David Beckham helps launch Samsung's Olympic Games tech strategy

Including social networking tie-in

David Beckham helps launch Samsung's Olympic Games tech strategy

13 June 2011 17:03 GMT / By Rik Henderson

Samsung has unveiled the many events and schemes it plans to stage and promote on the build up and during the forthcoming London Olympic Games in the summer of 2012. And, to help outline the different themed incentives, it employed the services of its appointed Global Olympic Games Ambassador David Beckham to speak at its UK press conference.

The event, hosted by Sky Sports News presenter Hayley McQueen, also saw presentations by Lord Sebastian Coe, former Olympian and chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, British royal and equestrian Zara Phillips, and several Samsung head honchos, including Gyehyun Kwon, vice president and head of Worldwide Sports Marketing.

They each outlined the importance of partners and sponsorship for the legacy of the London Olympics during and beyond, with Lord Coe also explaining that "technology has literally transformed the Games".

For starters, as the Official Wireless Telecommunications Partner (which it has been since 1998), Samsung promises that this Games will be the most "content rich" and connected in its history. Indeed, to tie in with its current buzzword, Sun Song, marketing manager of Worldwide Sports Marketing, even called it the first "Smart Games".

She also outlined the company's social networking programme that aims to "spread the excitement of the Games around the world". It plans to find around 60 "young and inspiring" individuals from all over the world to be Samsung Mobile Explorers. Each will then be equipped with Samsung smartphones and tasked with sharing their own experiences of the Olympics through social media networks as kind-of online ambassadors for the brand.

The process to find the SMEs will start later in the year around the globe, with the UK hunt to begin soonest: "Recruitment starts in the UK in the next few months," said Song.

David Beckham himself was also on hand to launch Samsung's Torchbearer nomination campaign. As the Torch relay Presenting Partner, the company's scheme is to open up the opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame to normal members of the public nominated by normal members of the public. The nominee must have done something, no matter how small or big, to help the community or other people's lives, but apart from that stipulation, it's essentially open to anyone.

The first nominated bearer will be Gabriella Roseje, who was nominated by David Beckham himself for her outstanding work in helping to encourage and train young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to take up sport. She was also invited to take a bow at the event.

Finally, the company revealed the logo for its Olympic involvement, and the Android fans out there will be happy to see that it's a cartoon smartphone. London designer Kate Moross, who was only 18-years-old when the bidding team secured the Games for the English capital, was tasked with creating the "Samsung Visual Identity System" (aka SOVIS), and you can expect to find it on screensavers, pin badges, advertising and more for the coming year.

Full tags
Samsung, London Olympics 2012, Phones, David Beckham, Olympics

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