Feature: Brand profile: Samsung

Samsung is just one of the myriad of big brand names looking to capitalise its marketing opportunities through official links to the Olympics. Like many others, it has ties with a Premier League football team, giving it additional credibility within the world of sport and a high profile among a predominantly young male audience. But the brand has been savvy enough to develop a profile beyond the football pitch and sports arenas. It has achieved this by developing a link with big names in design, fashion and celebrity through an on-going programme of promotions and link-ups driven by a very clear aim – to become number one.

It’s not just the marketing that has been driven by this aim but also the technology. Over the last couple of years, the brand’s technology has challenged the competition and, according to Samsung, “overtaken” it. It now wants to topple Nokia from the number-one slot in phones and Sony Electronics from its pole position as the biggest seller of televisions.

No-one in the world of marketing would underestimate how tough targets like these can be to achieve but Samsung believes that, by getting the right brand marketing sitting alongside the best product innovation, they will be able to take both these top slots.

Like all high-tech brands, Samsung is targeted predominantly at the younger half of the population, particularly the under-40s group but it recognises that its audience is not just “techies” and not just male. Recognising that new technology is enjoyed by a fast-moving, young generation that demand top innovation and style to match, it formed an alliance with Armani which mixed Samsung’s innovative technology with Armani’s slick designs, providing an element of exclusivity and “cool”.

Just last month, this collaboration was extended directly into its products with the launch of an LCD HDTV television incorporating Armani’s style and design. Another example is its Bang & Olufsen Samsung phone which is set to be released globally this year.

Samsung has also looked to create strategic brand ambassadors from celebrities. One example is Girls Aloud who were involved in promotional activity for the F210 where the design of the phone reflected their latest album cover.

Its tie-ups with sport are equally well dovetailed into products and the brand has just launched the trainer phone, miCoach, in partnership with Adidas – using the former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, as an ambassador.

Since becoming the official sponsor of Chelsea in 2005, Samsung has focused on using that relationship as much as possible to keep consistency, for example using Chelsea’s German-born player, Michael Ballack, to promote Samsung Electronics in Germany and picking up a sports industry prize along the way.

Its association with The Olympic Partner programme began in 1997 and since then Samsung has strongly backed the Olympic Games wherever they have been. There will be a huge amount of activity centred around the Beijing Olympics this year as well as 2012 London Olympics and the following 2016 games.

Within the promotional disciplines, the brand sees digital as a growing area that is used practically daily by the younger population. It is keen to achieve cut-through and noise here and subsequently plans to focus and invest more in digital space to a point where 20 per cent of Samsung’s campaigns will go into digital.

Another area it is keen to expand is the consumer’s experience of the brand, and it has recently set up an experience store in partnership with independent retailer John Shah in Tottenham Court Road, London.

Andy Griffiths, vice president of Samsung’s consumer electronics division, is very clear in his strategy for the brand and has a very specific target in his sights. “Using influential ambassadors and aligning ourselves with youthful names, we’re aiming to overtake Sony Electronics and Nokia within the year,” he says. “Samsung’s strong presence and innovation means we can attract the names that are at the forefront of social trends.”

Brand CV

1969 Samsung established

1997 Becomes a major partner in the Olympics and has plans to support the next three games

2001 Produces slimmest handset in the world

2005 Becomes official sponsor of Chelsea

2007 Is awarded “coolest brand of the year” by Stuff

2008 Sales projected to reach $120 billion

The meaning of the word Samsung is “tristar” or “three stars” reflecting the structure of Samsung Group being divided into three subsidiaries, including Samsung Electronics.

Andy Griffiths CV

Andy Griffiths joined Samsung as vice president of Samsung’s consumer electronics division in 2006. He was previously at Sony for over a decade as a senior executive holding positions in subsidiary sales and four years in Amsterdam in a European role. His recent achievements include Samsung’s CTV achieving brand leadership in flat panel TVs and the American SBS refrigerators hitting 50 per cent market share.