Korean firms will be hard to miss in Athens

Seeking a high promotional presence at the Olympic Games, Korean companies are busy with last-minute decorations as they finish “wrapping up” Athens with logo-embedded advertisements.
The Korean corporate promotional experience begins the moment one sets foot in the airport. Place your baggage on one of the 1,000 pushcarts that bear advertisements for Samsung Electronics, and take note of the 1.8-meter replica of Samsung’s Anycall cellular phone.
The official Olympics sponsor also placed 30 large ads inside the airport and four billboards on the highway going to the city.
The same road will also be graced with large advertisements for LG Electronics. Make sure to pick up a special edition copy of “Best of Athens.” The guide book was created by LG in cooperation with the well-known travel publisher Lonely Planet. It contains maps and tourism information, and is being made available for free at major airports worldwide and at 20 luxury hotels in Athens.
Downtown, transportation ― both mass and private ― will be branded by ads for Korean companies. Samsung will wrap above-ground transportation with top-to-bottom advertisements. This includes 17 buses, four trolleys and four electric trams.
LG Electronics is not an official Olympics sponsor and cannot advertise inside stadiums or arenas, so it is going underground and out to sea. The company will be running two “branded” ferries between Athens and other cities, and will place ads on several subway trains.
Hyundai Motor will operate free tour buses that travel between different stadiums and the beach. These double-decked, open-top buses will have live bands playing on the second level, and will come equipped with large-screen television sets so passengers can follow the Olympic action.
Hyundai will also be transporting Olympic committee members, athletes and press in its sedans and vans, but these vehicles will be unmarked.
At a nearby beach, the Hyundai Olympic Beach House will hand out free umbrellas stamped with the Hyundai logo. The automaker will also arrange beach sports and late-night raves featuring well-known DJs. Back in the city, Samsung will also host nighttime activities, including laser shows, next to its exhibition pavilion.
“We expect about 1.5 million visitors to come to Athens this year for the Olympics,” said Samsung executive director Jang Il-hyun. “We’re doing what we can to effectively promote our brand. The eyes of the world are on Athens and this is opportune timing.”

by Wohn Dong-hee