Samsung x Zayn Malik: Independent Prize Draw Verification for a Global Instagram Campaign

Campaign at a Glance

ClientSamsung Electronics
Campaign#ExploreGalaxy Instagram Prize Draw
PartnerZayn Malik
PlatformInstagram
Promotion Period22 October – 30 November 2025
Entries2.9 million comments
PromoVeritas RoleIndependent draw verification, entry moderation, winner selection and fulfilment

The Brief

When Samsung partnered with global recording artist Zayn Malik to launch the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the campaign needed more than reach — it needed credibility.

Hosted on Zayn’s Instagram account with a combined audience running into the tens of millions, the #ExploreGalaxy prize draw was designed to drive mass engagement through a single, low-friction mechanic: comment with the campaign hashtag to enter. Simple for fans. Significant in scale for the brands involved.

At that volume, independent oversight wasn’t optional. Samsung needed a verified, defensible draw process — one that could hold up to public scrutiny if questioned, and one that protected both the Samsung brand and Zayn Malik’s reputation throughout.

Campaign Mechanics

The entry mechanic was deliberately straightforward:

  • Platform: Instagram
  • Entry method: Comment on the promotional post using #ExploreGalaxy
  • Eligibility: Aged 18+, public Instagram account, no purchase required
  • Prize: 1 x Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, personally signed by Zayn Malik
  • Promotion period: 22 October – 30 November 2025

A single signed handset created the kind of exclusivity that drives sustained participation — fans weren’t just entering once and moving on. They returned to the post repeatedly throughout the campaign period, turning it into a live discussion thread rather than a one-off interaction.

Scale and Performance

The campaign generated significant engagement across the full promotion window:

  • 2.8 million likes on the Instagram post
  • 2.9 million comments from fans entering the draw
  • Sustained re-engagement throughout the campaign, with users returning to check for updates and winner announcements

The comment-to-like ratio was notably high — a reflection not just of entry volume, but of the ongoing conversation the campaign generated. That level of participation brings its own compliance obligations: with millions of entries to process, the integrity of the draw depended entirely on a robust, independent verification process.

Planning a social media prize draw?

Talk To Us

PromoVeritas’s Role

Independent draw management

With close to 3 million comments received across the campaign period, PromoVeritas managed the full verification and draw process independently of both Samsung and Zayn Malik’s teams. This separation is what makes the outcome credible — the winning entry was selected randomly from valid entries, with no commercial influence on the result.

Entry moderation

Not all 2.9 million comments were valid entries. Entries were independently moderated to exclude offensive, political, AI-generated, and unauthorised brand content — protecting the integrity of the draw and the reputation of both brands throughout the campaign.

This process ensures that every participant in the final draw had entered fairly, and that the brand is protected from any challenge to the outcome.

Winner verification and fulfilment

Once selected, the winner was verified against the published eligibility criteria before being contacted. Fulfilment followed clearly documented processes, with a full audit trail in place from draw to delivery.

At a campaign of this scale and visibility, that audit trail matters. If the outcome is ever questioned — by a participant, a journalist, or a regulator — PromoVeritas’s records provide the evidence needed to confirm the draw was conducted fairly.

Running a high-profile prize draw or celebrity promotion?

We handle the verification, compliance, and winner management — so your brand is protected at every step.

Talk to us about your promotion
How we verify prize draws

Why Independent Verification Matters at This Scale

A prize draw involving millions of participants isn’t just a marketing exercise — it’s a legal promotion subject to CAP Code requirements and consumer law. The larger the audience, the greater the scrutiny if something goes wrong.

For a campaign hosted on a celebrity’s personal channel, the stakes are higher still. Any question over the fairness of the draw doesn’t just affect Samsung — it reflects on Zayn Malik’s relationship with his audience.

Independent verification removes that risk. It puts the draw outcome beyond commercial influence, and gives both brands — and the winner — confidence in the result.

Why This Campaign Worked

The #ExploreGalaxy promotion succeeded because the mechanic matched the objective. One action, clearly communicated, accessible globally, with a prize that gave fans a genuine reason to participate and return.

  • Simplicity at scale: A single comment mechanic handled millions of entries without friction
  • Cultural fit: The prize had real meaning to Zayn’s fanbase — not just a product, a personal object
  • Community momentum: Fans stayed engaged across the full six-week campaign period
  • Compliance by design: Independent verification meant the draw could withstand any level of scrutiny
  • Repeatable format: The mechanic and infrastructure are directly transferable to future celebrity partnerships or product launches

Want this level of confidence on your next campaign?

Request a briefing call