Samsung is celebrating the spirit of openness with a new medal at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty London, “The openness medal” was developed based on the insight that Gen Z is more interested in the stories behind the athletes than the actual competition.
The younger generation also uses social media to follow and interact with these athletes, illustrating the importance of openness.
“The openness medal” encourages people to open themselves up to new possibilities by overcoming challenges and sharing past failures.
The medal will allow Gen Z to learn more about the stories behind Team Samsung Galaxy (TSG) athletes, including Ugo Didier (para swimming, France), Heung-min Son (football, South Korea), and Yeri Kim (breaking, South Korea).
For example, a film about Sky Brown (skateboarding, Great Britain) explores how she tore her ACL and how she is overcoming her injury. The film was produced through Black Sheep Studios.
The transparent medals will be awarded during the Olympic and Paralympic Games to athletes, coaches, parents, school teachers, fans and those who “embody this spirit of openness."
TSG and Team Galaxy influencers will participate in the campaign through dedicated social media content, and the Openness Medal TikTok Challenge.
The campaign will run from 26 July to 11 August and will include ongoing social content from TSG athletes, Team Galaxy influencers and fans.
Neil Clarke, creative director at Bartle Bogle Hegarty London, said: “We all fail. We all make mistakes. We all break. Winning is a tiny part of the journey. ‘The openness medal’ is here to help normalise failure, overcome challenges, and hopefully inspire more young people to be open to sport and to not give up.”
Additional TSG athletes confirmed to participate include Rayssa Leal (skateboarding, Brazil), Sarah Bee (breaking, France), Yvan Wouandji (blind football, France), Lola Tambling (skateboarding, Great Britain), and Kadeena Cox (para athletics and cycling, Great Britain).
The campaign was written by Clarke, Lawrence Bushell and Ben Clapp, and art directed by Jay Phillips, Luke Till and Shwan Hamidi.
Media planning and buying was handled by Starcom.