Samsung’s Service Business Sets New Milestones with 2024 Cannes Lions, NewFronts and Art Basel

Samsung continues to drive innovation, leveraging its position at the intersection of hardware and software, to enhance consumer experiences globally.

As the number-one global TV brand for 18 years running, Samsung products create a massive connected universe in-home, in-hand, and on-the-go. Our Service Business organization, comprising the Samsung Ads and TV & Mobile Services teams, further leverages this immersive ecosystem to optimally connect with advertisers and millions of consumers worldwide on the biggest screen in the home.

Samsung Ads hosts the Floating Penthouse at Cannes Lions 2024

A crowd enjoys a gathering at the Floating Penthouse at Cannes Lions 2024

“We’re seeing exciting growth and innovation in our Samsung Services business around the world, and we’re seeing great success as we enable our partners to connect and engage with consumers as they enjoy a premium TV and mobile experience on Samsung devices,” said Yong Su Kim, EVP and Global Head of Video Services & Partnerships. “We’re proud to work with the leading companies in our industry to push at the forefront of digital advertising, gaming, content distribution and consumption, as well as new forms of media such as digital art. Our commitment is clear: to drive impact and business success for our partners, shape and propel industry standards, and continue to deliver the best premium experience across the entire Samsung ecosystem.”

In line with this global influence, May and June have been breakout months with a suite of meaningful product innovations and initiatives across five countries, showcasing Samsung’s continued commitment to unlock opportunities and engage advertisers and consumers alike.

Samsung’s latest games showcased at Summer Game Fest

From hosting a full house at our NewFronts presentation, to our week-long presence across programming and events at Cannes Lions, to showcasing the latest on games at Summer Game Fest, and exhibiting a first-of-its-kind immersive The Frame Lounge at Art Basel, we are continuing to deliver unparalleled results for advertisers and consumers. Here’s a play-by-play of our recent live events, which brought eye-catching, immersive experiences to audiences and brands internationally.

Samsung Ads at Cannes Lions in France

As we head into the world’s largest festival of creativity and innovation, Samsung Ads achieved an industry milestone as the first-ever OEM to have membership in the U.S. Joint Industry Committee (JIC). We contribute an invaluable perspective for the JIC, as the leading provider of smart TVs worldwide, in helping define a more sustainable model for long-form video measurement. Furthermore, as a trusted partner for brands, Samsung Ads continues to increase industry transparency as part of the JIC to drive more meaningful video advertising outcomes.

At Cannes in Cairns, Australia

Ahead of Cannes Lions, our APAC team jump started discussions at Australia’s largest media and creativity festival, Cannes in Cairns. Samsung Ads Haus, a first of its kind dedicated destination, hosted over 500 guests for content streams, meetings and panels at the waterfront venue in tropical Queensland, including an invite-only Chatham house panel by some of Australia’s biggest brands.

Samsung’s welcome tent at the Floating Penthouse

From L to R: Alexa Ellin, Elizabeth Delhagen, Cathy Oh, Melissa Wasserman, Krystina Rafanelli

This week, Cannes Lions serves as a vital global opportunity for our team to amplify business and allow teams to engage in meaningful conversations with key clients, partners, thought leaders and decision makers from the world’s most innovative companies. We are hosting our Floating Penthouse, a sleek stand-out venue experience in the harbor, as the hub for client and partner meetings. Nearly 100 client meetings have been set up, with nearly 200 additional meetings requested, almost double the amount of meeting requests from last year.

The Floating Penthouse at Cannes Lions

Yong Su Kim with Samsung Ads team members

Courtney Howell, far left with speakers at a Female Quotient panel at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2024.

Cathy Oh, fourth from left, speaking during a Female Quotient panel at Cannes Lions 2024.

While at Cannes Lions, our leadership is taking part in a number of panel sessions throughout the week around key topics, including streaming addressability and the current state of video:

• Variety: Michael Scott and Melissa Wasserman stopped by Variety’s Cannes Lions Studio to discuss how today’s innovations are shaping tomorrow’s CTV marketing strategies
• OpenAP: Justin Evans spoke on OpenAP’s Streaming TV Lunch session to discuss CTV’s impact for brands in reaching unified audiences and receiving actionable campaign results
• Microsoft: Joe Melaragno took part in a Microsoft Advertising panel session around the future of CTV and pivotal solutions the industry needs to embrace
• Female Quotient: Cathy Oh and Melissa Wasserman participated on panels with Female Quotient discussing the power of entrepreneurship and female-driven narratives. Also, Courtney Howell moderated a Female Quotient panel with executives from OMD
• She Runs It/Adweek: Cathy Oh will take part in a panel hosted by She Runs It and Adweek where leaders shared their career stories and strategies and the art of being a leader

Samsung Ads at US NewFronts and Canada Innovation Day

With a line wrapped around the block and standing room only venue, Samsung’s NewFront presentation in the US was a resounding success with over 420 attendees, a 150% increase in client attendance compared to last year. This year’s session transformed Lavan Midtown’s venue into a fully immersive Samsung Ads experience by creating a dynamic stage presentation surrounded by a 270-degree projection.

