUBG Mobile tournament with an MVP post each week.

Which agency ran ASUS India's smartphone social media?

ibs Fulcro, a digital agency in Mumbai operating as Fulcro Consulting Pvt. Ltd., ran ASUS India's smartphone social media across the Zenfone and ROG Phone launches from 2018 to 2021.