There was a buzz of excitement around the Mattamy Athletics Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens) in Toronto, ON as Samsung unveiled their Canadian Galaxy Team athletes. However, the main cause of this anticipation was not the fact that mobility giant Samsung was about to unveil a revolutionary new campaign.
Nor was it caused by the five elite and decorated Canadian athletes in attendance: hockey players Steven Stamkos and Hayley Wickenheiser, sledge hockey player Greg Westlake and speed skaters Marie-Eve Drolet and Michael Gilday. Although all certainly contributed to the atmosphere.
The true source of enthusiasm surrounding the event was the realization that the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games were just around the corner. The games begin in only 107 days and Canadians from coast to coast will once again be captivated by the Olympic atmosphere.
Scott Russell, the host of CBC Sports Weekend and event MC, described it best, stating that, “[the Olympics] cannot be beaten in terms of real life drama.”
While in all likelihood none of the event attendees are ever going to match the athletic accomplishments of the Galaxy Team athletes, they both shared the same passion and exuberance for their country’s Olympic prospects.
This sense of national unity is what Samsung is hoping to capture with their new #BringItHome Olympic Campaign. The intense connection between the Canadian athletes and supporters at the 2010 games in Vancouver were key to both the success and atmosphere of the games. Through #BringItHome, Samsung Canada is attempting to use their wealth of mobile resources to make this once again possible nine hours away in Sochi, Russia.
The key piece in Samsung’s #BringItHome campaign is their Notes from Home initiative. This will allow athletes to stay connected with Canadians throughout the events, and vice versa. Supporters will create a note, or a photo showing their support for the competing Canadian athletes and then submit it to Samsung.com/bringithome. All the messages will be available for the team over in Sochi.
“They’re going to be able at any time of the day, wherever they are, [to] see these well-wishes from Canadians all over Canada,” said Samsung Canada President James Politeski. “We are very excited to see a flood of notes supporting our incredible Canadian team.”
Steven Stamkos, a forward for the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning and favourite to make the coveted Canadian ice hockey team for the Sochi Olympics, demonstrated both excitement and passion when asked about the #bringithome campaign.
“It’s truly an honour to be on Team Samsung representing Canada,” said Stamkos. “With the Bring it Home Campaign, I think we can all attest that there is nothing better than playing on home ice. [It’s an honour] to have a company that wants to make you feel as comfortable as you can, knowing we are in pretty hostile territory in Russia.”
We invite you to come back tomorrow morning when we will be releasing our full one-on-one interview with Stamkos.
Thanks for reading. Please give me a follow on Twitter – @TheHockeyMitch, and follow the site @lastwordonsport and like our Facebook Page.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
Main Photo Credit: Jacob Cohen. All other Photos Authors Own Work, All Rights Reserved
