Leo Burnett has launched a campaign on behalf of Samsung Malaysia Electronics to show support for the Malaysian Olympians who will be taking part in the coming London 2012 Olympic Games.

Playing with the idea that the Malaysian Olympic contingent consists of not only the 29 Olympians who will be taking part in London 2012, the “Samsung Believes in Malaysia” campaign calls for citizens to join Team Malaysia.

“Team Malaysia is more than the athletes we’re sending, it consists of every single person who believes in the athletes and supports them, no matter the outcome. It’s not just a Malaysian contingent of 29, Team Malaysia is 28 million strong,” said Leo Burnett’s Executive Creative Director Eric Cruz.

The campaign launched with an anthemic TVC and Print that aims to generate national pride amongst Malaysians.

Leo Burnett recruited London/Los Angeles based director Gerard De Thame for the campaign’s ‘28 Million Strong’ TVC.

“We knew we had the right man for the job when Gerard opened the conversation by saying, ‘Belief is the conquering of failure’,” said Cruz. “We
wanted someone who could communicate our story in a powerful way and Gerard’s track record with Nike speaks for itself.”

Starring Malaysian Olympians Azizulhasni Awang (cycling), Pandelela Rinong (diving), and Datuk Lee Chong Wei (badminton) who is one of Samsung Malaysia’s brand ambassadors, the TVC highlights the importance of people’s belief in the Olympians.

“The film is a story about belief, an inner conviction that starts from within, to belief from others around you, your inner circle of support, which escalates to a national level of faith” states Leo Burnett Copywriter Ben Chen. “In the end, belief is the only thing that will carry you through every moment of challenge.”

“As strong, brave or talented a person is, we get to where we need to go because of those around us. People who push us to do better even when we feel we’ve reached our limit, or those who are simply there for us, no matter the occasion,” explained Adam Chan, Leo Burnett’s Samsung Creative Group Head.

The TVC, shot entirely in Malaysia, will air in the country’s three main spoken languages: Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and English.

For the print advertisements featuring the same three Olympians, Leo Burnett engaged Japanese photographer Satoshi Minakawa who has photographed athletes worldwide for sports brands like Nike, Le Coq Sportif and Onitsuka

Tiger. “Satoshi’s ‘precise action’ shots are distinct, he doesn’t try to over direct, but rather capture the athlete in their own inner world; he observes them and then portrays them in a beautifully heroic light.” said Leo Burnett Art Director Khairul Shazwan.

The campaign is anchored around www.jointeammalaysia.com, a microsite that allows Malaysians to join and become part of Team Malaysia by simply picking a sport avatar and mapping their profile photo onto it. Their avatar is then added to a nation of athletes, a visually stunning representation of the ‘true’ Malaysian contingent.

The site also enables people to show their words of support for the nation’s Olympians via the “Support” section, Twitter and Facebook. “We designed it in such a way that as the messages pour in, the words help ‘raise’ and ‘elevate’ our athletes by pledging your belief in them.” explained Leo Burnett Creative Adzam Bahrin.

During the games, the campaign will also feature on ground engagement activities targeted at colleges and universities to rally people for Team Malaysia and to generate hype for the Olympics.