Samsung wants Olympians to hide the Apple logo on their iPhones during opening ceremonies
Samsung is giving a free Galaxy Note 3 to every athlete competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics, but?those who receive one are reportedly required to ensure that the Apple logo is nowhere to be seen if they use an iPhone to record events at the opening ceremonies.
Olympians have increasingly turned to smartphones to capture photos and video of the festivities, and the handsets are often caught by television cameras covering the event. Samsung wants to ensure its brand is the only one seen, according to a report from Slashgear.
Samsung's plan was outed by members of the Swiss Olympic team, who noticed the guidelines inserted into the athletes' gift bags.
The Olympics provide an unparalleled advertising opportunity, with television coverage spanning the globe. Though figures for 2014 are unknown, it is thought that Samsung spent at least $100 million to sponsor the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Under the headline "iPhone forbidden at Olympics opening ceremony," the image above is captioned, "If Beat Feuz had an iPhone and wanted to take photos of the Olympics opening ceremony, he'd have to cover the Apple logo."
Swiss website Watson.ch (in German, Google Translate) notes that Samsung is giving Winter Olympic Games athletes a free Galaxy Note 3, tied to the requirement that they must cover up the Apple logos on their iPhones when appearing on TV.
A parallel report by Bluewin.ch (in German, Google Translate) similarly noted that, as a requirement for gifts received, 'any athletes attending the opening ceremony and taking photos or videos with a competing product would need to cover up the Apple logo.'
At the last Summer Olympics, Samsung signed an "exclusive agreement with David Beckham to be its global brand ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games," but Beckham was, embarrassingly for Samsung, just spotted using his iPhone 5s at the Super Bowl.
Samsung has regularly experienced difficulty in avoiding embarrassment after key sponsors continued using iOS devices, most notably via Twitter. In December, Samsung launched a "Galaxy 11" fantasy soccer team campaign that was intended to go viral, but instead went awry when star team manager Franz Beckenbauer tweeted out Samsung's prepared remarks from his iPhone.
In October, T-Mobile chief executive John Legere intended to use Twitter to direct attention to Samsung Mobile's latest Note 3 phablet and the company's Galaxy Gear watch accessory, but inadvertently did so via his iPhone 5s.
Last spring, Samsung's sponsored Spanish tennis star David Ferrer tweeted out ostensible satisfaction with his #GalaxyS4 and stated that he was "configuring S Health on my new #GalaxyS4 to help with training @SamsungMobile," albeit from his iPhone.
Olympians have increasingly turned to smartphones to capture photos and video of the festivities, and the handsets are often caught by television cameras covering the event. Samsung wants to ensure its brand is the only one seen, according to a report from Slashgear.
Samsung's plan was outed by members of the Swiss Olympic team, who noticed the guidelines inserted into the athletes' gift bags.
The Olympics provide an unparalleled advertising opportunity, with television coverage spanning the globe. Though figures for 2014 are unknown, it is thought that Samsung spent at least $100 million to sponsor the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Under the headline "iPhone forbidden at Olympics opening ceremony," the image above is captioned, "If Beat Feuz had an iPhone and wanted to take photos of the Olympics opening ceremony, he'd have to cover the Apple logo."
Swiss website Watson.ch (in German, Google Translate) notes that Samsung is giving Winter Olympic Games athletes a free Galaxy Note 3, tied to the requirement that they must cover up the Apple logos on their iPhones when appearing on TV.
A parallel report by Bluewin.ch (in German, Google Translate) similarly noted that, as a requirement for gifts received, 'any athletes attending the opening ceremony and taking photos or videos with a competing product would need to cover up the Apple logo.'
Samsung's expensive promotions running into failure
Last year alone, Samsung spent $14 billion on marketing, a figure that investors have targeted as extravagantly excessive. But even as the company works to reduce its marketing expenses, Samsung is struggling with expensive sponsorships where celebrities have put their free Galaxy back in the box to use iPhones.At the last Summer Olympics, Samsung signed an "exclusive agreement with David Beckham to be its global brand ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games," but Beckham was, embarrassingly for Samsung, just spotted using his iPhone 5s at the Super Bowl.
Samsung has regularly experienced difficulty in avoiding embarrassment after key sponsors continued using iOS devices, most notably via Twitter. In December, Samsung launched a "Galaxy 11" fantasy soccer team campaign that was intended to go viral, but instead went awry when star team manager Franz Beckenbauer tweeted out Samsung's prepared remarks from his iPhone.
In October, T-Mobile chief executive John Legere intended to use Twitter to direct attention to Samsung Mobile's latest Note 3 phablet and the company's Galaxy Gear watch accessory, but inadvertently did so via his iPhone 5s.
Last spring, Samsung's sponsored Spanish tennis star David Ferrer tweeted out ostensible satisfaction with his #GalaxyS4 and stated that he was "configuring S Health on my new #GalaxyS4 to help with training @SamsungMobile," albeit from his iPhone.
Comments
What's that I smell?
Oh... it's desperation.
