Samsung Electronics South Africa has announced a two-year sponsorship as the official smartphone supplier to the Springboks.
According to Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa, the two-year deal with the Springboks will see the South African rugby union team exclusively using Samsung mobile phones. ‚”The Springboks are a national institution and beloved by South Africans. With their impressive track record on the field, they constantly provide an exciting experience for rugby fans, making them a perfect fit for Samsung.‚”
He says Samsung will provide all members of the national team with the very latest in mobile technology, including the recently launched Samsung GALAXY Note 3 smart device and the Samsung GALAXY GEAR, wearable technology which further integrates the Samsung GALAXY experience into everyday life.
‚”Samsung is a world-class, cutting edge company and represent the qualities which South African rugby and the Springboks continually strive to achieve,‚” said Jurie Roux, CEO of the South African Rugby Union. ‚”We are delighted to welcome them to our family of sponsors and look forward to mutually benefitting from the association.‚”
Samsung continually seeks to deliver an exciting experience for its consumers by innovating its products and services to address the unique needs of every market. ‚”While Samsung is a global company, it strives to adapt to each local market in which it operates. ‚”With employees in 79 countries around the world, Samsung’s culture is richly diverse and we continuously look for new ways to both reach and benefit South African consumers,‚” says Fleischer.
‚”As a result, we view this partnership with the Springboks as a natural evolution in our strategy, given the leadership and winning passion that the team continuously demonstrates on the field.‚”
Fleischer says the agreement with the Springboks not only demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to South Africa as a crucial market, but also its pride in the development of sports on a local level and its commitment to nurturing homegrown talent.
This was re-enforced recently by the release of the Smart Trainer App which provides a list of sports, coaches, courses and videos with associated training programmes directly from professional South African athletes. This application is available for download, at no cost, to users of Samsung GALAXY smartphone and tablets from the Google Play Store.
‚”Samsung’s partnerships are carefully considered to ensure that there is a fit between the different brand values. The recently released results of Interbrand’s ‚’Best Global Brands 2013′ report shows Samsung Electronics climb another position and is now ranked in 8th position. As one of the global top brands, it seemed fitting to partner with our top National Rugby Team, as the Springboks compete for the global top position,‚” concludes Fleischer.
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