Executive Summary

Samsung developed a program that leveraged Samsung’s sponsorship of the Salt Lake
2002 Olympic Winter Games to boost the company’s ever-increasing share of the U.S. and
global cell phone market and reinforce its commitment to connecting people and communities
through sports. Utilizing research that indicated a strong consumer connection between cell
phones and staying in touch with family members, Samsung developed a broad-based
communications program, Samsung Spirit of Sport Contest, to promote the brand through its
association with the world’s premiere sporting event.
The Samsung Spirit of Sport Contest was an essay contest centered on the value of sports
mentors and how involvement in sports can positively influence the life of a young person.
Complementing Samsung’s role as the Official Worldwide Telecommunications Equipment
Partner for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the contest asked entrants, in a short
essay, to identify a person who motivated them to participate in sports and describe how that
encouragement changed their lives both on and off the playing field.
The entries were judged by panels that included former Olympic gold medal winners
Bonnie Blair and Eric Bergoust, and five winners were chosen from across the U.S. Each of the
winners, along with their sports mentor, received a trip to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter
Games. The winners and their mentors were honored at the Olympic Rendezvous @ Samsung
(OR@S) in Salt Lake Olympic Square in a ceremony hosted by Blair and Bergoust.
Samsung’s Spirit of Sport Contest received extensive media coverage. Consumer
awareness of Samsung increased and Samsung was positioned as an international corporation
dedicated to the local community.

Problem Statement
Samsung Electronics signed a TOP (The Olympic Partner) sponsorship agreement in
1997, becoming a worldwide partner in the Olympic movement in the product category of
wireless telecommunications equipment. Its core businesses include digital media, information
and communications electronics and other similar products. As of 2001, Samsung Electronics
operated offices and factories in 46 countries, employing 66,000 people worldwide. Samsung
Electronics recorded sales of $34.6 billion and a net income of $ 4.8 billion in a consolidated
base in 2001. Samsung is the world’s largest producer of CDMA (code division multiple access)
mobile phones and the fifth largest manufacturer of mobile phones.
Samsung’s ultimate goal is to be a global leader in the wireless telecommunication
market. However, Samsung is behind its competitors. Nokia and Motorola are the leading
companies in brand awareness and market share. The Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games
was a good opportunity for Samsung to enhance its brand awareness and continue to grow its
market share in the U.S. and in key markets around the world.

Background
Salt Lake City hosted the XIX Olympic Winter Games with 2,399 Olympic athletes from
77 countries from February 8 through 24, 2003. (International Olympic Committee)
For the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Samsung provided approximately 20,000
of its latest digital mobile communications products, including mobile phones, and technical
experts in its role as an official Wireless Communications Equipment Partner. After providing
officials, athletes, staff, volunteers and visitors with fast and reliable communications during the
Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Samsung Electronics wanted to continue to contribute to the

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success of the Games and its ultimate mission of fostering unity among members of the global
community. As an official Wireless Communications Equipment Partner, Samsung used its
leading edge mobile technology to reunite Olympians and their families all over the world
and helped athletes and their families share the spirit of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Samsung is also the first corporate sponsor of the Community Olympic Development
Program (CODP), an initiative established to bridge introductory sports programs and elite
national team programs. The CODP is currently operating in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, San
Antonio and Minneapolis, and provides gifted junior high and high school athletes with a clear
pathway to development in Olympic sports. The program offers sports that are not widely
available to teens such as fencing, luge and cross country skiing and helps local communities tap
into the Olympic movement by encouraging coaches, volunteers and children to get involved
with Olympic sports. Samsung has made a financial donation to support the CODP program in
the United States.
In response to research showing that 58 percent of consumers purchase cell phones as a
way to stay connected with family members and loved ones (Gartner), Samsung was challenged
to develop a communications program that would enable Samsung to embrace this trend and link
it with the ideals of the Olympic movement, the Olympic spirit and Samsung’s goal of
connecting people and communities through sports.
Ninety percent of average consumers recognize the Olympic rings, 74 percent identify
this logo with success and high standards and 63 percent say that they would buy a product
stamped with the Olympic trademark. This indicated that the Olympic image has valuable equity
and an association worthy of Samsung. (Samsung Electronics, Marketing Report) Another study,
conducted by Decima Research during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, also revealed that 59 percent of
all respondents were more likely to purchase an Olympic sponsors’ products, 74 percent had a
better perception of a sponsor and 76 percent believed the sponsors to be the leaders in their
industry. (Duport)
Target audiences Samsung tried to reach were mainly general consumers in the U.S. and
Olympic family and sports-related bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC),
the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games (SLOC), and The United
States Olympic Committee (USOC). Among media, Samsung concentrated on general
newspapers, TV stations (business and sports news programs), and business and trade
publications globally.
Goals and Objectives of the Campaign
Building on Samsung’s commitment to connecting people through sports, Samsung
outlined three main public relations objectives for its involvement in the Salt Lake City Olympic
Games:
Position Samsung as a corporate citizen dedicated to connecting people and
communities through sports.
Raise awareness of Samsung’s role as a vital Olympic partner.
Showcase Samsung as a dynamic brand in the U.S.A. market.
In addition, Samsung took into account the company’s main brand, along with the attribute of
“inclusiveness,” and developed a program to express two overriding key messages:
Samsung cares about the importance of people staying connected.

