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And the Gold Medal Goes to…

Having been in Rio de Janeiro for the past four weeks, I have had the opportunity to experience the activation initiatives of each of the sponsors of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.   Without question, the Gold Medal for sponsorship marketing activation goes to… Samsung. 

Throughout the Games, Samsung was actively promoting their Galaxy 7 phone, and building profile for their “Gear VR” virtually reality equipment, wireless ear buds, and Samsung Pay.  Their campaign tagline was ‘Do What you Can’t”. 

Their two TV spots, “Chant” and “Anthem” were the best among all sponsor advertising in terms of capturing the emotion of the games.  People were engaged with the woman in “Chant” as she trained for the Olympics.  She took her growing team of supporters with her when she trained alone, using her Samsung wireless ear buds to hear their cheers.   In “Anthem” the global community of sport was reinforced as people of various nationalities sang segments of national anthems from around the world, cobbling together one universal anthem.

Samsung had major brand experience installations at key locations of the Olympics.  I experienced their locations in Copacabana Beach and the Olympic Park.  Both offered interactive experiences with Samsung products.  Each consumer was given a passport, and as they tried each product, they earned a stamp and once the passport of stamps was filled, they received a prize.  Long lines of consumers formed - keen to experience the Samsung products and brand.

At the Olympic Village, which was home to the 10,000+ athletes throughout the games, Samsung was the sponsor of the Internet lounge in the International Plaza.  The lounge was always busy with athletes using the free-access computers and wi-fi service.  During their visit to the lounge, they were all invited to experience the Galaxy 7 phones, Samsung Gear VR and other products.

Samsung provided athletes with a special limited-edition Olympic-rings-branded Samsung Galaxy 7 phone.  Presented in a special wooden box, each phone was loaded with apps to help athletes with training for their sport.

Samsung owned out of home advertising throughout the city with major banner installations, billboards, metro advertising and more.  At their retail locations, Samsung themed all in-store displays on Olympic sports with products displayed on modified gymnastics equipment.  In addition to their regular store locations, Samsung installed pop-up stores at key retail locations to augment their interaction with consumers and maximize sales. 

Samsung also had a presence at events that were presented by not-for-profit organizations aligned with the Games and at several National Houses (pavilion-like venues where each country offered hospitality to its athletes and their family and friends, while showcasing the country’s culture to a broader public).  I attended a reception for an organization called “Fight for Peace” involved in engaging youth from high-risk situations (such as the favelas of Rio) in organized boxing and mentoring.  Samsung Gear VR was used to take guests through the experience of the young people living in the favelas and learning to box with Fight for Peace.  At Club France, Samsung Gear VR was used to take people through the planned sites of the Paris 2024 Olympic bid while at British House it was used to allow guests to experience various forms of British Culture.

Even when I visited Corcovado and stood at the foot of Christ the Redeemer, a Samsung installation was nearby with touch screen technology offering information on points of interest.

They thought of everything.  A gold medal performance indeed – congratulations Samsung!