LG to hand out 4,000 G4 smartphones to be ‘test driven’ by fans in 15 countries before April 28th

We’re well used to the way that Samsung, HTC, etc. carry out their marketing campaigns when launching a new flagship, and occasionally an upstart like OnePlus comes along and does things very differently, for better or worse. After todays announcement, it seems that LG has also decided to follow its own path as the Korean manufacturer builds up to the launch of the G4 on April 28th. According to a press release, LG will farm out 4,000 G4’s for people to try out in 15 countries.

That’s right, if you live in one of the 15 eligible countries you will be given an LG G4 to try out for up to 30 days. Once you’ve received the handset, LG will ask you to carry out certain tasks that may result in the participant receiving a prize. Details are a little scarce at the moment, but the tasks will almost certainly involve posting your experiences to social media.

Eligible countries

• Korea
• Turkey
• Indonesia
• Singapore
• United States
• China
• India
• Brazil
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Mexico
• Japan
• Hong Kong

If you happen to live in Africa it would seem you are out of luck. Still, this is an intriguing marketing exercise by LG to use the power of social media to drive interest for the upcoming G4. Details on how and where to sign up will be announced in the coming weeks.

Full Press Release

SEOUL, April 8, 2015 — As part of its most ambitious smartphone introduction yet, LG Electronics (LG) will select 4,000 consumers in 15 countries who will “test drive” the all new LG G4 smartphone weeks before its official launch. Kicking off today in Korea, the program will target consumers in the following 14 other markets in the days ahead: Turkey, Indonesia, Singapore, United States, China, India, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong.

Participants will be selected from applicants based on their entry responses (selection criteria may vary in each market). Individuals can increase their chances of being selected by sharing their application experience on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Weibo. Once selected, participants in each country will be given an LG G4 for up to 30 days to experience its unique design and features, including its personalized UX, high performance camera and impressive display for sharing online. Participants will be given various assignments to carry out over the course of their experience with prizes awarded.

“Customers are our best fans and we think this would be an exciting and unique way to get our most important mobile product of the year close to the public,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We’re putting the success of LG G4 in the hands of consumers before the launch because we believe they are the best judge of a great user experience, beyond just benchmarks and speed tests.”

Interested consumers in participating markets are encouraged to check the local LG web page and social media sites in the coming days for more details on how to participate.

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