Nokia takes Lumia Windows Phone Challenge to V Festival

Nokia were at the V Festival, but instead of simply enjoying the acts playing on-stage the company was out in force to challenge smartphone owners to see if their device could best a Windows Phone - the Lumia 800.

the V Festival, like many other music events held throughout the UK, is a golden opportunity for Windows Phone to be advertised to younger generations. Nokia has stated in the past they wish to rejuvenate their brand with youngsters, and being present at music events is definitely an effective game plan.

We're all familiar with the Lumia Challenge, and a special "Dare to Live" campaign went on tour around the UK earlier this year. The challenges are much like Ben Rudolph's Smoked by Windows Phone, which puts a Windows Phone up against a competitor smartphone to see which can complete common mobile phone tasks. This can vary from capturing and uploading a photo to Facebook to locating a nearby restaurant.

As we can see in the video that was published on Nokia UK's YouTube channel yesterday, the Nokia team were fully kitted out with Lumia headbands, "I Love Lumia" shirts, and of course shiny new Lumia 800s to make each challenge interesting. If a contestant can best the Lumia Windows Phone with a competitor smartphone, they'd pocket £10 there and then. 

But losing participants didn't walk away empty handed. Nokia ensured the word of Lumia spread throughout the festival by giving away merchandise, including hats and other Lumia gear. Near the end of the video we can see folk chanting Nokia and stating they'll be purchasing one in the future. 

The Nokia team also managed to reach someone who owns a Lumia Windows Phone, so they handed him a voucher for Nokia Music worth £30. Not bad. While it may come across as an odd time for the company to be marketing its Lumia line when we're yet to see its latest hardware launch, the current generation of Lumia Windows Phones are still solid smartphones that shouldn't be overlooked.

Source: YouTube; thanks, Patrik, for the heads up!

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.