She only stayed for the first week, but women's tennis diva Maria Sharapova gave value for money to some of her many sponsors at the start of the Sochi Olympics, most notably South Korean conglomerate Samsung. The Russian WTA player was used as the centerpiece of her sponsor's games marketing effort, launching the Samsung Galaxy Studio within the Olympic Park.
With Sharapova gone back to practice, the initiative lives on, drawing good crowds as the games hit their halfway point at the weekend. The Galaxy Studio allows visitor to interact with Samsung’s latest wireless technology and connect with the Olympic Games.
It designed to offer visitors a chance to try out the company's latest mobile devices to create, capture and share a personal Olympic experience. Visitors can watch sporting events via Samsung technologies at the Sport Interactive Zone, and show their support for athletes by sending cheers through Samsung’s Chat ON app at the Cheering Zone. A special Kids Zone will allow children to enjoy drawing on the Galaxy Note 3 and receive a badge of their own drawing.
The setup comprises 16 reusable structures which were assembled onsite and will be dismantled with minimum residue after the closing ceremony.
“I’m thrilled to join Samsung in the opening of its Galaxy Studio in the Olympic Park and delighted to be a part of today’s celebration that symbolizes the start of Samsung’s onsite Sochi 2014 campaign,” said Sharapova. “As an athlete myself, I appreciate Samsung’s efforts to provide personalized Games Time experiences to fellow Olympians and also fans through a variety of Studio experiences that help us all get the most out of the Games.”