ISTANBUL, 11 May 2008 — Natassia Malthe, the starring character of the Scarlet TV series, was the star attraction at a high-profiled red carpet event here last week when LG Electronics unveiled its latest Scarlet TV, described as the world’s slimmest LCD TV.
“I am thrilled to be here and taking part in this great event,” said Natassia as she descended in a hot-air balloon on Suada, the manmade island that lies between the European and the Asian sides of Istanbul. Her dramatic entry created a huge buzz among the 300 guests who had gathered to know more about the South Korean electronics giant’s latest development. Then, at the press of a button, the sleek Scarlet LCD televisions were revealed at strategic place on the island.
The event was attended by over 100 media representatives from Middle East and Africa and 100 others from the Turkish press and televisions.
“Brand marketing now is all about creating a story in which a brand communicates with consumers,” said Christopher Kim, president of LG Electronics Turkey. “Strengthening consumers’ emotional attachment to that brand is the key to long-term success,” he added.
The day witnessed the conclusion of the four-month-long marketing preceding the Scarlet launch. “Instead of just launching new TV sets out in the market, we created a worldwide marketing campaign led by high-profile TV series director David Nutter and Hollywood actress model Natassia Malthe to engage the audience and turn them into consumers,” he said. “Thus the idea of Scarlet was born.”
“With the Scarlet TV range already possessing its own unique charm, from its incredible slimness to red colored back, cutting-edge technology and sleek look and feel, LG and Nutter found the right way to bring the latest innovation to life — through Hollywood actress Natassia Malthe. We felt that Natassia was the exact personification of the Scarlet TV’s qualities — dazzling, enigmatic, intelligent and extraordinary,” Christopher said.
According to him, the LG60 Scarlet gives its audience an optimal viewing experience, pulling them away from the real world and drawing them into fantasy created onscreen. Its advanced full HD TruMotion 100Hz technology eliminates motion blur, even during fast-moving action sequences and “intelligent sensor” function to automatically adjust picture quality and contrast ratio, vividly delivering the warmth of a crème brulee being pulled out of the oven or the blushed face of an athlete after a race.
For picture quality tuning, the “AV mode” optimizes the picture into “cinema mode”, “sports mode” or “game mode”, while “expert mode” offers do-it-yourself options for the avid TV enthusiast.
The LG60’s “invisible speaker”, specially tuned by audio expert Mark Levinson, achieves a sleek look while delivering crisp, natural sound quality. Eliminating traditional speaker drivers and associated grilles, the invisible speaker uses minute vibrations of the entire TV cabinet to generate clearer, more natural sounds. It also offers a wider sweet spot by crating a virtual wall of sound.
In the first quarter of 2008, LG’s digital display sales in the Middle East and Africa jumped 32.1 percent to $3.81 billion powered by rising sales of flat TVs and monitors. LCD TVs contributed 82 percent of that increase in sales, said K.S. Lee, global marketing director, digital display division at Seoul-based LG Electronics, said, “We are confident that the new Scarlet series will further increase our market share in this segment, especially with our marketing strategy for the Middle East and Africa region,” he added.
The special event also featured leading Turkish singer Irem Cander and singing sensation Nil, who entertained the guests with their spectacular performances.
