Comedic spoofs on popular songs can sometimes work, but what about if they're earnest remakes?
It appears that Samsung is testing those waters. At the launch party for its Galaxy S4 smartphone in India, one of the country's Bollywood actors, Ranveer Singh, performed "Gangnam Style" as "Samsung Style" (imagine pronouncing Samsung like Gangnam).
A video posted to YouTube shows the entire spectacle of Singh rapping and attempting the signature "Gangnam Style" dance backed by men and women in sequined outfits. But it's the lyrics that are the real kicker to the remake.
"If you like the S3, than this phone is even better. It has an HD screen and it's just a lot slimmer," he belts out. "Samsung Style."
According to the Verge, it was Samsung's India retail partner Reliance Digital that organized the launch and enlisted the Bollywood actors to perform "Samsung Style."
However, this isn't the first questionable example of Samsung's marketing. At the launch of the Galaxy S4 in New York in March, the company put together a flash mob of men in suits dancing in Times Square. This followed on the heels of a couple of curiously bland ads starring a little boy called Jeremy Maxwell.