Vancouver View-Samsung Reveals 2010 Marketing Plan On Olympic Day

Samsung global marketing director Teddy Yoo announced the global Olympic mobile phone sponsor’s marketing plan for Vancouver 2010. (ATR/B. Mackin)

(ATR) Olympic day in the next Olympic city passed quietly, with an international and domestic sponsor activation and a photo opportunity for British Columbia’s new junior Olympics minister.

VANOC CEO John Furlong said that’s because Vancouver 2010 is relying on its sponsors and government funders to mark milestones.

“We’re very focused on finishing our project, from us you’re going to see a heads-down focus on everything, every minute, of every day until the end,” Furlong said.

Global Olympic mobile phone sponsor Samsung used Olympic day to announce its Vancouver 2010 marketing plan at a ballroom in the Westin Bayshore, the IOC’s official Vancouver hotel.

Global marketing director Teddy Yoo announced the Vancouver 2010 version of the Olympic Rendezvous @ Samsung would join Coca-Cola as just the second sponsor village tenant of the Vancouver live site in David Lam Park near Yaletown.

The pavilion’s first floor will have public exhibits. Athlete and VIP hospitality will be on the second.

“I am confident the place will become a true landmark during the Games,” Yoo said.

A global, Olympic-themed ad campaign will run January and February to promote the public rollout of WOW -- wireless Olympic world -- a real-time Olympic news and statistics service for Samsung mobile phone users anywhere.

“The Olympic Games are the world’s greatest ‘wow’ moment,” said Yoo, who introduced Canadian hockey Olympians Wayne Gretzky, Jarome Iginla and Hayley Wickenheiser as Samsung athlete ambassadors.

The Olympic Rendezvous@Samsung joins Coca-Cola as the second sponsor village tenant of the Vancouver live site in David Lam Park. (ATR/B. Mackin)

“Samsung stole the moment,” Furlong said. “Of course it was a great day to have this, they’ll get the attention of the planet, that’s what they want to do and they did it with style and class.”

Hockey Hall of Famer Gretzky played in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and managed Canada’s Salt Lake 2002 and Torino 2006 entries. The 2002 team broke a 50-year gold medal drought for Canada.

Gretzky remarked on the evolution of technology through his career. He was born in Brantford, Ont.,

where the telephone was invented in 1876.

Samsung worldwide sports marketing head Gyehyun Kwon (clockwise, left) was joined by B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, VANOC CEO John Furlong and Samsung athlete ambassadors Wayne Gretzky, Hayley Wickenheiser and Jarome Iginla at the company’s Olympic Day festivities. (ATR/B. Mackin)

“Everything from calculators to computers to cell phones were so foreign to

us inthe mid-80s. what technology has done is really brought the world together and made it that much smaller,” he said.

Meanwhile, Molson launched its Fund a Champion campaign at its Vancouver brewery. It will donate $17,300 to seven Canadian Olympians and three Paralympians. Mary McNeil made her first appearance as minister of state for the Olympics for a morning photo shoot at the Richmond Olympic Oval. No news release was issued.

RBC launched a 25-cent piece featuring bobsleigh in Calgary with fellow VANOC sponsors Petro-Canada and Royal Bank of Canada. Hudson’s Bay Company held a Winnipeg barbeque. Canadian foreign trade minister Stockwell Day visited Sochi on international Olympic day during a trade mission. (Prices reported in U.S. dollars unless noted. Exchange rate: USD$1=CAD$1.151)

With reporting from Bob Mackin