Inside Motorola’s AI-focused Razr launch campaign with Coco Jones

Motorola has unveiled the 2025 lineup of its Razr smart flip phones and launched a campaign marketing a multitude of new AI features in the devices. To help explain why the average consumer should be interested in them, the smartphone maker recruited singer-songwriter Coco Jones to star in a film that debuted at a New York City party Thursday night, complete with a musical performance by Jones. The Chelsea Factory filled with influencers, some of whom received the new phones in advance, as Motorola aired the film and opened a tunnel into a space full of Razrs on display. The film shows Jones utilizing new features embedded in Motorola’s AI suite, Moto AI. She asks the assistant to summarize her notifications, remind her of a friend’s coffee order and show YouTube on her TV. The film is key to showing how useful AI can be in everyday life, which marketers have struggled with as they imagine ways the technology may develop later on, said Maria Jose Martin, North American marketing director for Motorola. Listen to the Marketer’s Brief podcast episode on this topic: How Samsung is using creators to develop AI smartphone features “The biggest mistake is talking about the future when you can talk about today,” she said. “The simple things that can be fun and make life easier—that’s what you’re seeing with the Coco Jones film." The launch campaign will continue running on connected TV, social media, retail and search platforms through June, Martin said. Santa Monica, California-based Los York worked on creative while Current Global arranged the launch party. New Razr phones launch May 15 The three Razr devices: a new, premium Razr Ultra and the return of the Razr+ and standard Razr, launch in the U.S. on May 15. The 2025 Razr+ and Razr have retained their 2024 prices at $999.99 and $699.99, respectively, while the Razr Ultra retails for $1,299.99. Each will have the features shown in the Jones film, plus a new recorder and transcriber, an AI image and playlist generator and Next Move, which predicts what a user might want to do based on what they have on their screen. The Ultra will have a dedicated button to access Moto AI. Users will also have access to Perplexity’s AI assistant, Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot, with Motorola’s marketing encouraging users to try Perplexity as part of a deal between the companies. Tech reviewers have noted how unusual it is to pre-load a phone with four different AI systems. Motorola will position each system as having a specific use case, Martin said. For example, Google Gemini will be particularly helpful while the phone is flipped closed, while Moto AI will serve as the principal system. Perplexity’s assistant will be a useful research tool within Moto AI, Martin said. Smartphone market share Martin also said that Motorola attracts a tech-savvy audience that regularly bounces between AI systems. It primarily targets two audiences—status shoppers who prefer top-of-the-line specs like those in the Razr Ultra, and the design-focused consumer who still values specs but prioritizes appearance and feel. Partners like Jones also help Motorola reach Gen Zers and young women, Martin said. She added that the brand has seen around 5% growth with buyers aged 25 to 35 since last year. Still, the U.S. market is challenging for any smartphone brand that isn’t Apple. Motorola parent Lenovo accounted for 10% of smartphone shipments in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the most recent data published by Counterpoint Research in February. Apple has the highest market share at 65%, followed by Samsung with 18%. Motorola performs much better on a global scale compared to other folding smartphones. It saw 253% growth in foldable smartphone shipments in 2024 while Samsung saw a 33% decline, according to a March report from Counterpoint Research. However, Apple is expected to challenge the slow-growing foldable market with an iPhone flip rumored to be released by the end of 2026. Motorola is currently reviewing its creative account to consolidate the global business under one agency. It works with a variety of agencies in different regions, including Los York, French shop Heaven and Dentsu Creative in India. The brand will continue working with agencies on its current roster for the ongoing Razr campaign, Martin said. “We love the agencies we have now,” she said. “I’m not sure if there will be more projects, but we’re always looking for new opportunities.” Data-driven Marketing Playbook: Join industry leaders on May 22 to explore how data can drive marketing strategies, optimize media buying and improve customer engagement. Learn more here. Ad spending Motorola spent $352 million on global media in 2024, according to estimates from COMvergence. The brand’s U.S. measured media spend totaled $92 million in 2024, per MediaRadar, up from $38 million in 2023. In 2024, $80 million of the U.S. measured media spend went toward wireless phones, according to MediaRadar. While much of its spending markets Moto AI, Motorola is also putting attention on hardware improvements to the Razr’s processing power, durability, screen, camera and battery. It’s also making Razrs using various materials and colors as it positions the device as an accessory for the design-focused consumer—a strategy it’s employed since it resurrected its early 2000s brand platform Make It Iconic in 2019. The brand partners with Pantone to stay up to date on upcoming color trends, and often makes the Razr available in Pantone’s color of the year. “We leverage a ton of elements from fashion to bring it into the devices,” Martin said. “You will see a lot of contrast because we want the phone to stand out from the person. We never want the person to stand out from the phone.”

Inside Motorola’s AI-focused Razr launch campaign with Coco Jones

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