Samsung and Leo Burnett set out to build a 28 million strong Olympic Team Malaysia
Samsung Malaysia Electronics is showing support for the Malaysian Olympians who will be taking part in the coming London 2012 Olympic Games in a new campaign out of Leo Burnett Malaysia. Created around the idea that the Malaysian Olympic contingent consists of not only the 29 Olympians who will be taking part in London 2012, the “Samsung Believes in Malaysia” campaign calls for citizens to join Team Malaysia.
“Team Malaysia is more than the athletes we’re sending, it consists of every single person who believes in the athletes and supports them, no matter the outcome. It’s not just a Malaysian contingent of 29, Team Malaysia is 28 million strong,” said Leo Burnett Executive Creative Director Eric Cruz.
The campaign launched with an ‘anthemic’ TVC and Print that aims to generate national pride amongst Malaysians. Leo Burnett recruited London/Los Angeles based director Gerard De Thame for the campaign’s ’28 Million Strong’ TVC.
“We knew we had the right man for the job when Gerard opened the conversation by saying, ‘Belief is the conquering of failure’,” said Cruz. “We wanted someone who could communicate our story in a powerful way and Gerard’s track record with Nike speaks for itself.”
Starring Malaysian Olympians Azizulhasni Awang (cycling), Pandelela Rinong (diving), and Datuk Lee Chong Wei (badminton) who is one of Samsung Malaysia’s brand ambassadors, the TVC highlights the importance of people’s belief in the Olympians.
“The film is a story about belief, an inner conviction that starts from within, to belief from others around you, your inner circle of support, which escalates to a national level of faith” states Leo Burnett Copywriter Ben Chen. “In the end, belief is the only thing that will carry you through every moment of challenge.”
“As strong, brave or talented a person is, we get to where we need to go because of those around us. People who push us to do better even when we feel we’ve reached our limit, or those who are simply there for us, no matter the occasion,” explained Adam Chan, Leo Burnett’s Samsung Creative Group Head.
The TVC was shot in Malaysia and will air in the country’s three main spoken languages: Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and English.
For the print advertisements featuring the same three Olympians, Leo Burnett engaged Japanese photographer Satoshi Minakawa who has photographed athletes worldwide for sports brands like Nike, Le Coq Sportif and Onitsuka Tiger.
The campaign is anchored around www.jointeammalaysia.com, a microsite that allows Malaysians to join and become part of Team Malaysia by simply picking a sport avatar and mapping their profile photo onto it. Their avatar is then added to a nation of athletes, a visually stunning representation of the ‘true’ Malaysian contingent. The site also enables people to show their words of support for the nation’s Olympians via the “Support” section, Twitter and Facebook.
“We designed it in such a way that as the messages pour in, the words help ‘raise’ and ‘elevate’ our athletes by pledging your belief in them.” explained Leo Burnett Creative Adzam Bahrin.
During the games, the campaign will feature a mobile app which notifies people of each athlete’s score, play and win, big or small, via a sound reactive visual equalizer, as well as on ground engagement activities targeted at colleges and universities to rally people for Team Malaysia and to generate hype for the Olympics.
CREDITS
ECD: Eric Cruz
Creative Director: Eric Cruz, Adam Chan
Senior Account Director : Ngian Yuchun
Associate Account Director : Liew Wai Sim
Account Executive : Jasmine Loh
TVC
Production Company : Believe Media
Director : Gerard de Thame
Producer : Fabyan Daw
Writer : Ben Chen, Ravi Costa
Art Director : Eric Cruz
Agency Producer : Rasydan Ahmad Faiz
WEBSITE
Production Company : Leo Burnett / Arc Worldwide
Chief Technology & Production: Ken Chin
Art Director : Adzam Bahrin
Designer : Adzam Bahrin, Khairul Shazwan
Technologist : Ng Soo How
Project Manager : Chan Lik Win
Photographer : Minakawa Satoshi
Production Support : Image ROM
Producer : Ivan Ooi
Art Director : Khairul Shazwan, +cruz
Designer : Khairul Shazwan
Writer : Adam Chan, Ravi Costa
10 Comments
Pretty straightforward commercial, not sure how it justified cost of such a director?
Cliche.
Done to death, including the cheesy execution.
Print advertisement is old-school yawn.
How many messages going on here? No definitive strategy, and don’t go blaming that squarely on the Samsung marketing team.
Horribly pieced Avatar with profile picture creation. Did Leo Burnett even test it?
Seriously, I couldn’t find anything original here or exciting that makes me want to buy Samsung products.
Wake up Samsung, isn’t it time to seek a local agency that understands your marketing? What’s there to lose?
Reminds me of this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlF1E2EJSvs
My only BELIEVE is Guinness.
The quality is in the composition. Especially at the beginning. Falls apart in the second half when the products come in. And it’s a shame the logo was slapped on all the way through. Big brand. Honest effort. No cigar.
The track is a copy of The Cinematic Orchestra’s ‘To Build A Home’…
Great effort. May this inspire more support from fellow Malaysians towards our Olympians.
another “big idea” with no feeling.
how do you justify using such a big name director and photographer with such mediocre results?
Good try from a brand like Samsung.
The website is a mess. Obviously a rushed job.