Samsung launches Olympic campaign

Manufacturer launches London 2012 marketing campaign with strong emphasis on mobile technology

Samsung has announced its campaign for the London 2012 Olympics with a heavy emphasis being placed on the use of mobile technology.

Samsung which is wireless communications sponsor for the games will run an event known as “Samsung Mobile Explorers (SME) programme where 60 young people will document the Olympics using Samsung smartphone technology.

The announcement was made at the East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf, East London which including appearances from Samsung Olympic Ambassador David Beckham, Zara Phillips and the head of London Olympic Committee Lord Coe (all pictured).

The “roaming explorers” as they will be known will report live from competition venues and locations of cultural and visitor interest across London.

They will do this by uploading videos and photos as well as through social networks, which will also be used to broadcast exclusive Olympic content, celebrations and experiences.

The SME scheme has been used before at other Samsung sporting events around the world including the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

As well as the SME scheme Samsung will also sponsor the Olympic Torch relay where it will fill 1,360 of the total 8,000 relay spaces with people nominated through its “Gone the Extra Mile” scheme.

This scheme allows people from around the world to nominate their “unsung heroes” – people who have been active in their community to carry the Olympic torch.

Samsung also unveiled the ‘Samsung Olympic Visual Identity System (SOVIS) for the games.

Designed by London artist Kate Moross part of the system has a strong emphasis on mobile technology – the image features a Samsung Galaxy handset drawn with raised hands (pictured below), representing the “desire to be counted and included”.

The other part of the SOVIS is a colourful ‘rainbow’ graphic (pictured below). Also designed by Moross it aims to project that that London is “warm, vibrant and open and accessible to every visitor” and plays on the impression that rainbows have always represented all of these things.