The ASUS Zenfone 2 Launch in Pics
Earlier today ASUS Philippines launched the highly anticipated and much talked about ASUS Zenfone 2. We’ve already written a lot about the phone, it’s variants, pricing, and even the accessories that you could get for it. For this post we’d like to zero in on the actual launch event and what we experienced while we were there.
The Wait Beings…
The event invitation said 2PM and being the prompt guys that we are, we showed up a little before 2. Upon arriving we were told that the actual event program would start at 3PM and that we should roam around first. There weren’t too many places to go to though since the “experience zone” was still closed to the public. The only open area was the stage area for the launch keynote.
We entered the hall and we were surprised to find the hall almost half full already and buzzing with excitement. ASUS did a good move in mixing up the attendees for the launch. Instead of the usual media only or dealers only launch, they also allocated slots for ASUS customers and fans.
Presentation Proper
At around 3PM the event program finally started. One of the biggest surprise for this event was that no less than Jerry Shen, the Chief Executive Officer of ASUS (like the global brand and not just for the Philippines), actually flew in and was the one who was going to give the keynote speech and product presentation! He even brought his marketing and regional team with him. It looks like the Philippines is proving to be a special market for them!
Jerry came on to the stage with a cute owl doll perched on his shoulder. This owl was apparently named “Zenny” and was the official mascot for the Zenfone 2.
He went through the usual motions of a gadget launch presentation with great fervour, enthusiasm, and energy. He called on several members of his team do demo the key features of the Zenfone such as the Pixel Master 2 camera, 4GB RAM, and the Zen design philosophy. At one point in the presentation he even called out a full sized Zenny who flapped around the stage.
Throughout the presentation there were rounds of applauses from the crowd. The biggest roar of approval though came at the end. Jerry started by announcing the prices of the accessories. The low price point immediately caught on as each reveal had individual applause. The volume cranked up higher when Jerry announced the prices of the different Zenfone 2 variants. The roof though was almost blown off when he announced that everyone who bought the 4GB variants would get all the accessories (save for the flip cover) for free on that day. BOOM. Madness ensues.
They did a quick photo opt on-stage and then they finally announced that the experience zone and the actual selling would start. A sea of humanity moved towards the entrance of that area. When they finally opened the doors they all came in, excited to test the device and most importantly, to buy one for themselves. Those freebies were definitely enticing, hehe.
An Exclusive Interview
After the launch event, Jerry Shen and his team met with a big group of ASUS “Power Users”. Apparently they do this regularly in Taiwan and they wanted to do it here in the PH as well. In this session they ask for feedback from the users of their products directly. After their hour-long sit down, we were invited to do an interview with Jerry Shen himself.
We will upload the full interview soon. It was a very juicy and revealing interview with details about ASUS’ participation in Google’s Android One program, the Zenfone Zoom, and why the PH was so important to ASUS. Check back here on the site soon for the videos!
Day Comes to an End
To end this post, let me share with you guys something that I posted on my Facebook Page. It pretty much sums up how I felt about the entire afternoon’s festivities.
In the last 5 years I’ve covered and attended a lot of local and international gadget launches. Today’s ASUS Zenfone 2 launch was one of the most genuine and sincere ones I’ve ever been to. The applause of the crowd wasn’t scripted and their roar of approval after hearing the pricing and freebies of the Zenfone 2 was deafening. It’s also good to note that media and dealers were just a small portion of the crowd. A huge majority were excited Zenfone 2 customers and fans.
They obviously appreciated the product but also the fact that no less than the CEO of ASUS flew in to the Philippines to launch the phone. Congratulations ASUS Philippines! You guys have a sure hit on your hands with the Zenfone 2.
Oh, something that you guys might find interesting. All the photos in this post were taken using the ASUS Zenfone 2.
Thank you ASUS PH and congratulations in advance for the smash hit that you have on your hands!
