Consumer electronic giants Panasonic and Samsung geared up for the Olympics with promotions aimed at winning the hearts and minds of viewers and participants.
Panasonic will supply 20 Astrovision giant video screens, 75 audio systems, and 7,500 TVs so that fans, athletes and the media at The Games can watch the events, as well as two life-size Astrovision in downtown Torino.
Panasonic tapped skier Picabo Street as its spokesperson. She and five other athletes will record their Olympic experiences on Panasonic digi-camcorders and post blogs on the company’s Web site, panasonic.com.
“Our purpose is to continue to raise the bar of marketing by making people aware of Panasonic as an Olympic sponsor,” says Terry Shorrock, director of shows, events and sponsorship at Panasonic USA.
Samsung will distribute 8,000 cell phones to staff, volunteers, athletes and the media, that feature a wireless service to access the latest competition results and other Olympic stats.
A presenter of the Olympic Torch Relay, Samsung anchors its activities at its Olympic Rendezvous@Samsung pavilion. The site has a private meeting place for athletes, a public entertainment venue and a showcase for Samsung’s products. Since the Sydney Olympic Games, more than 2.1 million people have visited the pavilion.
“We believe the sports marketing strategy contributed to [our growth],” says Sunny Hwang, Samsung’s VP and head of Worldwide Sports Marketing and Communications.
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