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 Samsung brings families together and bridges people and communities through sports
and the Olympic Games.
Samsung Electronics established, as a public relations tactic, the Samsung Spirit of Sport
Contest, a national essay contest enabling consumers to honor and appreciate sports mentors
who changed their lives. This tactic supported Samsung’s main public relations objectives and
successfully reinforced its key messages.

Strategic Tactics and Techniques

Overview
In line with Samsung’s global commitment to connecting people through sports and the
Olympic Games, Samsung developed an essay contest that enabled athletes to appreciate the
sports mentors that changed their lives. The Samsung Spirit of Sport essay contest was
created by Cheil Communications, a leading public relations and advertising agency in South
Korea, and Edelman, a U.S. public relations agency, as a way for winners and their mentors
to celebrate the importance of mentoring and reward mentors with the ultimate sporting
experience: a trip to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Staying true to Samsung’s central theme at the Games, the “Spirit of Sport” essay contest
emphasized the ways that sports can bring people together and change lives for the better. The
contest was executed from October 8 to November 26, 2001 on a special section of Samsung’s
web site that was designed specifically to promote the company’s Olympic involvement. The
contest was open to all U.S. residents 13 and older. To promote entries, Samsung tagged existing
print advertising with information about the contest and utilized existing online advertising to
promote the contest through banner ads on sites such as AOL, Spinner, Teen People, Warner
Brothers, Winamp, CNNSI and EA. Samsung Electronics also leveraged athlete spokespersons
in broadcasting and print media for interviews.
In addition, Edelman Interactive Services (EIS) worked to place the contest in Internet
search engines and on contest Web sites to assist in attracting entries.
Athlete Spokespeople and Mentors
Samsung Electronics contracted with speed skater Bonnie Blair and aerial skier Eric
Bergoust to serve as spokespersons for the contest and participate in a public relations
campaign. (Samsung Electronics, Press Information) The campaign aimed to drive entries,
promote the positive and inspirational stories of contest winners and showcase Samsung’s
commitment to consumers. Blair and Bergoust were closely involved with the execution of the
contest, serving as judges for the essays and also sharing their personal mentoring experiences
on Samsung’s Olympic Web site. They wrote essays on each of their mentors to inspire people
to enter the essay contest.
Bonnie Blair is the most decorated woman in U.S. Olympic history and is the only U.S.
Winter Olympian to win the gold medal in the same event in three consecutive Olympic Games.
Blair won a staggering five gold medals in the three Olympic Winter Games from 1988-1994.
When Blair won her first Olympic gold medal, the first person she searched for in the crowds at
the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Canada, was her father. “The first people I saw were dad
and mom,” Bonnie said. “Dad was so happy. There was the biggest smile on his face that I have
ever seen.” For Blair, who is now retired from sports, it was her parents who set her on track for
success. For years, Charles and Eleanor Blair willingly gave up vacations and weekends,
spending their time and money taking Bonnie and her siblings to skating practices and

