Korean firms seek World Cup exposure

With the World Cup just two weeks away, Korean electronics companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics are busy focusing their marketing in airports worldwide. Companies are especially trying to attract the attention of potential customers with their liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma display panel (PDP) television sets. LG Electronics installed 180 of its 42-inch PDP TVs earlier this year at the Frankfurt Airport. Germany is the host country of this year’s World Cup games. The company also provided an LCD TV, LCD monitor, laptop PC, home theater system, and wine refrigerator for the airport’s VIP lounge. “Frankfurt Airport has more than 50 million people traveling through it on an annual basis and is an important gateway to the World Cup,” an LG Electronics spokesman said. The company has also installed 700 large LCD monitors at the new airport in Prague and PDP TVs in Mexico and Brazil. Samsung Electronics recently signed a contract with the Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands to provide 2,000 LCD monitors and formed a partnership with the Dallas Fort Worth Airport to provide LCD TVs, monitors, and cellular phones in a special pavilion. The company also has its displays in airports in London, Sydney, Lisbon, and Johannesburg among others. by Wohn Dong-hee