If anything is certain in life, it's that innovation is a hot topic just before every Olympics. What is the latest development? Who has a new invention? Is there a secret weapon? So we decided not to add a logo on an athlete’s story, we created a tool that enabled us to write a new story together. We collaborated with the BMX- athletes, coaches and movement-scientist to develop a ground-breaking invention. The athletes trained secretly with Samsung FastFrame. Just before the Olympics, when the buzz about innovations at the Olympics was at its peak, we brought it to the press.

Samsung has been the Worldwide Olympic Partner since 1998. For the Summer Games in Tokyo, Samsung Electronics Benelux was allowed to choose which Dutch Olympians to sponsor. For example, Dutch runners or cyclists who were almost certain to win gold. The brief was to develop a strategy and creative idea for a sponsorship campaign around the Games that connects seamlessly with the Samsung brand mantra: ‘Do What You Can’t’.

Concrete objectives: achieve a top-3 position as a named Olympic sponsor in the Netherlands in a market saturated with major Olympic campaigns. And achieve increase in the Proud-to-Own brand value by 10%; Samsungs’ most important brand-KPI.

Samsung Mobile's brand image is the biggest obstacle to commercial growth in the Dutch smartphone market. The Netherlands is a traditional Apple market. Samsung needs to become a more aspirational brand to be able to compete with Apple here. To this end, Samsung has defined a specific brand KPI: the 'Proud-to-Own' (PTO). PTO measures pride in and involvement with the Samsung brand. The so-called brand-love metric.

An 10% increase in the PTO brand value is very ambitious. This index does not rise or fall quickly. Just putting a logo on an Olympian’s story won’t do the trick.

Above that, we had to attract attention first. With a relatively small media budget, in a market saturated with Olympic big spenders like Heineken and Toyota. Outspending them was not an option. We had to outsmart them. We needed a story. Without an impressive story, there would be no glory.

For an innovative tech brand saying ‘DoWhatYouCan’t’, we didn’t choose an Olympic sport with guaranteed Dutch success. We had to break down barriers and support people in doing 'the impossible'. We opted for an innovative approach to the upcoming sport BMX-racing. Spectacular sport to which Samsung could contribute as a tech partner to help the athletes.

First, we needed to know how to create value for the BMX-riders. We partnered with the national coaches, athletes and movement scientist. As it turns out, BMX is all about the start. But what makes the perfect start? It’s a combination of reaction speed, power and bike control. But what's the ideal combination of these factors has always been a mystery. From this insight, the idea for FastFrame was born. ??

We didn’t add a logo on an athlete’s story, we developed a groundbreaking tool that enabled us to write a new story together.

As sponsor of two Dutch BMX-athletes, you can hope for Olympic success. But as a tech brand saying ‘Do What You Can’t’, why not help them to be successful?

BMX is all about the perfect start; with 70% of all BMX-races being won in the first 6 meters. This start consists of 3 elements: reaction speed, power and the angle at which the bike is pulled up. The ideal combination of these three factors is the biggest mystery in BMX. Until we developed Samsung FastFrame. A new custom-made BMX-bike, with built-in sensors measuring the factors in real time. The data, directly transferred to the coaches' smartphones, unlocked this ideal combination for the perfect start.

Creating true value for the athletes (Samsung FastFrame as a daily training tool) and the big press launch of the innovative secret weapon, formed the campaign core. A bold statement, fitting Samsung's brand promise.

- The athletes trained in secret with FastFrame. Just before the Olympics, when the buzz about sports innovations at the Olympics was at its peak, we brought it to the Dutch press. In no-time the Netherlands knew about this ‘secret weapon’ (12.983.000 impressions). And about Samsung being a real contributing tech sponsor.

- Proud-to-Own brand-index: +16%! (Source: DJV Insights September 2021)

- Campaign rated highly, above the benchmark in almost every aspect. Reach: 69.557.400 impressions.

- Voted No 1 sponsor by the Dutch public.

- We literally proved ‘DoWhatYouCan’t’. During the Olympics, Kimmann won Olympic BMX-gold. Dutch first ever!

- FastFrame unlocked the secret of the perfect start. The athletes discovered that they started faster if they used less power and more bike control. Totally contrary to what they had expected.

- It enabled the athletes to gain a 30-millisecond advantage at the start. An eternity in BMX-racing.