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competitions. Her father was particularly involved with Bonnie’s training, shuttling her from
practice to practice, volunteering as a race timer and even setting up toilet plungers as makeshift
lane barriers on the rink during practice sessions. “My dad was my mentor both professionally
and personally,” Blair said. “He taught me that you have to be both a gracious winner and loser,
set goals in life and maintain a positive outlook. You can do all the right work, but it’s the right
attitude that makes the difference.” Now a mother of two, Blair hopes to pass what her father
taught her along to her children as well as other kids who may look to learn from her success.
Eric Bergoust is a resident of Park City, Utah, one of the Olympic Winter Games venues.
He is a 1998 Nagano Olympic gold medalist and the world’s top–ranked aerial skier. Bergoust
credits his older brother Todd with boosting his success. When Bergoust was 12 years old, his
older brother took him skiing for the first time. Bergoust seemed well -suited for the sport: he
was known to be somewhat of a daredevil, frequently jumping off the chimney of his family’s
Montana home onto a pile of bedsprings. However, his first foray on the slopes was a far cry
from the Olympic success he was later to achieve. To Bergoust, his brother not only introduced
him to his dreams, he also helped to shape his mindset for success. “He always would tell me, ‘If
you’re going to do something, you should do it all out. You should aim to be better than the
best,’” Bergoust said. “He taught me perfectionism and attention to detail. But he also taught me
how to dream at a really young age and to ignore the negative emotions that say I can’t do it.”
Throughout his career, Bergoust says he has learned a lot from many people. And he advises
other youth to do the same. “I would encourage kids to seek out many mentors,” he said. “Ask
lots of questions and don’t worry about looking stupid. People are flattered to be asked things.
Mentoring is an important, natural process. You can learn what it might have taken someone else
10 years to learn in 10 minutes. Sharing knowledge and supporting each other makes us a better
human race.”
Pre-Games Activities
Contest-related media outreach focused on stimulating entries during the entry period in
the fall and later publicizing the winners and their mentors during their trip to the Games.
Samsung kicked off the campaign at the USOC Media Summit attended by more than
600 U.S. media on October 18, 2001. Samsung also announced the company’s new relationships
with Bergoust and Blair. The first press release was entitled, “Samsung’s 2002 Olympic
Program to Keep Athletes, Fans Connected with Friends, Family.” The subtitle of the press
release was as follows: “Olympic Gold Medalists Bonnie Blair and Eric Bergoust Spreading the
Word about the Importance of Sports Mentoring and Helping Judge Samsung’s Spirit of Sport
Contest.”
To promote the contest and help generate entries, Samsung scheduled each of the contest
spokespersons to participate in separate media activities. Samsung had planned to coordinate a
New York media tour for Blair in early October to “kick off” the contest, but had to change
strategies due the effects of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Samsung surveyed the
media both in New York and other major markets to determine the potential likelihood media
would cover non-September 11 related events. The company determined that the timing wasn’t
favorable and it wouldn’t be effective to propose a full New York media day to promote the
contest. Samsung did, however, capitalize on an existing visit to New York for Blair on October
15 and was able to book her on the CBS “Early Show” and Oxygen’s “Pure Oxygen” to talk
about the contest and Samsung’s commitment to mentoring.
In lieu of the New York media day, Samsung coordinated a satellite media tour on
November 6 with Blair from Salt Lake City, which resulted in interviews with 18 local television

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affiliates around the country, 15 of them in major markets such as Chicago, San Francisco and
Phoenix. The broadcasting stations included WAWS-TV (FOX), KARE-TV (NBC), KUSA-TV
(NBC), KCRA-TV (NBC), WAND (ABC), KMTV (CBS), WLUK-TV (FOX), KVIA-
TV(ABC), KPNX-TV (NBC), WNUV-TV(WB), WBFF-TV (FOX), KTVX-TV (ABC),
WMBD-TV (CBS), WBRC-TV (FOX), USA Radio Network, KTBC- TV (FOX), and WCVB-
TV (ABC). During the interviews, Blair was able to successfully work in key Samsung branding
and contest messages. Following is the media advisory for the satellite interview with Blair.

LIVE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY

MOST DECORATED U.S. WINTER OLYMPIAN
BONNIE BLAIR SPEAKS OUT ABOUT IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING

WHO: Bonnie Blair skated into the record books and the hearts of Americans by
winning six Olympic medals. Today, Blair is helping her husband train in speedskating
in hopes of making the 2002 Olympic team, while continuing to be a role model and
inspiration to young people everywhere.

WHAT: Blair is available for live/taped interviews to discuss the importance of

mentoring for young people, the positive impact it had on her life and a
national contest to help people give back to their mentors.

The Samsung “Spirit of Sport” Olympic essay contest encourages people to identify a
person who motivated them to participate in sports and describe how that changed
their lives both on and off the playing field. Winners – and their mentors – will be
flown to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Entries can be submitted
at www.samsungelectronics.com. Now a mother of two, Bonnie hopes to pass what
her father taught her along to her children as well as other kids who may look to her
for success.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 6 7:30 am-10:00 am ET

In addition, Bergoust spent time at East High School in Salt Lake City, an event Samsung
arranged, to speak to the student body of nearly 600 about the value of mentoring and how his
personal mentor was a major factor in helping him win gold at the 1998 Nagano Games.
Immediately following the event, Samsung e- mailed digital photos of the event to the local
newspapers and hand-delivered b-rolls of the event to the local television affiliates. Samsung
sent out the following media alert:

MEDIA ALERT

OLYMPIC GOLD AERIAL SKIER ERIC BERGOUST LANDS AT SALT LAKE’S

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 EAST HIGH SCHOOL

World’s Premier Aerial Skier to Visit Local High School to Discuss

Importance of Mentoring and Help Launch National Mentoring Contest

WHAT: Current World Champion aerial skier Eric Bergoust will speak to East
High School students about the important role mentoring played in his
road to Olympic Gold. He will also share insights into what it takes to be
a champion on and off the slopes.

