As you might have heard a couple of weeks ago, OnePlus announced a marketing stunt that would basically see 100 would-be customers smash their old smartphones in exchange for a new OnePlus One handset that they can purchase for $1. Well perhaps OnePlus received a bit too much backlash at such wastage because they have recently changed the rules of the contest.
The company has recently announced that the contest has closed and that they have managed to select 100 winners from 140,000 participants. However the winners now have the option where instead of smashing and breaking a working handset, they can choose to instead donate their working mobile phone to charity.
According to OnePlus, “For this reason, the chosen 100 applicants can choose to either smash their phone as planned, or donate it to the wonderful team at Medic Mobile. Medic Mobile is a nonprofit that recycles old phones for use by healthcare workers in remote areas of the world.” We have to admit that this sounds like a better way to go about it, especially since smashing a perfectly fine phone does feel like a waste.
At the same time we can see that such a marketing stunt managed to generate a lot of buzz around OnePlus and their upcoming handset (which is expected to have a general release in June), whether it be positive or negative. What do you guys think? Was this a smart move for the company?
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