Samsung owns up to mysterious search results billboard spotted across Malaysia

Samsung Malaysia has owned up to the mysterious search results billboard which was spotted in Kuala Lumpur last week. From a first glance, the billboard appears to be a blunder by a billboard administrator, who seemingly searched up phrases such as "who is M Nasir", "what does cat food taste like", and "why body itchy after thrifting".

Not to mention, the queries were also paired up with the well-known Windows "blue screen of death", which is a critical system error screen displayed when the operating system encounters a serious problem. According to World of Buzz, the billboard stunts were spotted across the Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, as well as Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in East Malaysia.

The billboards generated a buzz among Malaysian netizens on Xiaohongshu and TikTok, who were intrigued about whose search history it was. Meanwhile, local authorities and billboard operators reportedly declined to provide comments about the digital-out-of-home (DOOH) displays too. 

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However, if one takes a closer look, the stop code on the bottom of the blue screen reads: "INI_LIVE_GEM", which wittingly spells "GEMINI LIVE" when reshuffled, Samsung shared in a social video.

In an Instagram post published a day ago, Samsung Malaysia revealed that the billboard was a teaser for the Samsung AI TalkSpot with Galaxy S25 Series, featuring Google's voice command AI assistant Gemini Live. 

The post's caption read "It was us. Always has been #DoneClaim. Get ready to redefine the way you seek answers to all of life's questions when you #TalkNotType with Gemini Live at the Samsung AI TalkSpot."

The AI TalkSpot event is set to take place at The Starhill from 21 to 27 May, featuring interactive AI-powered experiences and a chance to win goodies. 

An earlier post on Samsung Malaysia's Instagram account asked its audiences if they've seen the billboard incident, adding in the captions that the situation would not have happened if the administrator talked to Gemini Live on the Galaxy S25 series instead, which comes with six months of Gemini Advanced at no extra cost. 

Leaning into its "Talk not type" tagline, the guerrilla campaign drives the fact that it would be way more convenient and cause less errors (like what the billboard admin committed), by talking to Gemini Live instead of typing out one's search queries into a desktop search engine. 

In addition, Samsung Malaysia tapped onto local influencer J, under the handle @isawkwardguy, to highlight the mysterious billboard "blunder".

J began by pointing out the ridiculous search queries he saw on the billboard to his "babe", which is later seamlessly revealed to be Gemini Live. While sharing the perks of the voice command AI assistant, J can be heard in the background comedically asking it "why are my eyes so small?"

Notably, Samsung Malaysia's billboard search query "who is M Nasir" is a cheeky nod at the recent billboard ads by Wonda and ZUS Coffee. To break it down, ZUS Coffee had initially ran an OOH campaign with the text "ZUS Coffee kegemaran M Nasir" ('ZUS Coffee is M Nasir's favourite'). A smaller text states that M Nasir is a teacher in Alor Setar, Kedah and not the legendary singer.

In response, Wonda Coffee launched its own OOH campaign featuring the real M Nasir. Wonda’s comeback billboards proudly proclaimed “Kopi Wonda kegemaran M. Nasir” ('Wonda Coffee is M. Nasir's favourite'), leaning into the cultural weight of the real deal.

Not long after, Farm Fresh took aim at Magnum’s iconic tagline with a playful twist of its own, with the possibly coincidental placement of a Cream Hauz poster beside Magnum’s in-store display. Magnum's read “Stick to the original. Like a Magnum is not Magnum”, while Farm Fresh replied with “Like the original, tapi harga berbaloi” ('But the price is worth it'). The moment went viral after being posted on X by a netizen, earning over 25,000 likes and thousands of shares.

In conversations with A+M, industry experts weighed in on the trend, and shared that such competitor callouts reflected a deeper shift in how Malaysian brands are communicating.

Iman Zukifli, head of marketing at Bata Malaysia, said that bold ads get attention. "Consumers today are sharp. They scroll fast, catch onto trends quickly, and enjoy a brand with personality. This shift is not just about making noise. It is about connecting with people in a way that feels fresh and relatable," she explained. 

Meanwhile, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, chief marketing officer at RHB, said that challenger brands often have more freedom to provoke. For market leaders, the tone matters more. "If a leading brand swings too hard, it risks looking insecure or arrogant. But if it responds with authority and wit, it reinforces its leadership," he added. 

Join us this coming 21 May for #Content360, an extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging the norm; Conquering Media Fragmentation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!  

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