Eric will also help people reward their mentors though the launch of the
Samsung “Spirit of Sport” essay contest. Five winners and their mentors
will win with a free trip to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Students will have a chance to share their essays about mentoring and ask
questions of the Olympic hopeful.

WHO: ERIC BERGOUST: 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist and current World
Champion, Aerial Skiing.

Eric, a resident of Park City, is the world’s top aerial skier and will
defend his Olympic title during the upcoming 2002 Games. He has
dominated one of the world’s most dynamic sports, capturing Olympic
and World Championship titles, and becoming the first skier to land a
quadruple jump in competition.

WHERE: East High School Field House

840 S. 1300 East
(801) 583-1661

WHEN: Wednesday, October 17

11:00 am -12:00 noon
Activities at the Games
The five winners of the Samsung Spirit of Sport essay contest were honored at the 2002
Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games in a special ceremony that took place at Olympic Rendezvous
@ Samsung (OR@S), Samsung’s product showcase and athlete hospitality center. Samsung’s
news release announced the contest winners as follows: “Five Contest Winners and Their Sports
Mentors Honored at 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Olympic Gold Medal Winners Bonnie Blair
And Eric Bergoust Celebrate With Five Winners of the Samsung Spirit Of Sport Contest And
Their Mentors.”
As part of the grand prize package, each winner and his or her mentor received a trip
to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Each of the winners had an inspiring story:

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 Annie Christenson, a 28 -year-old who lives in New York City, wrote about her father,
Gary, who raised Annie and her siblings in Southern California and used sports to help
bring the family closer together.
Kelly Wolfe, a 36-year-old native of Battle Creek, Michigan, described her high school
track coach and art teacher, Thomas Tenney, who literally helped her turn her life around
when she entered ninth grade.
Michael Markovitch, a 32-year-old 911 dispatcher from San Angelo, Texas, used his
essay to thank his wife, Deanna, who encouraged her husband to again try many of
the sports he participated in as a child but had since stopped playing.
Michael Cramer, a 28-year-old originally from the Boston area now living in New York
City, wrote about how he and his father, Vin, were able to bond through sports and how
his father used sports to help teach many important life lessons.
Peter Marino, a 32-year-old MBA student at UCLA originally from Milwaukee,
described how his father, Nick, used sports to instill a fighting spirit in him that helped
him achieve great things.

Once the winners were selected, Samsung contacted the winners and interviewed them in
order to gather further information for media outreach. Samsung drafted individual press
releases on the winners and their mentors for local hometown media. Samsung also compiled a
media list for each winner’s hometown market.
On Wednesday, February 20, 2002, Samsung hosted the contest winners and their
mentors at the OR@S for a special ceremony. OR@S was a major attraction in Salt Lake
Olympic Square. After a successful launch in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games, the OR@S
returned for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and gave Samsung a very visible presence in Salt
Lake City. In 2002, the OR@S hosted Olympic families and spectators and featured daily
entertainment shows, athlete appearances and futuristic product displays. The OR@S showcased
Samsung’s expertise in digital wireless telecommunications equipment and provided fans and
athletes with the opportunity to interact with the equipment and technology.
Cheil Communications and Edelman coordinated the ceremony at Samsung’s onsite
venue to honor the contest winners and their mentors. The five winners and their mentors were
brought on stage and interviewed by guest emcees Blair and Bergoust. The two athlete
spokespersons told their mentor stories to the media in attendance and an Olympic crowd of
nearly 300 fans.
This prize-giving event was pitched to both print and broadcast media in the winners’ and
mentors’ local markets. These markets included New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Milwaukee,
Central Texas (San Angelo) and Western Michigan (Battle Creek).
In addition, B-roll was fed on the satellite, hard copies of B-roll were distributed to on-site
television affiliates and digital images were sent to print outlets in the local markets. A
television crew from KNBC-TV (NBC, Los Angeles) and a photographer from the Honolulu
Advertiser were in attendance at the event. The B-roll was picked up by both WDJT-TV (CBS)
and WTMJ-TV (NBC) in Milwaukee. Two stations in Grand Rapids, Michigan – WOOD-TV (NBC)
and WZZM-TV (ABC) – interviewed Kelly Wolfe, the contest winner from Battle Creek, when
she returned home. In addition, the San Antonio Express News ran a note about the winning pair
from Texas.

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