Surprise surprise. Samsung does something shady? Come on, it can't be so, LOL.
Give me a break. Is Samsung paying the athletes (never would have been allowed years ago) I could see them requiring this (same as on TV shows) bit if they are only giving athletes a (junk) gift box first I would give it back and second, I would challenge their apparent authority to ban other products.
A "free" Galaxy Note 3 is being "given" to every athlete.
It seems they are neither free or given if these conditions are imposed.
Surprise surprise. Samsung does something shady? Come on, it can't be so, LOL.
This is pretty much a standard when a company is a sponsor. TV shows do it all the time. Soda cans have the labels facing away from the camera if a rival manufacturer is a sponsor of the show/network.
Oh yes, because when people see a tall, thin phone with the middle logo covered, no one EVER thinks that it's an iPhone! When I notice products with covered logos in TV shows,etc. it, frankly, raises my awareness. It doesn't lower it.
Samsung should give away free iPhone cases to all athletes so that apple logos is covered. That would be pretty funny.
This is pretty much a standard when a company is a sponsor. TV shows do it all the time. Soda cans have the labels facing away from the camera if a rival manufacturer is a sponsor of the show/network.
Sponsor of a specific athlete maybe, in a commercial, professional sport.
The Olympics originally started with ideals above these, oh well money talks.
Samsung spent at least $100 million to sponsor the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Really! I live and work in London and had direct dealings with the Olympics. Samsung sponsoring is news to me, I don't remember seeing any advertising. Maybe I'm Samsung blind.
I agree, and here's why: Samsung already sells more handsets than Apple. It is a completely unnecessary and trashy move.
Is this a cultural thing?
Is this how South Koreans conduct themselves?
I know that it *seems* like the ebb and and flow of cutthroat competition, but stuff like this doesn't make Samsung look good - obviously. Do they not realize this??
Hope someone can answer.
Huh, and what happens if the athletes simply ignore the logo-covering "requirement"? Oh, have to give back the "free" Note 3 maybe? Aw...
Trying to imagine a) what a pita it would be to insure that my everyday recording device has its logo covered while competing in and/or running around the OLYMPICS and b) how "uncool" it will undoubtedly look running around with a piece of tape covering the back of my swank iPhone, and c) What do I need with a Note 3 when I have my iPhone?
Does Samsung really believe they're gaining any cachet with these people by essentially telling them they have to hide a device that they like? It spits in the face of their own tastes. Brilliant move, Samsung.
Samsung thinks that by giving one to EVERY competitor (along with these 'display restrictions') they can prevent Apple getting any 'free advertising'.....? Some clever person in their company actually believed the cost of thousands of Note 3s would equal the 'damage' done to Apple this way (assuming everyone plays ball). That somehow the world "perception" will be that Apple is nowhere and Samsung is king? A faked, lying, "created" perception? Is that all they have?
The millions of spectators flashing Apple logos on TV while recording their favorite events will so outweigh images of the occasional athlete raising a logo-covered device (but still obviously an Apple iPhone, logo or not) that frankly, it'll be a pointless exercise, one that only ends up making them look bad, one that smacks of petty, underhanded snark than "competing".
I really dislike Samsung's "culture". Despise it really.
They make what seem to be pretty good TVs, and yet, I won't buy one. Mainly because of silly crap like this. It creates serious trust and credibility issues for me. I don't trust the products when I can't trust the company.
Just put a sticker over the logo that says
CENSORED
by
Samsung
This reminds me of when Reebok was a sponsor at the 1992 Summer Olympics; the men's basketball team (half of them had Nike endorsements) decided to unzip their warm up jackets when accepting the gold medal so the Reebok patch wasn't visible.
Michael Jordan, of course one of Nike's most prominent sponsored athletes, draped an American flag over his shoulder to make sure that the Reebok patch was covered.
Nike got at least as much PR as Reebok did -- without having to pay the money to be a sponsor!
It'll be interesting to hear public opinion once this Samsung directive becomes more well-known. Apple = Nike in this case, and I'll bet that Apple will get as much publicity as Samsung... And they won't spend a penny to do so. (edit: Apple will get more positive publicity than Samsung here).
If in fact, Rule 40 is the regulation being used to enforce the Apple logo ban, I would doubt any credible Olympian who might possibly end up on the podium will dare defy this directive. Who'd want to risk disqualification for the sake of making a point?
This is pretty much a standard when a company is a sponsor. TV shows do it all the time. Soda cans have the labels facing away from the camera if a rival manufacturer is a sponsor of the show/network.
Right. But this is, above everything else, an athletic event. Not a television show! The athletes are not actors. They are athletes. (Ath-uh-letes, for the meat-heads.) Next thing, the athletes will be expected to hide their non-Sammy watches, too.
All they need to do cover the logo with the biggest piece of dayglow tape they can. Make the cover up as conspicuous as possible, for under the day glow tape beats the heart of innovation and quality, Apple. It's so good, rivals are even afraid of the logo.
Accept the Samsung phone and use it for the Olympics, but make sure you plaster a big Apple logo on it.