The age of the Citizen Journalist has not gone un-noticed by big marketers. Recently, we saw how Bud Light was using selected fans to blog live from Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. A few months ago, we saw how Puma had done something similar to activate its part in the Volvo Ocean Race (in-port racing in Dubai). Well, Samsung is looking to bring alive it's "Everyone's Olympic Games" idea by joining the bandwagon!
Matthew Sampson from
Marketing Magazine reports that the electronics giant has initiated a search for 100 bloggers from over 60 countries around the world to cover the Olympics using Samsung products. The goal is to make the brand more aspirational.
The selection process is pretty rigorous with at least two qualifying rounds and a much publicized judging process involving celebrity judges in each participating country.
Winners will not only blog in real time but produce a daily show across the entire Olympic Games period using Samsung products.
Ambassadors for the program include celeb chef and British national treasure Jamie Oliver, as well as David Beckham and royal Zara Phillips.
Samsung executives believe the Olympic activity will give Samsung the edge in its increasingly intense battle against Apple. Sunny Hwang, vice-president and head of global sports marketing at Samsung said: "We have better technology, better design and better products [than Apple] and we are the Olympic partner, not Apple - that’s a big difference." - (not sure what he was smoking!!)
The flagship device it seeks to promote, apart from its mobile phones, is the Samsung Galaxy note, a device specifically designed with bloggers in mind
