Samsung pushes for brand presence at Incheon Games

Globally, Samsung has been known for pushing its presence at major events such as the Oscars and through key brand ambassadors.Its sponsorship at the Incheon Games is no different, with the brand actively pushing for brand presence with the support of key athletes.It first began its support of the Asian Games as a local sponsor during the 10th Asian Games held in Seoul in 1986, and continued its support of the event as a local sponsor for the 12th Asian Games held in Hiroshima in 1994. In 1998, Samsung became an Official Partner of the 13th Asian Games held in Bangkok, and then became a Prestige Partner for the 14th Asian Games held in Busan in 2002.Yung Kook Lee, vice president and head of experience marketing Group, Samsung Electronics said: “Through Samsung’s smart technologies, we hope to provide innovative and interactive experiences for fans across Asia, using the spirit of athletics to encourage and inspire. We accelerate the Samsung “Our Games, Our Pride” campaign together with Asian fans and athletes; we expect to ride a wave that will carry their passion and energy all the way through to a successful game.”In August, Samsung kicked off the start of its 2014 Incheon Asian Games campaign at a launch event in Malaysia. Samsung introduced several innovative marketing initiatives to be conducted under the campaign theme “Our Games, Our Pride,” which encourages fans from across Asia to cheer on their athletes. These activities were designed to replicate the inspirational success of its past campaigns and to encourage broader participation and fan engagement, said the company.The “Our Games, Our Pride” initiatives include Team Samsung, which brings together 31 athletes from the national teams of China, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Jordan and South Korea. These include the likes of badminton player Dato' Lee Chong Wei and table tennis star Ma Long. Team Samsung played a key role before and during the Games, sharing their stories on TV and online and inspiring fans with the spirit of the Games.Another initiative is the Samsung Social Casters, who are a group of professional bloggers who follow Team Samsung athletes throughout the games and share their experiencesand stories from Incheon across a number of social media channels.In addition, Samsung will again present the Samsung MVP Award, which Samsung has presented for the past five consecutive games to recognise a single athlete with the best performance. According to Samsung, this is aimed at putting the company on the map as a brand that supports the development and achievement of athletes in the region.