Michael Scott of Samsung Ads at NewFronts 2024

We unveiled a new lineup of premium sports, music, family and entertainment offerings on Samsung TV Plus, including major first-to-FAST partnerships, exclusive content from Warner Music Group and Mattel’s first FAST channels. New performance-driven advertiser solutions were also announced as well as new interactive gaming experiences that transform an ordinary ad break on Samsung TV Plus into a game break. In all, Samsung garnered press coverage across top tier and ad trade publications such as Adweek, Variety, Deadline, Digiday, Axios, Ad Age, and NextTV.

Samsung Ads Canada also recently held its Innovation Day, where new advertiser solutions, Samsung TV Plus content offerings, and newly released insights around FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) in Canada were unveiled. Additionally, the team hosted a panel with key partners from OMG, Tim Hortons, and UM Canada to discuss the influence of AI, data, and technology in the advanced TV ecosystem.

Justin Fromm at Samsung Ads Canada Innovation Day

Samsung Gaming at Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles

For the third year in a row, we were proud to be the official TV partner of Summer Game Fest, a leading industry event held earlier this month, where we hosted an interactive activation to drive awareness of our newest gaming products and initiatives. As part of the event’s Play Days, we showcased our latest Samsung AI TV lineup – including the Samsung Neo QLED 8K (QN900D), Neo QLED 4K (QN90D), and OLED (S90D). Plus, attendees experienced gameplay on the ultra-large 98” Class Neo QLED 4K (QN90D) – witnessing their favorite titles come to life in a big way on the big screen.

Summer Game Fest presents opportunities for gaming publishers and developers to showcase their latest titles to the global gaming industry and community. In addition to being an official partner, Samsung Gaming Hub and its amazing breadth of content were featured in the event live stream, reaching over 30 million global gamers. Throughout the weekend, we also hosted demos to dozens of content creators and media during Play Days to highlight our suite of flagship hardware and games on Samsung Gaming Hub from partners including Amazon Luna, Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Anstream Arcade, Utomik, Boosteroid and Blacknut Cloud Gaming.

Samsung Gaming at Summer Game Fest’s Play Days

From L to R: Jasmine Hester, Isaac Zucca, Alice Martinez, Jamaal Moore, Elizabeth Delhagen, Patrick Horne, Dan Kelleher

Additionally, as part of our recent Samsung Gaming expansion, we showcased Rivals Arena, a recently launched game from Return Entertainment that allows users to play using just their smartphone. Through this latest initiative with Rivals Arena, along with The Six launching soon, we have a unique opportunity to reach more potential players with new ways to play on Samsung Smart TVs, select Smart Monitors and Projectors without a console, controller or subscription. People can now play simply with a TV remote or any smartphone.

We continue to make significant investments in gaming to remove barriers and empower people to “Just Play” on their favorite Samsung devices, creating more value for owners and choices for players to decide how and what they play.

Samsung Art Store at Art Basel in Switzerland

Art Basel brings the international art world together to celebrate monumental works, emerging artists, and global brands — and this year, Samsung shined bright with a first-of-its-kind immersive The Frame Lounge. The Frame lets you enjoy your favorite shows and movies in brilliant 4K when the screen is on, and transform your screen into your personal art gallery when it’s off. The exhibit’s framing of digital masterpieces showcased why Samsung Art Store remains the premier destination for experiencing a breadth of high-quality digital art.

The Frame Lounge

Daria Greene, Global Curator for the Art Store, sat down with both Angelle Siyang-Le, Director of Art Basel Hong Kong as well as Irene Kim, Art Basel’s Global Head of VIP Relations for engaging conversations around how art and technology can work together for unique, elevated consumer experiences.

The Art Store now offers over 2,500 artworks from world-renowned museums and galleries, including recently launched collections from esteemed artists like Salvador Dali, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as celebrated design house, Marimekko. In June, the Art Store also celebrated Pride Month and the arrival of summer with special curations of hand-picked art pieces.

Daria Greene, Global Curator for The Art Store, and Irene Kim, Art Basel’s Global Head of VIP Relations

As we move into the latter half of 2024, Samsung remains committed to driving impact globally by linking consumers and brands with immersive experiences, powerful insights, massive scale, and its robust ecosystem.

To stay up to date on Samsung’s Service Business, please follow us on our LinkedIn page.