WOW Factor: Samsung Unveils '10 Olympic Games Marketing Plan

Samsung's '10 Games Theme Will Be "Discover Your Every WOW Moment"

Olympic sponsor Samsung yesterday revealed its '10 Vancouver Olympics theme will be “Discover Your Every WOW Moment.” The “WOW” stands for Samsung's Wireless Olympic Works technology, a new application that will deliver real-time information and updates to Samsung phones throughout the Vancouver Games. The WOW application will be available for download at Samsung's Web site. Official results on the application will be provided by Atos Origin and timing results by Omega. Samsung also introduced a series of Canadian athletes it is endorsing ahead of the '10 Games, including Wayne Gretzky, Flames RW Jarome Iginla and female hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser. The company unveiled its Olympic logo, which depicts the Vancouver logo inside of a mobile-phone shaped device. It also released plans for its onsite activation in Vancouver. Called Olympic Rendezvous @ Samsung, the company's pavilion will showcase its mobile phones. Cheil Worldwide is the agency activating Samsung's Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games sponsorship (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal). The GLOBE & MAIL's David Ebner reports Samsung plans to "build a two-storey marketing pavilion in a downtown Vancouver park" during the Olympics. Samsung also "will use the hockey players to host dinners for clients during the Games." The "personal touches will be underpinned by an aggressive media campaign" that will include Iginla and Wickenheiser in the company's "first-ever television commercial made specifically for Canada." Samsung "recently signed a large deal to broadcast its message on television and online with CTV, the official Olympic broadcaster" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/24).

SPONSOR ACTIVATION: Gretzky yesterday said that he is "concerned sponsorship cutbacks will have long-term effects on sport." Gretzky: "It's a ripple-down effect, whether it's on cycling, downhill skiing or curling. Hopefully, the economy does turn around for everyone's sake and secondly it's good to see companies like Samsung hang in." Samsung VP/Worldwide Sports Marketing Gyehyun Kwon said that Samsung has "worked in tough financial times before and there's no way they'd give up on the Games." Kwon: "We just cut down on the other parts and consolidate to maximize the utility and effect of our sports marketing." The CP's Stephanie Levitz noted Samsung also is "harnessing the power of social media, preparing to launch a competition for a cadre of citizen journalists to use Samsung technology to cover the Games using websites like Facebook." Meanwhile, Olympic sponsor HBC recently "held a barbecue with Olympic hopefuls, while the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled the latest in its 2010 Olympic coin series." In addition, Molson has introduced the "Fund a Champion" program, "which will direct $20,000 for each of a group of 10 promising athletes through direct company donations and an employee campaign" (CP, 6/23).